Whether you are starting in France, entering the EU or adding a French company to an existing group, the right setup depends on ownership, management, banking and what the business will actually do. We help you settle those points before the filing begins.
French systems your setup may involve
Yes, foreign and non-resident founders can register a company in France. The more useful question is whether a French entity fits your customers, team, supply chain and compliance budget.
You need a real operating base in France, will hire locally, sell materially into the French or EU market, import through the EU, tender for French contracts or establish a subsidiary close to customers and partners.
Before filing, confirm who will manage the company, where it will be registered, how share capital will be deposited and who will handle French accounting after launch.
You only want a low-maintenance paper company, have no workable banking plan, do not need French substance or cannot support French-language accounting, tax filings and a registered office after incorporation.
We compare a company with an individual-business route and check whether SASU or EURL governance suits the way you will pay yourself.
You generally follow the same business-creation route as a French national, while tax residence and social-security facts still require review.
You may own a French company without relocating. If you intend to live or work in France, immigration permission is a separate workstream.
We compare a French subsidiary with a branch, then map the parent company, authorized signatories and ultimate beneficial owners before filing.
A clean filing starts with seven decisions. If one is unresolved, the delay normally appears later at the capital-deposit, registry or tax stage.
| Decision | What must be ready | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Legal form | SAS/SASU, SARL/EURL, branch or another suitable route | Controls governance, manager status, investor entry and filing documents |
| Business activity | A precise French activity description and any regulated-activity evidence | Influences registration routing, APE classification, licences and tax handling |
| French address | Evidence of a registered office in France | The address determines the company's legal seat and relevant authorities |
| Owners and UBOs | Share split and the individuals who ultimately own or control the company | Required for the beneficial-owner declaration and financial-institution checks |
| Legal representative | SAS president or SARL manager, with valid identity and declarations | The representative signs and acts for the company |
| Capital | Amount, ownership allocation and an acceptable deposit route | The deposit certificate is normally part of the registration file |
| Articles and filing | Signed articles, legal notice and supporting documents | The application is submitted through France's Guichet unique |
The legal minimum is not the commercial minimum. A €1 company may be valid, but it can leave no working buffer and may make the business plan harder to explain to a bank, supplier or landlord. Set capital around the first months of real costs, not around the smallest number the law permits.
SAS and SARL are both limited-liability companies, but they are not interchangeable. The single-owner versions are SASU and EURL.
| Structure | Often suits | Owners and management | Capital and liability |
|---|---|---|---|
| SASU / SAS | Startups, subsidiaries, investor-led businesses and flexible governance | One shareholder for SASU; at least two for SAS. A president is mandatory. | From €1. Shareholder liability is generally limited to contributions. |
| EURL / SARL | Owner-managed, family and established small or medium businesses | One shareholder for EURL; 2–100 for SARL. Managed by one or more individuals. | No statutory minimum. Liability is generally limited to contributions. |
| French branch | An overseas company testing or operating directly in France | Part of the foreign parent, with a representative in France | No separate share capital; the parent remains responsible for branch liabilities. |
| EI / micro-entreprise | Eligible individuals running a smaller activity in their own name | One individual; it is not a separate company with shareholders | No share capital. Turnover and activity rules must be checked. |
Good flexibility comes with more drafting responsibility. Investor rights, decision thresholds and share-transfer rules should be settled in the articles rather than copied from a generic template.
The answer is sometimes SASU, sometimes EURL, and sometimes no French company yet. We would rather identify that before you pay filing costs.
The statutory framework is more prescribed, which can suit owner-managed or family businesses. The manager's ownership and remuneration affect social-security treatment.
Official references: SAS rules and SARL rules.
A foreign national may create a business in France without residing there. If you plan to move to France or personally work there, your nationality and proposed activity determine whether a residence permit or other authorization is required.
Do not build the incorporation around the assumption that company ownership automatically grants a visa. Incorporation, immigration, personal tax residence and social security are connected, but each has its own test.
Many filing steps can be coordinated remotely. A bank, payment institution, notary or regulated authority may still ask for a video interview, certified documents, translations or an in-person step based on risk and transaction facts.
See the French government's guidance for foreign entrepreneurs and the official international talent routes.
The exact list changes with the owners, activity, address and capital contribution. These are the documents we normally review first.
Do not translate an entire overseas file before someone checks what the registry, bank and service provider will actually accept. That often creates cost without solving the real gap. We first identify the issuing country, document age and required certification route.
The filing itself is only one step. Address, capital and ownership evidence need to line up before the application reaches the Guichet unique.
Define the activity, customers, ownership, management and hiring plan. Compare SASU/SAS, EURL/SARL, branch or an individual route.
Confirm the French registered office, company name, financial year, share allocation, governance and officer appointment.
Complete KYC and source-of-funds checks, deposit the required capital and obtain the certificate used in the registration file.
Publish the constitution notice through an authorized legal-announcement service and retain the publication certificate.
Submit the signed file and beneficial-owner declaration. The portal routes the information to the relevant registers and authorities.
After registration, activate the operating account, accounting, tax, VAT, EORI, payroll or licensing workstreams that apply to the business.
The Guichet unique is France's mandatory online channel for company creation, changes and cessation. Review the official portal and the government's company-creation checklist.
There is no honest single-day promise. Registration time starts after the prerequisites are usable, not when the first email is sent.
| Typical case | Working estimate | What usually controls the timing |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared local or EU founder | About 1–2 weeks after prerequisites | Address evidence, signed articles, capital certificate and a complete filing |
| Non-resident individual owner | Often 2–4 weeks | KYC, capital-deposit provider, translations and registry questions |
| Foreign corporate shareholder | Often 3–6 weeks | Parent-company evidence, authorization, UBO chain and certification |
| Regulated or unusual activity | Case-specific | Professional qualifications, licences, in-kind contributions or sector review |
A SIREN/SIRET or Kbis may arrive before the operating account, VAT confirmation, EORI number, payroll setup or sector licence. If a launch date matters, build the plan around the slowest dependency rather than the incorporation certificate alone.
Your budget has three parts: mandatory public charges, professional service fees and operational costs such as address, translation, banking and accounting.
For a founder who already has a workable French address and capital-deposit route.
For a non-resident founder who needs more coordination around documents, address and capital deposit.
For a foreign corporate shareholder, multi-layer ownership, tailored governance or a regulated activity.
Current base filing charges include €33.83 for commercial-company registration and €19.33 for the beneficial-owner declaration. The legal-notice charge varies by entity and location.
Legal-notice figures shown are 2026 rates for metropolitan France and the territories grouped at the same tariff. Réunion and Mayotte have higher rates. Craft, regulated or special filings may add charges. Verify current tariffs before payment.
Share capital belongs to the company and is not a service fee. Domiciliation, certified translation, legalization, bank or payment-provider charges, accounting, payroll, VAT/EORI work, licences and immigration support depend on the file. Your written quote should say exactly which are included.
Official fee references: registration formalities and 2026 legal-notice tariffs.
A capital account is used before incorporation to receive the cash contribution and issue the deposit certificate. The operating account is the account the registered company later uses for business. They may involve the same provider, but they are not always the same approval.
Your owners and UBOs, source of funds, business model, expected countries and transaction flows, French address, draft articles and why the company needs an account in France.
HSJGlobal can review readiness, organize evidence and coordinate an introduction. No formation agent can guarantee bank or regulated payment-institution approval, and we will not describe an application as approved before the institution confirms it.
Official reference: professional accounts and capital deposits.
Registration creates the entity; it does not settle every tax question. Customer location, goods movement, management location, employees and group transactions can change the answer.
The standard French corporate income tax rate is 25%. Eligible SMEs may use a 15% rate on the first €42,500 of taxable profit; turnover, ownership and paid-up-capital conditions must be checked before relying on it.
The standard VAT rate in metropolitan France is 20%, with reduced rates for defined supplies. VAT registration and reporting depend on the activity, customer type, turnover and cross-border transactions; an intra-community VAT number is not automatic for every new company.
Since 1 September 2026, all businesses within scope must be able to receive electronic invoices. Large and mid-sized enterprises must also issue them; the issue requirement extends to small and micro-enterprises from 1 September 2027.
Official references: corporate income tax, French VAT rates and electronic invoicing.
Registry, tax and social notices
A company may use suitable business premises, an eligible home address or an authorized domiciliation provider. The evidence must support the company's right to use the address, and official mail needs to reach someone who will act on it.
Lease, building and local restrictions need checking. Privacy and future address changes also matter.
Appropriate when the business genuinely operates there and the occupancy documents match the company.
Useful when you need a compliant address and mail handling, but it does not by itself prove employees, decision-making or tax substance.
A French company should not be left dormant by accident. Build the recurring obligations into the first-year budget before choosing the entity.
Record transactions, retain supporting documents, prepare annual accounts and file them when required. Group companies may have additional reporting obligations.
Corporate tax, VAT, local business taxes and electronic-invoicing duties depend on the company's facts and filing regime.
Remunerated officers and employees may trigger payroll, URSSAF, employment and social-security work.
Approve accounts, document shareholder decisions and follow the articles when changing officers, capital, address or activity.
Keep beneficial-owner information current when ownership or control changes. Do not wait for the bank to find an outdated record.
Renew domiciliation, keep licences valid and answer financial-institution reviews as the activity or transaction pattern changes.
Official reference: accounting obligations for commercial companies.
You should know which decisions are ours to coordinate and which decisions remain with the registry, bank, tax authority or immigration authority.
We turn your ownership, activity, market and operating plan into a structure and document checklist you can review before committing.
We identify missing evidence, organize the sequence and coordinate address, capital, legal notice, UBO and Guichet unique work within the agreed scope.
You receive a clear list of what comes next: account activation, accounting, VAT, EORI, payroll, licences and recurring deadlines that apply to your business.
We can prepare and coordinate. We do not promise a bank approval, a visa, a tax result, a licence or a registry completion date that belongs to a third party. If an uncertainty could change your structure or budget, we flag it before filing.
These are the points founders normally need settled before they can make a sensible decision.
Yes. A foreign national can create and own a French company without living in France. Residence and work authorization become separate issues if you plan to move to France or carry out work there.
Yes. The company needs a registered office in France and evidence supporting its right to use that address. It may be a suitable home address, commercial premises or an authorized domiciliation address, depending on the facts.
A SAS or SASU may be formed with €1 of capital. French law does not impose a statutory minimum on a SARL or EURL. A commercially realistic amount is often preferable because capital should match the company's early expenses and banking profile.
A straightforward, complete file is often registered in roughly one to three weeks after the prerequisites are ready. A foreign corporate owner, regulated activity, translation, capital-deposit review or registry question can extend that estimate.
No. Each bank or regulated payment institution makes its own risk and KYC decision. An adviser can improve the application file and coordinate the process, but cannot guarantee approval.
For a commercial company, current base charges include €33.83 for registration and €19.33 for the beneficial-owner declaration. A 2026 legal notice in metropolitan France costs €199 HT for a SAS, €142 HT for a SASU, €148 HT for a SARL or €124 HT for an EURL. Professional, address, translation, bank, accounting and licensing costs are additional according to scope.
Tell us what support you need, from company setup and banking to accounting, tax and ongoing compliance.