In summary…
Yes, essentially: the analysis, annual review, document signing, and consultation of your contracts are all done remotely, via videoconference, electronic correspondence, and a secure client portal. Three points are verified before signing: what the advisor is legally authorized to do for a resident of your country, the rules governing distance selling (sales calls, right of withdrawal), and the declaration of foreign accounts, which depends on your tax residency.
Balmont Conseil, a Lyon-based firm, is not independent In regulatory terms: it receives commissions paid by product suppliers, including insurers.
A Lyon-based executive has been living abroad for two years. His advisor has remained in Lyon, as have his assurance-vie policy, bank accounts, and apartment. Can he continue to work with him without flying, and under what conditions? The opposite scenario also exists: an expatriate returns to Lyon with accounts held abroad.
1. This can be done very well remotely
An initial consultation, a review, and the annual review of your contracts are conducted via videoconference, and your statements are submitted online. The firm is located in Lyon: an in-person meeting is possible if you are in France, but it is not required.
According to Service-Public.fr, an electronic document has the same legal value as a paper document if the signatory is identified and the integrity of the document is guaranteed. Once the assurance-vie contract is taken out, the insurer's secure customer area allows for online payments and transfers.
| Step | From a distance ? | What remains framed |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange, assessment, annual review | Yes, via videoconference | The advisor's right to advise you in your country of residence |
| Letter of assignment and documents | Yes, in electronic writing | Letter signed by both parties, after delivery of the onboarding document |
| Customer identification | Largely | The original identity document requires physical presence, not a video conference. |
| Taking out a assurance-vie policy | Yes, under certain conditions | Documents to receive before signing, 30-day cancellation period, rules of your country |
2. What distance frames: solicitation, withdrawal, renunciation
Soliciting: it all depends on who made the contact
According to the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority), banking or financial solicitation occurs when someone contacts you unsolicited, whether at your home or remotely by mail, email, or telephone. The solicitor must be authorized and hold a salesperson's card. If you wrote or called yourself, you are not considered to be in this situation. If you have been solicited, the AMF indicates a 14-day cooling-off period and recommends not signing or paying anything immediately.
For telephone calls, since August 11, 2026, the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) indicates that professionals no longer have the right to solicit without the prior agreement of the consumer, except for calls related to an ongoing contract.
Remote sale of financial services: stricter rules since June 19, 2026
An order and a decree dated January 5, 2026, strengthened consumer protection for those subscribing to financial services remotely, including insurance. Before signing, the service provider must offer free and comprehensive explanations: the total price including all fees and charges, the right of withdrawal, and the complaint procedure. For contracts concluded online, they must offer a free "cancel here" option, available throughout the cancellation period. For offers made by telephone, a confirmation to be signed on paper or another durable medium will be required starting January 1, 2027.
Assurance-vie: 30 days to change your mind
For assurance-vie, Service-Public.fr indicates a 30-day cancellation period. This period begins on the date you are informed of the contract's conclusion. Cancellation must be sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt or by electronic registered mail. The insurer will reimburse all premiums paid within 30 calendar days of receiving the letter. If the required information was not provided correctly beforehand, the cancellation period begins from the date the missing documents are submitted, up to a maximum of 8 years.
Before signing, you must have received the insurance proposal along with a sample waiver letter, the information notice, the key information document, and a written statement of your requirements and needs. See the cancellation within 30 days, THE documents to be received and the opt-out button in 2026.
For the technician. Ordinance No. 2026-2 and Decree No. 2026-3 of 5 January 2026 (transposition of Directive (EU) 2023/2673); Consumer Code, Articles L. 222-5-I (pre-contractual information) and D. 222-2 (online withdrawal); Law No. 2025-594 of 30 June 2025 and Decree No. 2026-662 of 23 July 2026 (prior consent to telephone solicitation); AMF position DOC-2006-23, question 6.2 (14-day withdrawal form).
3. Your country of residence decides what is possible
A French status does not travel alone
The financial investment advisor (CIF) operates under a French status. According to the AMF, this regime is national and does not, in itself, contain rules allowing cross-border practice: a CIF wishing to advise abroad must first ensure the rules applicable locally.
In the insurance sector, the ACPR (French Prudential Control and Resolution Authority) distinguishes between two cases. A French intermediary can operate in another member state of the European Economic Area, either through the freedom to provide services or via an establishment, provided they inform ORIAS (the register of intermediaries) beforehand. Outside this area, they must comply with the rules of the host country.
Specifically. Ask this question and request a written answer: "Are you authorized to advise me and sell me this policy where I live?" Also ask if the insurer accepts residents of your country. To verify their status, see How to verify that an advisor is properly accredited.
Banking and identification: what you may be asked for
When you open an account, the institution collects a self-certification of tax residence. According to the BOFiP (the official tax guidelines), this remains valid until a change in circumstances occurs; the institution that discovers such a change requests a new self-certification within thirty days, and you have sixty days to respond. Moving abroad can therefore trigger this process. For your French accounts, see Can I keep my bank accounts if I become a non-resident?.
For establishing a business relationship, the ACPR allows remote identity verification, but specifies that presenting the original identity document requires physical presence, thus excluding videoconferencing. Other measures exist, such as electronic identification methods of at least a substantial level.
For the technician. AMF Position DOC-2006-23, question 1.5 (cross-border activity). Insurance Code, Article L. 515-1 (French intermediary in the European Economic Area). Monetary and Financial Code, Articles R. 561-5-1 and R. 561-5-2 (identity verification); ACPR guidelines, paragraphs 32 to 35. General Tax Code, Article 1649 AC; BOI-INT-AEA-20-30, paragraphs 40 to 110.
4. Declaring foreign accounts: a resident's obligation
The instructions for form 3916 are intended for French tax residents. They cover bank accounts opened outside France, assurance-vie and capitalization contracts taken out outside France, and digital asset accounts. The declaration is made account by account and attached to the income tax return; for assurance-vie, it notably indicates the premiums paid and withdrawals for the previous year and the surrender value as of January 1st.
The fine is €1,500 per undeclared bank account or contract, increased to €10,000 when the State has not concluded an administrative assistance agreement with France. An additional surcharge of up to 80% of the taxes due may be added.
Illustrative example, Calculated using the amounts in the notice: two undeclared bank accounts and a assurance-vie policy in countries linked to France by an administrative assistance agreement represent 3 × €1,500 = €4,500, excluding any potential surcharge. For an expatriate, everything depends on their tax residence, a point addressed in the...’Article 4 B of the French General Tax Code (CGI).
For the technician. General Tax Code, Articles 1649 A, paragraph 2 (bank accounts), 1649 AA (assurance-vie and capitalization), 1736 IV-2 (penalties), 1729-0 A (surcharge). For contracts, see the form 3916 bis ; after a return, accounts and contracts abroad after returning and impatriation.
Our position
A remote advisor in Lyon is only useful if they clearly state in writing what they are authorized to do for a resident of your country, what requires your presence, and what you must declare. If they fail to address all three, the issue isn't distance. Our firm is not independent and receives commissions; demand the same level of transparency from everyone you speak with. See also How to choose your advisor before moving abroad and Why choose a wealth advisor to manage your assets remotely?.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take out a assurance-vie policy without going to Lyon?
In principle, yes: identity verification can be done remotely, and electronic documents have the same legal value as paper documents. The conditions are the same as for in-person verification: documents must be submitted before signing, there is a 30-day cancellation period, and you can subscribe from your country of residence.
Can my advisor call me without me requesting it?
Not for soliciting you. Since August 11, 2026, commercial telephone solicitation requires your prior consent, except for calls related to an existing contract.
Do I need to declare my foreign bank accounts if I move back to live in Lyon?
Yes, provided you are a tax resident of France: each bank account or assurance-vie contract opened outside of France must be declared with form 3916, under penalty of a fine per account or per contract.
Do you live abroad and your assets have remained in France?
The first exchange, via video conference, focuses on what we are allowed to do for a resident of your country, before any product.
Are you a notary, chartered accountant, lawyer, or fellow consultant? And a client based abroad is looking for a contact person in France? We operate as a subcontractor: the client remains yours.
Book an appointment
The initial consultation is to establish your exact situation and determine if there is anything that can be done—sometimes there is nothing, and we will say so as well. Thirty minutes, with no obligation.
Book an exchange with Balmont Conseil
Alexis Sagnier, financial and real estate investment advisor, insurance broker, AMF certified. ORIAS 13003497. Updated on 24/10/2026.
Official sources consulted
- Service-Public.fr — Assurance-vie contract: subscription and cancellation (fact sheet F15268, verified on October 8, 2026)
- Service-Public.fr — Sale of financial services: new rules to protect consumers from June 19 (news item A18754)
- Service-Public.fr — Legal value of an electronic document (fact sheet F31215)
- Economie.gouv.fr — Insurance: what you need to know when you take out a policy (14/09/2026)
- DGCCRF — Telephone solicitation is now prohibited if you have not consented to it (05/08/2026)
- Ordinance No. 2026-2 of January 5, 2026 (referenced by Service-Public.fr) relating to the remote marketing of financial services to consumers
- AMF — Financial solicitation: what you need to know?
- AMF — You have been contacted: what should you check?
- AMF — Position DOC-2006-23, questions and answers on the financial investment advisor regime
- ACPR — Insurance intermediaries (operating in the EEA, freedom to provide services)
- ACPR — Guidelines relating to customer identification, identity verification and customer due diligence
- BOFiP — BOI-INT-AEA-20-30: Common reporting standard, obligations of account holders
- impots.gouv.fr — Instructions for form 3916 (accounts, contracts and digital assets held abroad)
