A Spanish bank asks for "your French tax return". A town hall asks for "proof of income". And at home you have two documents from the French tax administration that look alike, carry your name and state different figures.
This guide explains what each one is, which figure it reports and which is worth submitting. It is not tax advice: it only sorts out the documents.
Avis d'impôt and ASDIR are not the same piece of paper
Both are issued by the French tax administration and both relate to your income tax return. What changes is the timing and the purpose.
| Document | When it arrives | What it reflects |
|---|---|---|
| ASDIR (avis de situation déclarative à l'impôt sur le revenu) | Right after the return is filed | What you declared, before assessment |
| Avis d'impôt (avis d'imposition) | Later in the tax season | The assessment of the tax on that return |
The practical difference is one of calendar and of nature. If you file in spring and need to evidence income in June, that year's avis d'impôt may not exist yet, and the ASDIR is all you have. That is not a problem if the recipient accepts it — and many do, precisely for that reason.
What does not pay off is deciding for them. A bank granting finance usually wants the assessment; an administrative procedure with an income threshold may be satisfied with the ASDIR. It is a one-minute question that saves a translation.
What to locate in the document
Before sending it for translation, check that the document clearly shows these four things:
- The tax year. French documents distinguish the income year from the filing year, and both figures appear on the paper. If you are asked for "the latest year", confirm which of the two the recipient means.
- The taxpayer or taxpayers. The return is by foyer fiscal, not by individual. A joint return shows two names.
- The income categories. Which kinds of income were declared: salaries, pensions, investment income, self-employed activity.
- The tax number and the document references. These are what allow the document to be verified, which is why they have to be visible.
Plus one check on form: the complete document, every page, with no cropped headers or footers. That is where the references live.
The revenu fiscal de référence is not your salary
This is the misunderstanding that most often has to be undone, and it is worth saying bluntly.
The revenu fiscal de référence is a household-level tax figure, calculated under rules specific to French legislation. Within France it serves as a reference for thresholds of all kinds. What it is not: your monthly net pay, your annual gross pay, or necessarily a figure attributable to a single person.
Presenting it as if it were salary produces two bad outcomes. If the figure is higher than the recipient expected, you will be asked to explain it. If it is lower, they may conclude you fall short of a threshold you actually meet.
A sworn translation does not fix this, and should not try: the translator carries the document across with its own terms — revenu fiscal de référence stays that figure, explained — rather than turning it into something else. If what the recipient wants is salary, the document that evidences it is a payslip or an employer certificate, not a tax document.
Nor should it be confused with pension documentation, which travels a different route and is issued by a different body: French pension documentation.
A minimal glossary for reading the document
Four terms that appear and should not be translated on instinct:
- Foyer fiscal: the filing unit. It can include two spouses and dependants.
- Revenu brut global: total income before certain deductions.
- Revenu net imposable: the base on which the tax is calculated.
- Nombre de parts: the number of household shares, which feeds into the French calculation.
Each is a distinct figure. In a sworn translation they stay identifiable and explained, because swapping the term for an approximate Spanish or English one would have the recipient reading a concept the document does not contain.
Confirm the destination, then ask for a quote
The order that works is the usual one: first find out which document and which year the recipient wants, in writing if possible; then check that you have that document in full; and only then order the translation.
If the destination is a property purchase, the paperwork usually travels with more documents and is best seen as a whole: French documentation for buying property in Spain.
When the Spanish body requires the Spanish version, you need a sworn translation from French into Spanish signed by a translator accredited by the MAEC. Quoting it takes three things: which document, which tax year, and how many pages it really has.
Send us the complete document for the year you were asked for, the body it is going to and your deadline, and we will give you the exact price and turnaround.