Plenty of people buy property on the Côte d’Azur without living in France. The process is workable from abroad, but it requires more planning than a local purchase and a few things that catch buyers off guard if they haven’t prepared. For a general overview of the process, see the guide to buying property on the Côte d’Azur.
What you can do remotely when buying French property
Property search and viewings. Remote viewings via video call have become standard. Most agents working with international buyers will do WhatsApp or FaceTime walkthroughs, and some will send detailed video tours in advance. It’s not the same as being there, but it’s a reasonable way to filter down before you visit.
Signing the compromis. The preliminary contract can be signed by post or, increasingly, by electronic signature. You don’t have to be in France for this stage. Bear in mind the 10-day cooling-off period starts from the date you receive the signed document, so posting it adds a few days to that clock.
The final signing. This is where it gets more complicated. The acte authentique (the final deed) must be signed before a notaire, but it doesn’t have to be signed by you in person. You can authorise someone else to sign on your behalf using a power of attorney (procuration).
How the power of attorney works
A procuration is a legal document that grants someone else the authority to sign the acte authentique in your name. That person attends the signing at the notaire’s office and signs the deed on your behalf.
If you’re signing the procuration in France, a French notaire draws it up. If you’re outside France, you have two options. The simpler one: since a 2020 decree, a French notaire can take a procuration by video call. You appear on screen, the notaire authenticates the document, and no apostille is needed. Ask your notaire early whether they offer this. Not all do, but it’s increasingly common and saves time.
The traditional route: have the procuration notarised by a local equivalent (a notary public in the UK or US) and then apostilled under the Hague Convention so it’s recognised in France. This works but takes longer. Leave at least two weeks before the scheduled signing.
Give yourself time for this. Getting a document notarised, apostilled, and sent to France before a scheduled signing is manageable but not something to leave until the last week. Your French notaire can usually advise on the exact format required.
The person you give the procuration to can be your agent, your buyer’s advocate, a trusted friend based in France, or in some cases the notaire’s own clerk. Discuss this with your notaire early so there are no last-minute problems.
Opening a French bank account
This is the part buyers consistently underestimate. The purchase price has to pass through a French notaire’s escrow account, which means you need to be able to make a large SEPA transfer from a French account or, in some cases, directly from an international account if the notaire accepts it.
Getting a French bank account as a non-resident is possible but takes longer than most people expect. BNP Paribas, Société Générale, and HSBC France all open accounts for non-residents, though the process involves in-person appointments and document requirements that can stretch over weeks. Online banks like Boursobank are an option for residents but generally require a French address first.
Start this process early in your property search, not after you’ve found a property.
Currency exchange and international transfers when buying French property
If you’re buying in euros from a non-euro currency (pounds, dollars), the exchange rate at the time of the final transfer matters considerably on a large sum. Currency specialists such as Wise or a dedicated FX broker can hold a rate in advance or set a rate alert. Using your regular bank’s international transfer rates tends to cost more.
On the financing and tax side of a purchase made from abroad, the directory lists English-speaking mortgage brokers, accountants and financial advisers, which is also where to start if you will owe French tax on the property once you own it.
What actually requires you to be in France when buying property
In practice, nothing in the legal process strictly requires your physical presence if you’ve arranged a procuration. But in practice, most buyers visit France at least once before the compromis to see properties in person, get a feel for the neighbourhood, and meet their agent and potentially their notaire. Buying something you’ve only seen on a screen is a significant financial risk, even with good video tours.
For the final signing, it’s a judgement call. If the procuration is properly prepared and you trust the person you’ve authorised, remote completion works. Some buyers prefer to be there regardless. It’s a significant moment, but it’s not legally required.
What to arrange before starting your French property search from abroad
- A French bank account, or at least the process started
- A clear idea of how you’ll handle the currency transfer
- A property lawyer or legal adviser familiar with international purchases, if you want someone on your side through the process (the notaire represents the transaction, not you)
- A bilingual estate agent or buyer’s agent who can advise on the local market and liaise with the seller’s side in French
- A French phone number, or at least a way to receive calls and messages from French numbers without high roaming costs
- A certified French translator if your French isn’t strong enough to follow a full notarial reading at the signing
- A realistic budget for the move itself, not just the purchase. See the full breakdown of relocation costs
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a property in France without ever visiting it?
Legally, yes. Nothing in the process requires you to set foot in France if you’ve arranged a procuration for the final signing. Whether you should is a different question. Video tours flatter a property, and they tell you nothing about the noise from the road, the walk to the shops, how dark the flat goes in the afternoon, or how the neighbourhood feels at night. Most buyers who complete remotely still visited once before committing. If you genuinely can’t, put someone you trust in the room in your place: a buyer’s agent working for you rather than the seller is worth their fee in that situation.
When does the 10-day cooling-off period start if I sign the compromis by post?
From when you receive the signed contract, not from when you sent yours. That’s in your favour, but it stretches the calendar: posting documents internationally can add the better part of a week at each end, and the notaire can’t set a completion date until the clock has run. Signing electronically removes most of that delay, and most agents dealing with international buyers now offer it. Ask which method they’re using before you agree a timeline.
Can I pay for the property from a non-French bank account?
Sometimes, but don’t build your plan on it. The purchase price has to reach the notaire’s regulated escrow account, and while some notaires will accept a transfer from an overseas account, others insist on a French one. The notaire also has to verify and document where the money came from under anti-money-laundering rules, which is more straightforward when the funds arrive from an account in your own name with a clear paper trail behind them. Ask your notaire early which they accept, because the answer determines whether opening a French account is urgent or merely useful.
Who can hold my power of attorney if I don’t know anyone in France?
You have more options than people assume. The procuration can go to your estate agent, a buyer’s agent acting for you, a property lawyer, or, commonly, a clerk at the notaire’s own office. That last one is standard practice and costs little. Raise it with your notaire as soon as a completion date is being discussed, rather than in the final fortnight when a signature has to be notarised and apostilled in another country.
How far ahead should I sort the currency transfer?
Before you need it, and with a decision made about the rate rather than by default. On a €600,000 purchase a two-cent move in the exchange rate is €12,000, which is more than most buyers save by negotiating on the price. A currency specialist can fix a rate in advance with a forward contract, so the sum in your own currency stops moving once the compromis is signed. Leaving it to your high-street bank on completion day means accepting whatever the rate and the margin happen to be that morning.