Declaring a life insurance contract opened abroad: 3916, 2778, 2047 and 2042

A life insurance policy opened abroad requires three separate steps. First, declare its existence using form 3916 or 3916 bis, along with your income tax return. Second, for each withdrawal from an EEA insurer established outside France, declare and pay the applicable taxes yourself. Third, report the gains on forms 2047 and then 2042. Failure to complete the first step is punishable by a fine of €1,500 per undeclared policy (Article 1766 of the French General Tax Code, BOFiP).

Step 1: Declare the contract itself

Form 3916 or 3916 bis is filed with your income tax return. It relates to the contract itself, not the gains: the gains are declared elsewhere (step 3).

Only one declaration is required for an account or contract opened by spouses. As a precaution, list each contract opened abroad before completing the form.

The sanction

The French Tax Administration's Official Bulletin (BOFiP) (BOI-CF-INF-20-10-50, versions of 26/05/2021, paragraphs 40 and 50) links Article 1766 of the French General Tax Code (CGI) to a fine of €1,500 per undeclared life insurance contract. This amount is increased to €10,000 when the contract is taken out in a country that has not concluded an administrative assistance agreement for the exchange of information with France: the BOFiP does not name Luxembourg, and we do not apply this amount to a specific country. An additional surcharge of €80 is added in certain cases (paragraphs 90 and 110). The phrase "per account" (Article 1736, IV-2 of the CGI) refers to bank accounts only.

The administration page viewed was last modified on 10/03/2026.

Step 2: Tax and social security contributions, at your initiative

With an EEA insurer established outside France, it is your responsibility to declare and pay. Form 2778-SD 2026 designates the liable party as the taxpayer domiciled in France for tax purposes.

In concrete terms:

1. You receive the buyback payment.
2. You are filling out form 2778.
3. You pay the mandatory flat-rate levy and social security contributions.
4. The deadline: the first 15 days of the month following receipt of payment.

There is an alternative. You can authorize a European financial institution to complete these formalities. Without authorization, the process is your responsibility.

The instructions address insurance contracts issued outside the EEA separately, particularly regarding the declaration lines. If your insurer is not located in the EEA, your case will be examined separately.

Step 3: Report the gains on your tax return

Gains are first declared on form 2047. They must then be transferred to form 2042. The order matters: form 2047 first.

The lines below are from form 2047 for 2025 income, meaning the tax return filed in 2026. The contract's age, the insurer's location, and the premium dates (before or after September 27, 2017) determine the lines. The following table only includes the first two criteria.

According to form 2047, only one case opens the first group of lines: a contract of 8 years or more with an insurer in the EU or EEA. All others go into 2YY and 2ZZ.

For reporting on income tax returns, instruction sheet 2778-SD indicates 2DH and 2XX for bonuses paid before September 27, 2017, and 2VV or 2WW (7.5 % or 12.8 %) for bonuses paid since then. Each number belongs to its own instruction sheet: do not mix them up.

Capital gains are declared on other lines (2VN, 2VO, 2VP, 2VM) of the 2042 C declaration, depending on the age of the contract, the insurer and the date of the premiums.

Check all these numbers on the notices for the year before filling out: the lines on a form can change from year to year.

The three approaches side by side

Things you need to have on hand

Before filling anything out, gather four pieces of information.

1. The list of your contracts open abroad. It is used in step 1.
2. The date of receipt of each redemption. It sets the deadline for the 2778.
3. The age of each contract. It directs your lines from 2047.
4. The insurer's place of establishment, and the existence of a mandate. One directs the declaration lines, the other designates the person who takes care of the formalities.

Three questions to find out what concerns you

• Do you have a contract with an insurer located outside of France? If so, approach 1 should be examined.
• Have you received a buyout payment? If so, steps 2 and 3 are added.
• Is the insurer located in the EEA? If not, the notice deals with your contract separately: the case is examined separately.

Four common mistakes

• Confusing the forms. Form 3916 confirms the existence of the contract. Form 2778 is used for payment. Form 2047 is used to declare winnings. Neither replaces the other two.
• Wait for the insurer to settle the payment. With an EEA insurer established outside of France, you are liable, unless you have a mandate to a European financial institution.
• Exceeding the deadline. Payment is due within the first 15 days of the month following receipt of payment.
• Complete form 2042 without going through form 2047. The postponement is mandatory in this order.

Numerical example (fictitious profile)

Situation. A fictitious French tax resident holds a contract opened abroad with an EEA insurer. She did not declare it on her tax return. She receives a redemption payment on March 12, 2026.

Issue. She believes the insurer takes care of everything. She doesn't know that the existence of the contract is declared separately, nor that the payment is her responsibility.

Strategy. List the contracts held abroad. Calculate the redemption payment deadline. Report the gains in order, first to tax year 2047, then to tax year 2042.

Result. Deadline for 2778: 15/04/2026, i.e. 34 days after collection.

CALCULATION: month following 12/03/2026 = April; 15/04/2026 − 12/03/2026 = 34 days. The redemption date is a hypothetical scenario based on the hypothetical profile.

What changes depending on your situation

• The insurer's place of establishment. EEA or non-EEA: it directs the lines to be used.
• The mandate. Did you entrust the formalities to a European financial institution?
• The age of the contract. It determines the lines of the 2047.
• The state where the contract is located. It determines the amount of the fine.

These points are examined on a case-by-case basis. No situation can be resolved by a single model.