Micro-entreprise
Do I Have to Declare My Wise Account in France? Form 3916 for Micro-Entrepreneurs
Yes. Wise's European entity is Belgian, so the account is held abroad and goes on form 3916 every year, with a €1,500 fine per undeclared account. The same for Revolut, Starling and any UK account you still hold.
28 Oct 2026 · 4 min read · By Sophie Kazandjian
Yes. Wise's European entity is a Belgian payment institution and a Wise euro account has a Belgian IBAN, so to the French tax office it is an account held abroad. You declare it on form 3916 with your income tax return, every year you hold it, and the fine for an account you did not declare is €1,500 per account per year. The same applies to Revolut, Starling, Monzo and any UK current account you still have.
The rule
French residents must declare every account opened, held, used or closed abroad during the year, on form 3916, one per account, filed with the annual income tax return each spring. It is a declaration rather than a tax; nothing is owed on the account itself. Wise tells its French customers to declare, in its own help pages. The account number, the institution's name and address and the date the account was opened are what the form asks for, and the Wise app has them.
I use Wise. I also declare it, and keep the business side of it separate from the rest, which brings in the second rule.
The dedicated-account rule
Once a micro-entrepreneur's turnover has exceeded €10,000 in two consecutive calendar years, the business must use an account dedicated to it. A separate ordinary current account is enough; a "compte pro" with its fees is not required. The law refers to accounts at a credit institution, and whether a payment institution such as Wise satisfies it has never been settled by an official text. Most freelancers in this position keep a French current account for the business alongside Wise, which also solves the next problem.
Paying URSSAF from a Belgian IBAN
By law no French body may refuse a SEPA IBAN because of the country it comes from, and URSSAF has acknowledged this in writing. It has also admitted that its systems sometimes reject non-French IBANs for direct-debit mandates and for refunds. Card payment on the URSSAF site works from any account. If you want the direct debit, a French IBAN is the path of least resistance.
EI in the account title
Since 2022 the title of any account dedicated to the business has to carry "EI" next to your name. French banks do this on request. Whether Wise will rename an account that way is not documented; ask, and keep the answer. The EI rule covers invoices and correspondence too.
And the pounds that land in it
Money from a UK client paid into a Wise sterling balance is French turnover on the day it is credited, converted or not. What rate to convert it at for the URSSAF declaration is the next question, and the Wise statement line is the evidence you keep with the answer.
Questions
- Which form, and when?
Form 3916, one per account, filed with the annual income tax return in the spring, for every account held abroad at any point in the year.
- Is a Wise Business account a "compte dédié" for a micro-entrepreneur?
Unsettled. The dedicated-account rule speaks of credit institutions, and Wise is a payment institution. Most people keep a French current account for the business as well.
- Does a personal Wise account have to be declared too?
Yes. The declaration covers every account abroad, personal or business, held at any point in the year.
The full guide · €19
Invoicing a UK client from France
Thirteen pages, with a bilingual model invoice in sterling to copy. Every figure sourced and dated.
Get the guide →Or all three guides with the URSSAF tracker and the deadlines calendar: Micro Admin 2026/27, €49.
Other questions
- Can a Micro-Entrepreneur in France Invoice a UK Client in Pounds and in English?
- Do I Have to Put EI After My Name as a Micro-Entrepreneur?
- The €40 Recovery Fee and the Late-Payment Line Every French Invoice Needs
- Paid in Pounds: Which Exchange Rate Goes on the URSSAF Declaration?
- Does UK Client Income Count Towards the French VAT Franchise Threshold?
- Invoicing a UK Client from France: Which VAT Line, and Why Autoliquidation Is Now Wrong
Everything answered so far, in one place. If your question is not there, email it to [email protected]; the ones that come up more than once get a page.