obtaining a carte de sejour-Opening a bank account-valid passport

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To open a bank account, you will need to show the three following documents:

1- valid passport
2- carte de séjour
3- proof of address: telephone or electricity bill, rent receipt, certificat d'hébergement (official document stating that you are staying with a private resident, obtained by your French host from the local mairie), etc.

Approximately 10 days after opening the account, you will receive a
chequebook and/or a credit card.

Police spot identity checks

In France, the police are authorized to carry out spot identity checks (contrôles d'identité). This means that police officers can ask to see the identity papers of any person in any public place (government administrations, the street, railway stations, metro stations, etc.) to verify their legal status in France.
It is therefore essential to carry documents proving your identity and right to be in France: passport, visa or carte de séjour and student card if applicable.

If you fail to produce valid identity papers during a spot check, you may be taken to a police station for an identity check (vérification d'identité).
This check must be performed by a police officer from the criminal investigation department (police judiciaire), who will check with the police
station (commissariat) nearest to your stated place of residence to make sure you live at the address you have stated.

How to obtain a carte de séjour ?

To apply for a carte de séjour, you will be required to fill in a form and supply a number of documents (many of which will be the same as those you supplied for your visa application):

1- Certificate of enrolment at institution of higher education.
2- Proof of accommodation (rent bill or certificate from person who is lodging you).
3- Proof of financial resources.
4- Two face-on photos
5- One stamped addressed envelope (first class mail: EUR 0.50).

Citizens of non-European-Union countries will also need to supply the following items:

6- Medical certificate, which is delivered after a medical examination at the Office des migrations internationales (OMI).
7- One EUR 55 OMI stamp.
Once the application has been processed, you will be invited to come and collect your carte de séjour in person. The application processing time varies greatly (from one to three weeks, usually).

Opening a bank account

If you are a foreigner staying in France for more than three months, you are entitled to open a bank account.
If you are staying for less than three months, you may open an account at a savings bank (Caisse d'Épargne) or at the Post Office (La Poste). The savings banks have a large network of branches and there is a post office in most French communes. Savings bank and post office accounts are managed in exactly the same way as accounts at commercial banks.