{"id":6938,"date":"2026-10-24T15:30:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/balmontconseil.com\/blog\/conseiller-gestion-patrimoine-lyon-retour-en-france-apres-expatriation\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T15:30:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:30:03","slug":"conseiller-gestion-patrimoine-lyon-retour-en-france-apres-expatriation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balmontconseil.com\/en\/blog\/conseiller-gestion-patrimoine-lyon-retour-en-france-apres-expatriation\/","title":{"rendered":"Which wealth management advisor in Lyon should I choose for a return to France after living abroad?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In summary\u2026<\/h2>\n

Choose an advisor who treats your return as a matter of fact, not as an investment. Three things are crucial during the year following your return: the date you become a French tax resident, the declaration of each account and contract held abroad (a \u20ac1,500 fine per undeclared account, \u20ac10,000 in some countries), and the decision to keep, transfer, or repatriate each contract. Your advisor should provide you with this list from the very first meeting.<\/p>\n

Balmont Conseil, a Lyon-based firm, is not independent<\/b> In regulatory terms: he receives commissions on the contracts signed. We state this from the first meeting, in Lyon or via videoconference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A couple from Lyon return after seven years abroad, with a local bank account, a life insurance policy taken out there, and an apartment in Lyon rented out during their absence. Together, these elements create obligations that begin on the day of their return.<\/p>\n

1. What's at stake in the year of the comeback<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Your French tax residence begins when a criterion is met.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Article 4 B of the French General Tax Code sets out three criteria for being considered domiciled in France: having one's home or principal residence there, carrying out a professional activity there, or having the center of one's economic interests there. The BOFiP (the official tax administration guidelines) clarifies that only one of these criteria needs to be met: the date of your return for tax purposes is not the date of your plane ticket, but the date the first criterion is met.<\/p>\n

In the year of your return, according to Service-Public.fr (information verified on April 15, 2026), you must declare your French-source income received from January 1st to your return date, and then all your income, from French or foreign sources, from that date to December 31st. The 2026 income tax return will begin in April 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Subject<\/th>\nWhat the rule says<\/th>\nWhat you do<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Tax residence<\/td>\nOnly one of the three criteria in Article 4 B is sufficient<\/td>\nNote the date on which the first criterion is met<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Income for the year of return<\/td>\nFrench source before return; all income after<\/td>\nSeparate the two periods in your statements.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accounts and contracts abroad<\/td>\nMust be declared annually; \u20ac1,500 fine per undeclared account<\/td>\nList each account, each IBAN, each contract<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Health insurance<\/td>\nAcquired from the first hour worked if you return to work; otherwise, 3 months of residence in France<\/td>\nSend form S1106 to the CPAM (French Health Insurance Fund) in your place of residence.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

2. Accounts, life insurance and savings abroad<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Declare first, decide later<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A French tax resident must declare annually any accounts opened, held, used, or closed abroad: bank accounts (including IBANs that do not begin with FR), life insurance policies taken out abroad, and digital asset accounts on foreign platforms. The penalty is \u20ac1,500 per undeclared account, and \u20ac10,000 if the account is located in a country without a tax treaty with France. An additional penalty of \u20ac80 may be applied; this replaces the penalty (Service-Public.fr, information verified on July 9, 2026).<\/p>\n

Keeping a contract abroad is still possible; failing to declare it is costly. See the accounts and contracts abroad after returning<\/a> and the\u2019foreign life insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Repatriating your savings: by bank transfer, not in a suitcase<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to customs, bank transfers are not subject to the declaration requirement. The requirement applies to those personally transporting cash, checks, or gold worth \u20ac10,000 or more: they must declare it, and for amounts exceeding \u20ac50,000, they must provide documentation proving the origin of the funds (Service-Public.fr, information verified on December 11, 2024).<\/p>\n

Specifically.<\/strong> Do not repatriate anything before calculating, in euros, the cost of each contract and its exit.<\/p>\n

3. Retirement, real estate and impatriation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Retirement savings: tax-deductible contributions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Once you are a French tax resident, contributions to a retirement savings plan (PER) are tax-deductible by default if made before age 70. For an employee, the limit is 10% of their 2025 professional income, up to a maximum of \u20ac37,680, with a minimum of \u20ac4,710 (Service-Public.fr, information verified on October 12, 2026).<\/p>\n

Real estate: the IFI (French wealth tax) changes scope<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The French real estate wealth tax (IFI) applies to net taxable real estate assets exceeding \u20ac1,300,000 as of January 1, 2026. For a French tax resident, it applies to assets located both in France and abroad, including shares in real estate companies. If you lived abroad for the five calendar years preceding your move, only your assets located in France are taxed for those five years (Service-Public.fr, information verified on March 6, 2026). According to impots.gouv.fr, no employment requirement applies to this tax benefit.<\/p>\n

Repatriation after more than five years: a narrow gateway<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The tax regime for impatriates (our dedicated page<\/a>This provision may apply to an employee recalled by their employer after more than five years spent in a company within the same group abroad. It requires having been tax resident outside France for the five calendar years preceding the start of employment, and runs until December 31st of the eighth calendar year following this start of employment: for a start of employment in September 2026, until December 31st, 2034. Individuals who came to work in France of their own volition are excluded (impots.gouv.fr, page modified on April 8, 2026).<\/p>\n

Specifically.<\/strong> Ask your employer before signing, not after: the expatriation bonus is exempt if its amount is included in the contract or in an addendum established before taking up duties.<\/p>\n

For the technician.<\/strong> General tax code, article 4 B (tax domicile), commented by the BOFiP BOI-IR-CHAMP-10; article 155 B, I of the CGI (expatriates), BOI-RSA-GEO-40-10-20: exemption until December 31 of the eighth year following the commencement of duties for commencements of duties from July 6, 2016; liquidity: regulation (EU) 2018\/1672 (third countries), article L. 152-12 of the Monetary and Financial Code (European Union).<\/p>\n

4. The checklist for the first 12 months<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
When<\/th>\nWhat you do<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Before returning<\/td>\nList your accounts, contracts, and annual statements; ask your employer if the expatriate tax regime applies before signing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Return Month<\/td>\nNote the date of the first criterion of Article 4 B; send form S1106 to the CPAM (French Health Insurance Fund) with your employment contract; declare to customs any transport of cash exceeding \u20ac10,000.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Months 1 to 3<\/td>\nSubmit your statements to calculate the fees for each contract in euros.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Months 3 to 6<\/td>\nDecide, contract by contract: keep, transfer, or buy back, with the tax cost clearly stated.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
January 1st following<\/td>\nEvaluate your real estate assets, in France and abroad, for the French Wealth Tax (IFI).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The following April<\/td>\nDeclare the year of return in two periods, and each account opened abroad<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Regarding healthcare, a contributor to the French Social Security Fund for Expatriates (Caisse des Fran\u00e7ais de l'\u00e9tranger) can, under certain conditions, receive benefits for 3 months after returning home (Service-Public.fr, information sheet verified on October 2, 2025). See the...\u2019health insurance upon return<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. What an advisor does for you upon your return<\/strong><\/h2>\n