Starting a Company in France as a Foreigner

Can a foreigner start a company in France?

Yes, with no nationality restriction. French company law imposes no nationality or residence requirement to be a shareholder of a French company, nor to be its director. An American, Moroccan, Chinese or Brazilian entrepreneur can own 100% of a French SAS and chair it — from France or from abroad.

The distinction that matters is not about forming the company, but about the director's personal situation:

• EU, EEA and Swiss nationals: full freedom of establishment. You can form, manage and relocate to France without any specific immigration formality.
• Third-country nationals residing outside France: you can form and run the company remotely, without a specific visa. Be mindful, however, of the tax consequences of the place of effective management (see below).
• Third-country nationals wishing to settle in France: you need a residence permit authorising a commercial activity. Several routes exist depending on the profile (entrepreneur, investor, talent) — a topic to review with a lawyer before filing the incorporation, not after.

Do you need to live in France or have an address there?

You do not need to reside in France, but your company must have a registered office there: a real French address (commercial premises, an accredited domiciliation company, or under conditions the director's home). The registered office determines the competent registry and where the legal notice is published.

Two points deserve real attention from non-resident founders:

• The bank account: depositing the capital requires an account in the name of the company in formation. French banks' KYC checks can take noticeably longer for foreign founders — plan for this step; it is the most frequent cause of delay.
• Effective management: if the company is run entirely from abroad, questions arise about its tax residence and a possible permanent establishment abroad. Conversely, managing a foreign company from France can create a French permanent establishment. These are case-by-case analyses to run with an adviser.

SAS, SASU or SARL: which form should you choose?

For the vast majority of projects led by foreign founders, the choice comes down to the SAS (several shareholders), the SASU (single-shareholder SAS) and the SARL. The SAS accounts for more than 60% of new company formations in France, largely because its statutory flexibility suits shareholders' agreements and fundraising.

Criterion	SAS / SASU	SARL / EURL
Minimum capital	None (EUR 1 possible)	None (EUR 1 possible)
Shareholders	1 (SASU) or more, no maximum	1 (EURL) to 100
Statutory flexibility	Very high (free organisation)	Low (rigid legal framework)
Transfer of securities	Free, unless restricted in the articles	Approval required (outside family/partners)
Director's social regime	Assimilated employee	Self-employed (majority manager)
Fundraising	Facilitated (shares, preference)	Difficult
Typical profile	Startup, group subsidiary, investors	SME, family business

The SA (minimum capital EUR 37,000, heavy governance) is only justified for large projects or a listing. For the French subsidiary of a foreign group, the SASU is the most common structure: a single corporate shareholder, tailor-made articles, simple governance.

What are the formation steps via the one-stop shop?

Since the reform of business formalities, everything goes through the INPI one-stop shop (procedures.inpi.fr). The paper M0 form has been abolished. The steps:

1. Choose the legal form and settle the structuring questions (capital split, governance, shareholders' agreement where relevant).
2. Draft the articles of association — by private deed in most cases; a notarial deed is only mandatory where real estate is contributed. For foreign founders, this is where a lawyer adds the most value (exit, approval and lock-up clauses, reference language).
3. Deposit the share capital in an account in the name of the company in formation and obtain the certificate of deposit of funds.
4. Publish the legal notice of incorporation in an authorised medium of the département of the registered office.
5. File the complete application on the one-stop shop: signed articles, certificate of deposit of funds, proof of publication, identity and address documents for the directors. Foreign documents may need translation.
6. Registration with the RCS: the registry assigns the SIREN and issues the Kbis extract — now free of charge.
7. Declare the beneficial owners (any individual holding more than 25% or exercising control).
8. Collect the intra-community VAT number from the SIE, assigned after registration.

How much does it cost to form a company in France?

The administrative costs of formation are modest; most of the budget is professional support. As an estimate:

• Registry fees (registration): around EUR 40 for an SARL/SAS
• Legal notice: around EUR 150 to 250 depending on the form and the département
• Beneficial-owners declaration: around EUR 22
• Lawyer's or accountant's fees: variable with complexity — think in terms of a few hundred to a few thousand euros for a file with an international dimension

These amounts are indicative estimates: fees are set freely by each professional, and the share capital comes on top. Be wary of offers that present a provider's fees as "official costs" — the regulatory costs themselves are essentially limited to the items above.

How is your French company taxed?

The essential reference points for a foreign founder:

• Corporate income tax: standard rate of 25%. Reduced rate of 15% on the first EUR 42,500 of profit for SMEs with turnover below EUR 10M whose capital is held at least 75% by individuals — a point of caution if your shareholder is a foreign holding company: the condition is then not met.
• VAT: standard rate of 20%. The franchise en base exempts small businesses from VAT below turnover thresholds: EUR 37,500 for services (increased threshold EUR 41,250) and EUR 85,000 for goods (increased threshold EUR 93,500).
• Dividends: for resident individual shareholders, a 30% flat tax (12.8% income tax + 17.2% social levies). For non-resident individuals, withholding tax of 12.8%, subject to tax treaties. Dividends paid to an EU parent company can be exempt from withholding tax (participation of at least 10%, article 119 ter of the French Tax Code).
• Electronic invoicing: mandatory from 1 September 2026 — any newly formed company should factor this obligation into its choice of invoicing tools from day one.

For structuring a group (operating company + holding), see our dedicated guide The French Holding Company: Participation Exemption and Tax Consolidation.

Automated platform or lawyer: how to decide?

Company-formation legaltechs generate template articles in a few clicks, at low cost. That service suits the simple case: a single, resident founder, a standard activity, no investors. A foreign founder's file rarely ticks those boxes.

• Articles and shareholders' agreement: exit, non-compete, pre-emption and remote-governance clauses — a standard template does not address them, and fixing them afterwards costs more than drafting them properly.
• International dimension: tax residence, permanent establishment, withholding taxes, tax treaties — matters that are structured before registration.
• Right of residence: the choice of corporate form and the director's status can interact with the immigration strategy.
• Liability: a lawyer carries professional liability for their advice; a document generator does not.

Our role: BleuLex Law is neither a law firm nor a document-generation platform. We connect you free of charge with an independent lawyer registered with the French Bar, selected for your type of case. You describe your project, we identify the right profile, the lawyer advises you directly. For the applicable rules in detail, see also our page Company Formation in France.