# Registering a company vs permission to live and work in France

Mis à jour : 2026-10-22 · Source : https://legalrapide.fr/en/company-vs-residence-permit/

Forming or running a French company does **not** by itself give any right to live or work in France. Non-EU founders can own and run the company from abroad; to move to France and run it from there, they need a long-stay visa or residence permit that authorises the activity, under conditions set by the French administration.

- Company law and immigration law are separate: the Kbis is not a visa.
- EU/EEA/Swiss nationals have freedom of establishment.
- For permits, use the official France-Visas service and Service-public pages, or an immigration lawyer. LegalRapide does not advise on immigration.

## Sources
- [Service-public (FR): can a foreign national create a business in France?](https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/F22494)
- [Service-public (FR): how can a foreign national run a company in France?](https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/F36405)
- [Business France: Welcome to France — setting up a business](https://welcome.businessfrance.fr/)