How can I cash a US bank cheque in France?
In some cases payment cannot be made directly to an account so a cheque is issued
Banks may not always accept your cheque
Marcin Jucha/Shutterstock
Reader Question: I have a cheque from the US for a few thousand dollars, but I live in France and no longer have a US bank account. What can I do?
Generally the easiest option is for a payment from the US to be wired or transferred to your French account.
However, if this is not possible – for example if you are receiving the cheque from certain government services – it should still be possible to cash your cheque.
The easiest way to do this is to go into the local branch of your French bank and deposit the cheque with them.
Whilst many physical bank offices have an ATM-style machine to deposit cheques, you will need to speak to an advisor about depositing yours as it comes from outside of France.
Staff members at The Connexion have been able to cash cheques from the UK – including a tax rebate from the HMRC – at their physical French bank branch without any issue although some banks may refuse to cash non-French or non-SEPA (generally speaking, banks from outside Europe) cheques.
You may have to pay a fee to do this, which varies from bank to bank, and also the exchange rate may not be competitive.
Read more: Why do French banks ask so many questions?
Endorsing the cheque is an option
A second option may be to endorse the cheque enabling someone in the US to cash it on your behalf.
Check specific bank requirements but usually this would include the recipient signing the back of the cheque and then sending it to a friend or relative who will then ‘cash’ it for you.
That person can then transfer the money to your French account.
Should you follow this route you may wish to send the cheque via registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, regardless of if you use a French or American courier service.
Other tips here include:
Make sure you fully trust the person you are signing the cheque over to
Check both your bank and theirs accept endorsed cheques
Look to see if transfer fees to transfer the money will be more expensive than simply cashing the cheque at your physical bank
Read more: Fraudsters target bank cards in your pocket in new scam in France
