Setting up and running a company in France

Creating the company is only the first step. A foreign founder must also assign responsibility for accounts, statutory records, filings and the decisions that affect their own tax and social-security position.

Company formalities in France are filed through the INPI’s guichet unique, the online business-formalities portal. Before filing, establish the legal form, ownership, director’s role and banking arrangements. After incorporation, someone must track accounts, company decisions and changes requiring a filing. The director, accountant and lawyer should agree who handles each task.

The company’s organisation and your personal circumstances need to be considered together.

Choose the legal form with the proposed activity, shareholders, director’s social-security position, tax and future financing in mind.
Who will perform the recurring obligations: approving and filing accounts, maintaining the statutory registers, updating the beneficial ownership register, and filing changes of director, address or capital.
How the company sits alongside your personal position: remuneration against dividends, the impatriate regime if you qualify, and how the shares are treated for wealth tax and on a sale.

This firm practises neither accountancy nor law. It does not prepare or sign statutory accounts, does not draft articles of association, and does not represent clients before a registry or a court. What it does is establish what the structure means for your own wealth, tax and estate position, and coordinate the professionals who perform those acts. Nothing on this page is a substitute for advice from a French accountant or lawyer on the corporate obligations themselves.

Forming the company Choosing a legal form, preparing the documents and arranging the capital deposit.The company secretary France does not have Keeping company records and assigning responsibility for recurring filings.The Talent Passport founder’s checklist Coordinating the immigration application with the business and personal tax position.The founder’s personal position Remuneration, dividends, retirement, succession and a future sale of the company.

References cited

CGI, art. 4 B

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a company secretary in France?

French companies do not use the same company-secretary framework as some other jurisdictions. The work still needs to be allocated: decisions, records, accounts and filings. Ask the accountant and lawyer to define their responsibilities, while keeping track of the director’s own duties.

How long does it take to set up a French company?

The timetable depends on the legal form, documents, capital deposit and any requests for further information. A bank’s checks can take time, particularly with non-resident shareholders or directors. Prepare the articles and banking file together rather than relying on a fixed number of days.

Can I run a French company without living in France?

Yes, and it raises questions worth settling in advance rather than discovering later. Directing a company from abroad can affect where the company is regarded as managed, which bears on where it is taxed, and it complicates the banking relationship considerably. Separately, your own tax residency is decided by article 4 B of the French tax code, one criterion of which is where the centre of your economic interests lies, so a substantial French company is a fact that counts in that analysis.

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The group’s other websites

Private Equity Valley Private equity and unlisted fund selection SCPI Valley SCPI (property fund) selection and analysis Éthique & Patrimoine Wealth advice and responsible investment

Also worth reading: the White paper — Private Equity 2026 published by Private Equity Valley — Unlisted assets: selection, risks, access.

Written by Stéphane Molère, President of Éthique et Patrimoine — page last reviewed on 2026-09-15 — reference date for the rules: 2026-09-07.