Main documents you will need in order to open an account in France.

- Passport and/or carte de séjour

- Proof of Residence in France. For example, France Télécom (telephone) or EDF (electric) bill or the  copy of the contract of your rented apartment

- Many banks require a minimum deposit of 15 Euros (Some of them have no such requirement too)

They give a cheque book with the account. There are no charges for the cheque book. In France you can pay for almost anything with a Cheque. Just remember to carry an Id (Passport) with you whenever you wish to pay with a cheque.

A true joint account must be opened in the name of “Mr ou Mme” (Mr. or Mrs.), which allows either of the parties access (withdrawals, checks, payment orders) individually. An account labeled “Mr et Mme” (Mr. and Mrs.) requires the signatures of BOTH parties for access (withdrawals, checks, etc.), and so cannot be accessed by a surviving spouse.

You do not get any interest on the money in this account. Instead the French banks charge a commission (ranging from 3 euros to 15 euros per month)

 Savings bank account or Compte d'épargne

You can open this at any time with the bank. You get about 1.75% (as of 2010. It was  3-4% in 2008) interest on the amount.

These are Livret A, Livret de Developement Durable (Sort of Savings bank and interest is non-taxable) or Compte Epargne (Savings bank, Interest is taxable) or Epargne à terme (Term depostis or Fixed Deposits. Also taxable). Ask your Conseiller at the bank for more details. 

Carte Bleue, Debit and ATM Card

When opening an account, you may apply for a Carte Bleue (debit card). It is highly recommended that you take advantage of this very convenient financial service. There is an annual charge for the card, which is valid for two years. The carte bleue is widely accepted throughout France by retail merchants, hotels, restaurants, service stations, toll booths, paring plazas and practically every business enterprise. Most shops do require a minimum purchase, although toll booths and many service stations have no minimum requirement. You will also need the card to obtain cash from an automatic distrbutor of any other bank in France.
    
The Visa or Mastercard international Carte Bleue is accepted wherever the “Visa” or “Mastercard” sign is displayed, as well as at ATMs throughout Europe. Other American credit cards, (American Express, Diners Club, etc.), are less readily accepted.
    
The French debit card is linked to your checking account and, as indicated above, allows you to withdraw money from any bank or post office cash machine. Cash withdrawals are immediately debited from the account. Purchases are debited either at the end of the month or immediately, depending on the option chosen when opening the account. All debits incurred with the Carte Bleue will appear on the bank statement, and will not be billed separately. Banks generally limit the amount of cash withdrawals and charges allowed per week.

Relevé d’Identité Bancaire (RIB)

This piece of paper contains the name of the bank and branch where the account resides, as well as the account number and name and address of the accountholder(s). The French commonly pay their various regular expenses (i.e. rent, taxes, electricity, gas, and telephone) with an automatic payment directly from their bank account. When filling out a form for automatic payment, a Relevé d’Identité Bancaire (RIB) will be required. There are several RIBs included within checkbooks for this purpose. Bank will provide additional RIBs upon request.

Remittances to and from India    

Remittances (money transfer) to and from India can be effected in following ways:

1. SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) transfer: SWIFT works directly between the banks.You will need SWIFT code of the bank to which you want to transfer funds and your account number in the same bank. For a French banking account the SWIFT code is mentioned in the RIB. For an Indian bank you will need to ask them in case you don't have it. Ask your French bank for the exact process and commissions if any they charge to effect the transfer. You may have to fill up form with details about fund transfer. The transfer is usually effected in a couple of working days.
   
2. Western Union Money transfer: Money transfer using Western Union money transfer facility is available in most of the post offices in France.Complete list of agents is available on this link. The commission and exchange rate can be checked on the website of Western Union agency website.
   
3. Money transfer through Indian banks: State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Paris provides remittance facility to any bank/account in India for a nominal charge (Of 10 Euros for funds up to 6000/- Euros). Once you transfer funds to SBI account, transfer to India is effected within 10 minutes. Daily exchange rates are provided on their website. For more information about remittance facility of SBI, Paris check this link. Online money transfer is also possible with ICICI bank.