In general, my experience opening a French bank account was positive. We spent over an hour there, and I cannot tell you how many papers I signed, but the process was relatively smooth, despite scaring my advisor with my passport…
I am writing this post as an American, planning to marry a Frenchman and settle in France. In the summer of 2019, I applied for and received a visa long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS), a long-stay visa that acts as a temporary residence permit after validation.
It doesn’t sound very romantic, and we weren’t too sure about it at first, but we know it’s the only way.