# I'm British: can I set up a company in France since Brexit?

Updated : 2026-10-24 · Source : https://legalrapide.fr/en/reponses/britannique-creer-societe-france-brexit/

Yes. Since 1 January 2021, British citizens are third-country nationals. **If you do not live in France**, you can set up a company and be its director **without a visa or residence permit**. However, carrying out the role effectively and regularly in France, or settling there, requires a residence permit that allows it.

## Three situations
| Your situation | What you need |
|---|---|
| You live in the UK and run the company from there | No residence permit; short stays in France limited to 90 days in any 180 |
| You were living in France before 1 January 2021 | Your "Article 50 TEU / Withdrawal Agreement" permit allows you to stay and work |
| You want to move to France now | A long-stay visa, then an "entrepreneur / profession libérale" or "passeport talent" card |

## Documents
Your passport is enough to prove identity. If the shareholder is a British company (Ltd), its register extract and articles of association often have to be translated into French by a certified translator.

## With LegalRapide
At LegalRapide, applications from founders of other nationalities are reviewed case by case, because opening the bank account and registering the company's address depend on our partners' checks.

## Sources
- [Service-public: can a foreign national set up a business in France?](https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/F22494)
- [Service-public: how can a foreign national run a company in France?](https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/F36405)
- [Renewal of "Article 50 TEU / Withdrawal Agreement" permits (démarches simplifiées)](https://demarche.numerique.gouv.fr/commencer/renouvellement-des-titres-de-sejour-article-50-tue-21)