Company formation in France

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Important: a non-resident's right to own the company does not automatically grant a right to live, work or manage it from that country. Immigration, work permits, substance, effective management and tax residence are assessed separately.

• —Digital, consulting, retail and e-commerce businesses with French customers.
• —Startups and joint ventures that benefit from the flexibility of a SAS.
• —Family or owner-managed businesses suited to the more prescriptive SARL framework.

• —SAS or single-shareholder SASU, a flexible form with a mandatory president and rules largely set by the articles.
• —SARL or single-member EURL, a more standardised limited-liability form managed by a gérant.
• —A Société anonyme (SA), a joint-stock form for larger, regulated or public-market projects with formal governance.
• —Société en nom collectif (SNC) and société civile structures for specialist professional, property and joint projects.
• —A succursale, the French branch of a foreign company without separate legal personality.

• —SASU/EURL allow one owner; a SAS requires at least two shareholders and a SARL between two and 100 members.
• —A French registered office supported by evidence is required and must be stated in the articles before registration.
• —A SAS must have a president; a SARL has one or more gérants. A foreign manager's immigration/work status must be checked separately.
• —Capital is set by the founders but must be genuinely subscribed; regulated activities require the relevant qualification/licence.

• —A passport or other acceptable ID for every founder, director and ultimate beneficial owner (UBO).
• —Proof of residential address, usually issued within the previous three months; the reviewing party sets the exact validity period.
• —A transparent ownership chart through to natural persons and, for a corporate founder, its registry documents and authorised resolutions.
• —A description of the product, markets, counterparties, expected turnover, source of funds and source of wealth, supported by evidence.
• —Articles, manager appointment, subscriber list and certificate of capital deposit.
• —Evidence of the registered office, legal-announcement publication and beneficial-owner declaration.
• —For foreign founders/managers, IDs, registry records, translations and required non-conviction declarations or forms.

1. 01Choose SAS/SARL, the manager's social-security treatment and governance rules.
2. 02Agree the name, registered office, capital, activity and beneficial owners and prepare the articles.
3. 03Deposit capital, publish the legal notice and submit the dossier through the INPI single window.
4. 04After registration, activate tax/social processes, accounting and bank onboarding.

• —SAS/SARL are generally subject to corporate income tax; elections and any reduced rate depend on ownership, turnover and other conditions.
• —VAT, payroll/social charges, withholding, local taxes and transfer pricing depend on activity and payments.
• —The manager's treatment and cross-border tax position should be confirmed by an expert-comptable or tax lawyer.

General overview, not personal tax or legal advice. Rules are rechecked before filing.

• —The initial capital account and operating account require draft articles, UBOs, manager, registered office, business plan, source of funds and customer information.
• —Non-resident ownership or remote management often triggers enhanced review; a bank may decline independently of incorporation.

• —Bookkeeping, annual accounts, shareholder approval and filing/publication under the applicable regime.
• —Corporate-tax, VAT, payroll/social declarations and payment deadlines.
• —RNE/beneficial-owner updates following changes and maintenance of corporate decision records.

• —Poorly drafted SAS articles can create governance deadlock; the document must match the real cap table and investment plan.
• —Manager social-security costs differ materially between forms and statuses.
• —Domiciliation does not replace substance; tax authorities and banks assess actual management and operations.

• —SAS/SARL comparison, bilingual intake preparation and coordination of the registered office/capital deposit.
• —Coordination of the articles, legal notice and single-window filing through local specialists.
• —Bank KYB, accounting hand-off and compliance roadmap; INPI, tax-body and bank decisions are not guaranteed.

The exact Basic scope and all exclusions are listed in the pricing section above. Non-standard structures and external costs are agreed before payment.

Requirements checked on August 9, 2026. Before filing, we recheck rules, forms, fees and restrictions with the registration authority.