French Limited Liability Company Formation

There is no minimum registered capital requirement for a French limited company. The traditional investment amount is 7,500 Euros. Please note that when applying for a French company bank account, local banks generally require a registered capital of at least 4,000 Euros. The registered capital must be transferred directly from the bank account under the name of the investing shareholder to the reserve account after the French reserve account is established. When the French limited liability company registration is completed, the bank will officially activate the reserve account and convert it into a formal bank account, which can be used for the company's subsequent operations.

In the process of French company registration, clients need to provide the name of the company to be registered, the amount of registered capital, the identity documents of each shareholder and director, namely, copies of passports and copies of address proof documents (such as utility bills, bank statements), and corporate shareholder registration documents.

Generally speaking, it takes about 6 to 8 weeks to register a limited liability company in France without any license or permit. The time required for the above registration is calculated from the date when the client provides the required documents for registration to China Australia.

If the French company you wish to register requires a separate license or permit for its business, our firm may need to adjust our service fees and the registration process will take longer. Please consult our professional consultants for details.

French company registration service fees and service scope

Our firm acted as an agent for the registration of a limited liability company in France. The specific services we provided are as follows:

(Registration and archiving work before and after registration)

  • Name duplication check and reservation;
  • Prepare a business plan that complies with the French limited liability company formation requirements;
  •  Prepare company articles of association and other registration-related documents;
  • Authorise local newspapers to issue statutory publicity statements;
  • Pay the French Registrar of Limited Liability Companies registration fee;
  • Assistance in applying for company registration with the French local tax authorities, the company registry and the commercial court registry
  • Assist with tax number registration;
  •  Customize a company package, including company seal, stock certificate, member register and meeting minutes book etc.

 Company registered address


Every French company must rent a branch office before submitting its registration application. In the short term, this package includes a one-year company registration address in Paris for registration purposes, but in the long term, you still need to rent a business premises in France.

 Bank account opening service fees


Regarding account opening, this package already includes assistance to your company in making an appointment with a local bank in France and handling the account opening procedures for the French branch bank. The General Manager (Gérant) needs to be present in person to meet the French bank account opening staff.

Other related services and charges

1) Notarization service fees
The investor of a French limited liability company needs to provide a notarized copy of his/her identity document. The relevant document needs to be notarized by a lawyer in the investor's local area and then authenticated by the French consulate in the local area. If the investor is a Hong Kong company or individual, it only needs to handle an international notarization. We can handle it on your behalf, and the fee is negotiable.

2) Translation costs
If you require translation services, we will arrange for the translation of your application documents at your expense.

French Limited Liability Company Structure

  • At least one shareholder and one manager or general manager (Gérant) Shareholders Natural persons or legal persons of any nationality and any place of residence can be shareholders
  •  The position of manager is not limited to nationality, but must be a natural person.
  •  The French company must have a business (registration) address in France; (This address can be provided by sino)
  •  There is no minimum registered capital requirement for a French limited liability company. The traditional investment amount is generally 7,500 euros. However, when opening a company bank account, local banks recommend that the registered capital be set at 4,000 euros.

Procedure for registering a new French limited liability company

  •  The client confirms the registration order and the required documents and information to Sino-Australia. The client can provide the required documents and information to Sino-Australia by email or post. At the same time, the client arranges to pay the registration service fee of Sino-Australia.
  •  The client provides the proposed company name of the French limited liability company to be registered to sino Australia, and sino Australia then conducts a search on the official website to confirm the availability of the proposed company name. The company name of the French limited liability company must be in French. The proposed company name cannot conflict with the name of an existing registered company.
  •  After confirming that the proposed company name is available, the name pre-approval will be processed. Your company must decide on the address of the limited company and inform our firm (that is, you must rent or purchase an office, or use our company address). At the same time, you need to arrange for the notarization of the investor's identity document, which must be notarized by a local lawyer and then authenticated by the French embassy or consulate in the local area. Our company will prepare the company's articles of association and other registration documents.
  •  Our company will assist in preparing the company's articles of association and other registration documents, and then mail them to the client for signature. After receiving the documents, the client will sign in the designated location according to the instructions, and then mail all the signed registration documents back to our company.
  •  Apply for pre-registration of the company form with the local French company registry, arrange for the manager or general manager (Gérant) to go to the local area to open a company bank account. The account application and account number will be completed on the same day. The registered capital will be injected into the French account from the bank account under the name of the investor.
  •  Authorise local newspapers such as Le Figaro or Le Monde or a business publication to make a statutory declaration.
  •  Assistance with company registration applications with the French local tax office (Tax Office), the Companies Registry (The Centre des Formalités des Entreprises) and the Commercial Court Registry (Chambres des Métiers and the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce).
  • Once you receive the company registration certificate (extrait Kbis), the bank account opening manager will assist your company to convert the preparatory account into a formal bank account that can be used for the company's subsequent operations.
  •  After completing the limited company registration, we will assist your company to formally handle the tax registration procedures.
  •  After receiving the company registration certificate, our company will start to handle other procedures after registration, such as customizing company seals and other company packages.
  •  After completing all the procedures, sino sends the registration documents to the client. Customers can also come to any one of the office offices to receive registration documents.

How long does it take to register a French limited liability company

Generally speaking, it takes about 6 to 8 weeks to complete all the steps of setting up a French company, as follows:

  • (Item)Preliminary preparation
  • Notarized document proving the investor's identity
  • Other documents and information
  • Application for registration must be approved first
  • Apply for name pre-approval
  • Apply for pre-approval
  • Make an appointment to open a bank account – prepare an account (a manager or general manager (Gérant) is required to inject the registered capital into the French account on behalf of the bank account and complete the capital verification procedure
  • Authorize local newspapers to issue statutory publicity statements
  • Assistance with registration procedures with the French local tax authorities, the Companies Registry and the Commercial Court Registry
  • Approval from the government and issuance of company registration certificate
  • Opening a bank account – Official account
  • Tax registration procedures
  • Summary: 6-8 weeks
  • Notes:
  • The authorities may conduct reviews based on different business items and investor identities, which may result in longer company registration and bank account opening times, and the actual approval time may be extended.
  • Our service charges do not include postage costs.

List of documents and information required to register a French limited liability company

  • Proposed French Limited Liability Company Name; Please provide three alternative proposed French Limited Liability Company names. The company name must be in French and must end with the words "Société à responsabilité limitée" or begin with the initials "S, A. R. L.";
  • A copy of the passport of each shareholder and each manager or general manager and a proof of address issued within the last three months (such as utility bills, telephone bills or bank statements). If the shareholder is a legal entity, the following registration documents of the legal entity must be provided:
  • Company registration certificate
  • Director's employment certificate for the past 6 months
  • Latest register of directors and members
  • Articles of Association
  • The above documents need to be notarized by a lawyer in the place where the parent company is registered, and then authenticated by the French embassy or consulate in the local area.
  • The proposed capital of the French limited liability company and the shareholding ratio of each shareholder;
  • The business scope (principal business activities) of the French limited liability company to be registered, for example, the services to be provided or the products to be sold, and the business model.

Documents available to customers after the French company is registered

  •  Extrait Kbis (Company Registration Certificate);
  •  STATUTS (Articles of Association);
  •  Déclaration de Création D’une Entreprise (Declaration of company registration issued by the French Commercial Court);
  •  Lettre SIE (VAT registration and tax registration);
  •  Attestation de dépôt de capital (Certificate of deposit of share capital);
  •  Attestation de parution (Certificate of publication);
  • Company seal and company name;
  • Customize a company package including stock certificates, member registers and meeting minutes

Compliance Maintenance Services

  • After the French limited liability company is registered, it must comply with various regulations of French law on companies. The company must file annual tax returns or financial statements every year, and hire a French registered accountant to conduct accounting or auditing for its financial year. In order to assist your company in making more accurate budgets, our company has listed some maintenance costs that may be incurred after registration in the attached page for your reference.
  • We can provide comprehensive compliance and business support services, such as accounting, financial statement auditing, tax reporting, payroll calculation and payment, etc. Please contact our professional consultants for details.