Updated October 2026. Utilities in France run on three things: photo ID, a service address and, for monthly contracts, a SEPA IBAN. With a Linky meter, electricity is usually on within 24 hours, and energy contracts carry no commitment. Fibre takes 2 to 7 dayswhere the flat is already connected and 1 to 3 weeks for a new connection. A prepaid SIM works the day you land, with a passport and no bank account. Water is normally in your building charges, and the taxe d'habitation and TV licence no longer apply to a primary home.
Key takeaways
- Monthly contracts need a SEPA IBAN; a French IBAN is not legally required for internet.
- Electricity: sign with one supplier; with Linky, power is on within 24 hours for about €11 to €14.
- Energy contracts are sans engagement: no exit fee, and switching never cuts supply.
- Fibre: check the address on maconnexioninternet.arcep.fr; 2 days to 3 weeks to go live.
- Mobile: prepaid SIM with a passport, no bank account; keep your number free via 3179.
- The taxe d'habitation (primary homes, 2023) and TV licence (August 2022) are gone.
What documents do you need before you sign up?
Three things unlock almost every utility contract in France: an identity document, an address for the service, and a SEPA bank account for the direct debit (prélèvement automatique). A passport of any nationality works; a foreign driving licence is generally not accepted to register a SIM card. The big four internet providers ask for no residence permit, no French credit file and no attestation de domicile.
The IBAN does not have to be French. Internet providers accept any SEPA IBAN, and Revolut and N26 accounts are reported accepted. EDF's direct debit expects a French or EU account. A prepaid SIM needs no bank account at all. A lease or justificatif de domicile still matters for your bank, your landlord and several administrations, so keep it ready. See how to get a justificatif de domicile and how to open a bank account, and the identity rules for SIM cards on service-public.fr.
Order matters
How long does each service take to set up?
Setup times in France range from the same day for a prepaid SIM to several months for fibre in a building that has just been cabled. Electricity is now the fast one: with a Linky meter the activation is remote. The table gathers October 2026 figures from energie-info.fr, ARCEP rules and installation reports on lafibre.info, so you can book the slow services first.
| Service | Typical time | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity, Linky meter | Usually within 24 hours | Regulated fee of about €11 to €14, same at every supplier |
| Electricity, older meter | 5 to 10 working days | Express in 24 to 48 hours costs more; be home for the technician |
| Fibre, flat already connected | 2 to 7 days | Plug the box into the fibre socket yourself |
| Fibre, new connection | 1 to 3 weeks; 4 to 8 weeks for aerial or busy cases | Technician no-shows and missing equipment are common |
| Fibre, building just cabled | Add 1 to 3 months | Legal sales freeze: 1 month after the floor box, 3 months after a new street cabinet |
| Prepaid SIM | Same day | Must be registered with ID; unregistered lines are blocked |
| Keeping your mobile number | 3 working days | Get the RIO on 3179; never cancel the old line yourself |
| Water (apartment) | Nothing to do | Usually included in your monthly charges |
How do you set up electricity and gas?
Electricity and gas work the same way: you sign with one supplierand give the meter's delivery point, the 14-digit PDL/PRM for electricity or the PCE for gas. The supplier contacts the grid operator; no registration with Enedis or GRDF is needed or even possible. Enedis runs about 95% of the electricity grid, and in about 150 local zones, including Strasbourg, Grenoble and Metz, a local utility runs it and sells the regulated tariff instead of EDF.
Every household energy contract is sans engagement: you can leave on any day, for free, and switching never cuts your supply. EDF's regulated Tarif Bleu costs 20.01 c€/kWh plus €190.32 a year (6 kVA, August 2026), about €1,048 a year for a two-person flat; the best market offers were 10% to 13% cheaper in October 2026. For help in English, ekWateur is the one supplier with documented English-speaking agents. Low-income households receive the chèque énergie, €48 to €277 a year. The full guide, including the move-in and move-out checklist, is in our electricity and gas guide and the energy provider ranking.
Moving out is not a switch
What people in France report
- + English help at ekWateur: An American customer reported being passed to an English-speaking agent, and praised billing on real use after an estimate of about €100 a month against roughly €40 of actual consumption. (Trustpilot, February 2025)
- − ekWateur overcharging complaint: Another expat on the same review page reported years of monthly overcharging, then a supply cut over an unpaid balance of €32.69. Read it alongside the positive English-support report above. (Trustpilot, August 2023)
- â—‹ Smoothed monthly billing: After twelfth-month regularisation shocks at Octopus and EDF, forum users advise raising the monthly instalment yourself from month one in the customer area, or asking to be billed on real Linky readings. (mon-habitat-durable.fr, forum synthesis, May 2026)
Paraphrased from public posts, each dated and linked. A small sample, not a representative survey.
How do you set up water and home internet?
Water works differently from electricity and gas. In most apartment buildings, water is bundled into your monthly service charges (charges), which the landlord or the building's syndic collects and pays to the local water utility; an individual water contract in a tenant's own name is uncommon except in some standalone houses. Check your lease before assuming you need to open a separate account.
Home internet starts with an address check on maconnexioninternet.arcep.fr, the ARCEP tool that shows the technology and the providers declared at your exact address. Treat it as a map, not a promise: the cabling inside a building can be missing even when the map says fibre. French providers run no credit check for internet-only plans, and a 14-day withdrawal right applies to contracts signed online.
The cheapest fibre in October 2026 was RED Box Fibre at €22.99 a month, flat and without commitment, which suits a lease of any length. Under-26s can take a 5G box without a fixed line from €25.99 a month. Without an IBAN or a fixed address, Starlink's roaming plan (€45 a month plus a €199 kit, card payment) is the fallback. See home internet in France for the full comparison.
What about your mobile line and other charges?
A prepaid SIM is the day-one answer: tobacconists, airport Relay shops and supermarkets sell them, and you register the line online with your passport. French law has required ID registration for every SIM since 2017. A monthly forfait without commitment needs a SEPA IBAN and a billing address. To keep your number later, call 3179 for your free RIO code and give it to the new operator, which ports the number within 3 working days.
Two 2026 traps are worth knowing. The Bouyguesgroup (Bouygues Telecom, B&You and the NRJ, Cdiscount and Auchan brands) has charged a €5 exit fee on plans without commitment since 27 July 2026. SFR, RED and Prixtel raised some prices by €0.99 to €4.99 a month in October 2026; customers can refuse the change in their customer area. See our SIM cards in France guide for offers.
Two charges that used to appear on a newcomer's setup list no longer apply to a primary residence. The taxe d'habitation was abolished for all primary residences from 2023 (it still applies to second homes), and the redevance télé(contribution à l'audiovisuel public, France's TV licence fee) was scrapped for everyone in August 2022 and is now funded through general taxation instead.
Sources: energie-info.fr, Enedis, GRDF, the CRE Tarif Bleu barème of 1 August 2026, ARCEP (maconnexioninternet.arcep.fr and the number portability framework), operator price sheets and service-public.fr, checked October 2026. Activation times and fees vary by address and supplier, so confirm the schedule when you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents do you need to set up phone and utilities in France?
You need photo ID (a passport works everywhere), a service address, and for any monthly contract a SEPA bank account (IBAN) for the direct debit. The big four internet providers do not ask for a residence permit, a French credit history or an attestation de domicile. A prepaid SIM needs only ID at activation, and no bank account at all. Landlords, banks and some suppliers still ask for a justificatif de domicile, so keep your lease handy.
Do you need a French bank account to set up utilities?
Not always. French internet providers need a SEPA IBAN for the direct debit, but a French IBAN is not legally required, and Revolut and N26 IBANs are reported accepted. EDF's direct debit expects a French or EU account. A mobile forfait needs a SEPA account, while a prepaid SIM can be paid in cash or by card. Without any IBAN, Starlink's roaming plan takes card payment.
How long does it take to get electricity connected in a new home?
With a Linky smart meter, activation is remote and usually done within 24 hours of signing, for a regulated fee of about €11 to €14 that is the same at every supplier. An older meter needs a technician visit, typically 5 to 10 working days, or 24 to 48 hours with a paid express option. You never contact Enedis yourself: the supplier does it.
Can you keep your phone number when you switch mobile operator?
Yes, for free. Call 3179 from the line you want to keep to get your RIO code, then give it to the new operator when you subscribe. The new operator handles the transfer within 3 working days. Never cancel the old line yourself, or you lose the number.
Is water billed separately from electricity and gas in France?
Usually not for tenants in apartment buildings: water is typically bundled into your monthly service charges (charges), which the landlord or the syndic (building manager) collects and passes on to the water utility. Individual water contracts in a tenant's own name are uncommon except in some individual houses, so check your lease before assuming you need to open a separate account.
Do you still have to pay France's taxe d'habitation or TV licence fee?
No, for a primary residence. The taxe d'habitation was abolished for all primary residences from 2023 (it still applies to second homes), and the redevance télé (contribution à l'audiovisuel public, France's TV licence fee) was scrapped for everyone in August 2022 and is now funded through general taxation. Neither shows up on a newcomer's setup checklist any more.
Should you use EDF's regulated tariff or an alternative electricity supplier?
Both work, and you can switch between them at any time for free, because every household energy contract is sans engagement. The Tarif Bleu costs 20.01 c€/kWh plus €190.32 a year (6 kVA, August 2026), about €1,048 a year for a two-person flat. The best market offers were 10% to 13% cheaper in October 2026, and ekWateur is the one supplier with English-speaking agents.