{"id":6887,"date":"2026-10-23T14:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/balmontconseil.com\/blog\/gerer-son-patrimoine-en-france-depuis-l-etranger-5-etapes\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T14:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:00:05","slug":"gerer-son-patrimoine-en-france-depuis-l-etranger-5-etapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balmontconseil.com\/en\/blog\/gerer-son-patrimoine-en-france-depuis-l-etranger-5-etapes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to manage your assets in France when you live abroad?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In summary\u2026<\/h2>\n

Managing assets in France from abroad involves five steps, in this order: settling bank accounts, reviewing contracts (assurance-vie, savings plans, retirement plans), handling real estate, organizing mandates, and then appointing a representative in France. A prerequisite is essential: establishing and declaring one's tax residence.<\/p>\n

Our position: the mistake is not leaving assets in France, but leaving them without a point of contact. Each step must produce a dated document, as this document will be used in the event of an audit, closure, or inheritance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In December, three months after a family from Lyon moved abroad, three letters arrived: the bank was requesting proof of tax residency, the insurance company was refusing a payment on a policy, and the property tax bill had been sent to their old address. None of them were serious. Together, they revealed assets that no one was managing. Here is the path we are following, with articles on the site detailing each point.<\/p>\n

1. The prerequisite: your tax residence dictates everything else<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A person is considered to be fiscally domiciled in France if only one<\/b> If one of these criteria is met: their home (their family's usual residence) is there, their main residence is there (at least 183 days a year), their main professional activity is carried out there, or the center of their economic interests is located there. Assets left in France without taking precautions can therefore be enough to keep you there, even with a plane ticket and a lease abroad. For the criteria in detail: Article 4 B of the General Tax Code (CGI)<\/a> ; regarding the consequences of leaving: Exit tax and tax domicile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two formalities begin the process: updating your account on the tax website and declaring your foreign address to the non-resident tax service (instructions for use<\/a>), and, for a stay of more than six months, register with the French consulate.<\/p>\n

For the technician.<\/strong> Tax residence: Article 4 B of the French General Tax Code (CGI); the criteria are alternative. A tax treaty may provide for different rules in the case of dual residence.<\/p>\n

2. The five steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Step 1. Accounts: maintain a point of reference, but don't become dependent on them.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your bank can close a standard account without cause, with two months' written notice, and will require you to submit a new tax residency declaration. The right to a bank account, which guarantees a basic account, only applies if you no longer have a deposit account in France. Open a backup account before you leave. Details: our article on the bank's application for tax residency<\/a>, the booklets and plans<\/a> and foreign accounts to be declared<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Step 2. Contracts: Review the residency conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For a assurance-vie contract, the country of commitment is that of the policyholder's primary residence. According to a ministerial response, the insurer can therefore refuse a payment after a change of primary residence abroad, and the Court of Cassation (September 8, 2016, No. 15-11.364) ruled that a refusal was justified as long as the legality of the transaction had not been confirmed under the law of the new country. Before leaving, ask each insurer in writing what the contract authorizes: payments, withdrawals, and transfers. See the purchase from abroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The same questions arise for equity savings plans, retirement, and health insurance: the PEA at the start<\/a>, the life certificate<\/a>, the taxation of pensions<\/a>, the mutual insurance company<\/a> and the French citizens abroad fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For the technician.<\/strong> Article L. 310-5 of the French Insurance Code: the state of a assurance-vie contract is that of the policyholder's principal residence. Article L. 183-1 of the same code: a policyholder who is a national of another state within the European Economic Area (EEA) may choose between French law and the law of their state of nationality. Source: ministerial response published in the Official Journal of the Senate on November 8, 2018.<\/p>\n

Step 3. Real estate: the tax changes in nature, not location<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A non-resident remains subject to French income tax on rental income from a French property. Their tax liability cannot be less than a minimum rate of 20% up to \u20ac29,579 of 2025 income, and 30% above that amount, with the option to choose the average rate. Social security contributions are 17.2%, or a single solidarity levy of 7.5% for those affiliated with a scheme in the European Economic Area or Switzerland. The French real estate wealth tax (IFI) applies to properties located in France if their net taxable value exceeds \u20ac1,300,000. See average rate<\/a>, Wealth tax for non-residents<\/a> and local taxes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The point that is discovered too late: in order to sell their former main residence without capital gains tax, a non-resident must sell no later than December 31 of the year following departure<\/b>, and without having made it available to a third party in the meantime. See exemption for non-residents<\/a> and the tax representative<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Step 4. Mandates: acting remotely, without relinquishing control<\/strong><\/h3>\n