In France, what a bureau de change must display is set by one short text: the arrêté of 30 December 1998 on consumer information about the price of manual exchange.
A bureau de change is a changeur manuel (a manual money changer): it exchanges banknotes and coins on the spot. It needs an authorisation from the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR) before it opens (Code monétaire et financier, article L524-3), and the DGCCRF, the consumer protection authority, checks the display. Checked on Légifrance in October 2026; not legal advice, so confirm what applies to you with the ACPR, the DGCCRF or a lawyer.
What your board must show
Buy and sell rates
The euro against each main currency you deal in.
How you charge
How fees are calculated: a fixed amount, a percentage, a minimum.
The same size
Rates and commissions in the same type size. Small print at the bottom does not count.
Seen from the street
Inside, and from outside too when exchange is over 5% of your turnover.
No “0% commission”
Nor “no fees” or “commission free”, if your margin is in the rate, which it almost always is.
A net rate and a slip
The net rate told before the exchange, a slip (bordereau) after it.
What the rules say
- Who: anyone exchanging currency as a regular activity, hotels, travel agencies and shops included; occasional exchangers are exempt. Arrêté 1998, art. 2
- What: buy and sell rates of the euro against the main currencies (in practice those you deal in, or those customers ask for most), and how fees and commissions are calculated. Art. 3
- Size: rates and commissions in characters of the same size. Art. 2
- Where: where the exchange happens, and visible from outside when exchange is over 5% of total turnover: always true of a dedicated bureau, not of a hotel whose exchange desk is a small part of turnover. Art. 2
- No “no fees”: no sign suggesting no fees or commission when they are in the rates. Art. 2
- Misleading prices: a misleading commercial practice, which can be prosecuted. Code de la consommation, art. L121-2
- Before: the net rate for the operation, fees included, told at least verbally. Arrêté 1998, art. 3
- After: a slip with the nature of the operation, currencies, amounts and rates; one copy for you, one for the customer. Arrêté of 10 September 2009, art. 4
- ID checks: above €1,000 for one or linked exchanges, and whenever the customer is not physically present; occasional customers above €1,000 go separately in the register. An ID sign is useful, not required. Code monétaire et financier, art. R561-10, as amended by décret 2018-284
You may say your rates include everything, if true. You cannot present a margin as free.
Can the board be a screen?
Yes, as far as we can tell: the arrêté says what, where and how big, not on what. Show rates and commissions all the time, use a high-brightness panel so the window is readable in daylight, and keep the commission on every page of a long list.
How an easyCMS board covers it
| The rule | On an easyCMS board |
|---|---|
| Buy and sell rates | Side by side, buy first, in French with decimal commas and French currency names |
| Same size | A commission line under the rates, exactly as large, on every page |
| No “0% commission” | Studio warns you if you type it |
| Seen from the street | A portrait design made for the window |
| Window, counter and website agree | One rates table feeds all three: reference rates plus your margins, or locked |
| Your authorisation | The smaller footer line, for your ACPR number |
Pick a design from the exchange-rate board templates, or read more on the currency board. Other countries: display rules by country, Spain.