Important French Numbers to Call from Abroad (2026 Directory)

French Banks and Lost or Stolen Cards

Blocking a Lost or Stolen Card (All French Banks)

France runs a single inter-bank line to block any lost or stolen French card, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The number is 0 892 705 705 from France or +33 1 42 77 11 90 from abroad. It works for every French bank — BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, LCL, Caisse d'Épargne, La Banque Postale, online banks. Once you have called, you must also notify your bank in writing (your online banking app usually has a one-click form).

Keep this number written down somewhere outside your phone. If your phone is stolen with your card, you cannot look it up.

Reaching Your Bank's Customer Service from Abroad

Most major French banks have a dedicated international line, usually printed on the back of the card and listed in the contact section of the online banking app. As a rule of thumb, drop the leading zero of the French customer-service number and prefix it with +33: a number listed as 01 42 98 12 34 on the bank's website becomes +33 1 42 98 12 34 from abroad.

If you cannot find a number for your bank, log in to the online banking app and look for "Nous contacter" or "Contact us" — the international number is always there. Avoid 3X short numbers (such as 3477 or 3010): they do not work from outside France.

French Embassies and Consulates Abroad

If you are a French national abroad, your first point of contact is the local French consulate, not a Paris-based ministry. Each consulate runs its own switchboard and emergency line. Do not call the Quai d'Orsay (the foreign ministry) for individual cases — its lines are for institutional contacts.

The official French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs directory lists every embassy and consulate worldwide, with their phone number, address and emergency contact. A few high-traffic ones for English-speaking countries:

• French Embassy in London: see uk.ambafrance.org ;
• French Embassy in Washington DC: see franceintheus.org (also lists the consulates in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and New Orleans) ;
• French Embassy in Ottawa: see ca.ambafrance.org ;
• French Embassy in Canberra: see au.ambafrance.org.

Always check the consulate's website for the latest phone number — they update them more often than the central directory does.

Trains, Flights and Roadside Assistance

SNCF (National Trains)

SNCF's main customer-service line is 36 35, which is premium-rate and unreachable from abroad. From outside France, dial +33 8 92 35 35 35. Press 1 for the English line. Calls from abroad are billed at international rate plus the French premium.

For tickets, schedules and refunds, the SNCF Connect website and app are fully in English and avoid the call entirely.

Roadside Assistance

There is no single national roadside assistance number in France. The number depends on your car insurance contract: it is printed on your attestation d'assurance (insurance certificate) and inside your insurer's app. Save it before you travel.

If you are stranded with no insurance details, dial 112 — the European emergency number, free from any phone, with English-speaking operators. They will not tow your car but they will dispatch police or medical help and point you to the nearest service.