Open a business account online

Here are the documents required by a bank to open a business account:

1. A valid ID of the person opening the business account: national ID card, passport, or residence permit;
2. A copy of the company's articles of association;
3. Proof of address for the registered office dated within the last 3 months: lease agreement, domiciliation contract, or proof of address of the manager if the company is hosted at their personal address;
4. Proof of registration of the micro-enterprise or company, such as an extract Kbis. This document must include the SIREN or SIRET number for the bank to verify it;
5. The list of beneficial owners along with an ID and proof of address for each if the business account concerns an EURL, SARL, SASU, or SAS.

As a reminder, a beneficial owner is a natural person who directly or indirectly holds 25% of the company's share capital or voting rights.

In a traditional bank, a business account can quickly reach €30 per month, with sometimes unclear fees.

At Qonto, our online business account rates start at €9 excl. VAT per month. We are often cited as the option with the best value for money due to the numerous features we offer. For example:

1. Client and supplier invoice management tool;
2. Dashboard to manage your cash flow;
3. Integration of your business account with your favorite software.

Not to mention the essential payment methods for your daily operations, such as Mastercard payment cards or a mobile payment terminal.

Looking for a free business account for your micro-enterprise? Be aware that several offers exist for self-employed individuals:

1. Indy;
2. Revolut Business;
3. SumUp;
4. N26 Business;
5. Finom.

Finding a free business account for a company is more complicated, as few institutions offer a business account with no fees.

No, self-employed individuals are not required to open a bank account dedicated to their activity as long as their turnover does not exceed €10,000 for two consecutive years.

Once this threshold is exceeded, you will need to open a second bank account separate from your private account.

Note that the law does not require you to open a business account, only a bank account dedicated to your micro-enterprise.

However, it is highly recommended for a self-employed person to open a business account, as these often offer additional services and payment methods suited for managing your business.

The business account is specifically designed to facilitate tax audits, cash management, and accounting for entrepreneurs. It acts as a clear barrier, distinguishing private operations from professional ones.

Associations are also exempt from the obligation to hold a bank account. However, using an association bank account is essential for:

1. Simplifying the collection of membership fees;
2. Having suitable payment methods like a Mastercard or Visa card;
3. Obtaining grants;
4. Paying your employees.

If you are considering creating a company, you will likely be required to open a business bank account. Why? Because to form a company, you will likely need to deposit capital.

Indeed, registering your company online through the Guichet unique requires drafting your articles of association and then depositing your share capital, in cash, into an account that belongs to the company: the business account.

You must complete these steps if your project requires the creation of a:

1. Joint-stock company, such as an SA, SAS, or SASU;
2. Limited liability company, like an SARL or EURL;
3. Civil company, such as an SCI or SNC;
4. Liberal practice company, such as an SELARL, SELEURL, SELASU, SELAFA, or SELCA.

In theory, companies can then close this business bank account and transfer the funds to a regular bank account. However, this decision creates a risk regarding the tax administration's interpretation, which could reclassify the amounts paid as salaries.

If you are banned from banking or cannot open an account with traditional banks, financial management solutions from new players like Qonto allow you to open a business account without a bank.

This way, you can start your business without the risky process of asserting your right to a business account.

A personal bank account is a bank account for individuals. It is generally referred to as a checking account.

The business bank account is a bank account dedicated to conducting professional activities (craftsmen, merchants, freelancers, liberal professions, companies, etc.).

Whether you choose a traditional bank account or an online business account, the supporting documents required by banks to open your account are often the same:

1. Valid ID for each partner;
2. Company's articles of association (not applicable to self-employed individuals);
3. Extract Kbis;
4. Proof of address for the registered office dated within the last 3 months;
5. SIREN number;
6. APE code.

To speed up the opening of the bank account dedicated to your activity, we recommend contacting the institution in advance to verify the required documents and ensure you submit a complete application.

With Qonto, opening your business account is done in less than 10 minutes and entirely online.

Here are the main online banks and payment institutions offering a business account:

1. Qonto, a historical player in the online business account market in France;
2. Indy, a daily management solution initially focused on accounting and tax declarations;
3. Pennylane, a financial and accounting management platform;
4. Revolut Business, the offer for professionals from the English online bank Revolut;
5. Propulse by CA, a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole;
6. Hello bank! Pro, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas;
7. Monabanq, a subsidiary of Crédit Mutuel;
8. Shine, a former subsidiary of Société Générale sold to Ageras in 2024;

Whether you are a self-employed individual, a small business owner, or an SME manager, it is essential to analyze the differences between traditional banks, online banks, and neobanks.

Indeed, conducting a comparison of the various bank account offers is essential.

A payment institution does not have the same authorizations as an online bank, as the latter operates as a credit institution.

This status allows an online bank to market financing solutions, such as:

1. Credit operations;
2. Securities or stock market products.

However, nothing prevents payment institutions from forming partnerships with other sector players to offer these products to their clients. This is the case with our financing offers.

Fintechs, like Qonto, Anytime, Shine, N26, Revolut, or Manager.One, build their offer in a sector where traditional banks are absent or insufficiently present.

Online banks, belonging to major banking groups, are moving away from it, except for BoursoBank (formerly Boursorama Pro), Hello bank! Pro, and Monabanq, which offer a pro offer only for self-employed individuals or sole proprietorships.

Recently, new players have appeared in the pro banking offer market. This is notably the case with Indy and the Pennylane business account.

For SMEs and small businesses, the range of offers is significantly reduced. All-in-one online business accounts are then the best positioned, but not all offer the same prospects.

Thus, some of them exclusively target solo entrepreneurs (self-employed, SASU, EURL, or EIRL), while the Qonto online business account offer is aimed at all professionals and legal forms of companies.

The Qonto online account is thus accessible to:

1. Self-employed individuals;
2. Individual companies (EI);
3. SASU;
4. SAS;
5. EURL;
6. SARL;
7. SCI;
8. Associations;
9. Liberal and medical professions.

Its credo: relieve business leaders of banking formalities so they can focus on developing their business.

Another selection criterion is the ability to make your capital deposit when creating your company. Again, many neobanks and online banks do not offer this service.

Qonto offers a 100% online share capital deposit offer, even if part of the capital consists of in-kind contributions as long as:

1. Their value does not exceed €30,000;
2. They do not represent more than 50% of the company's capital.

Depending on your activity and the size of your company, a multitude of other criteria

are added to conduct a comparison of the different professional banks, such as:

1. Account maintenance fees;
2. Commissions on external transfers;
3. The possibility of obtaining a virtual bank card;
4. Obtaining a French IBAN;
5. Check payment collection;
6. Offer of additional services.

Last important point: business accounts are accessible to all professionals, including those subject to banking prohibitions.

Indeed, at Qonto, you can become a client and benefit from our offer by opening a business account without a bank! No risk of new debt or accumulated credit, our services are truly open to everyone.

You can check our clients' reviews on Trustpilot to assess their satisfaction rate.