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Starting a company in France: process, costs and documents (2026)

Updated 22 October 2026 · By Dragos-Razvan Toma

To start a company in France you draft the articles of association (statuts), deposit the share capital (from €1) in a bank account opened for the company in formation, publish a legal notice, and file everything with the guichet unique, which forwards it to the commercial court registry (greffe). In 2026 the mandatory fees for a single-shareholder SASU in mainland France total €223.56 including VAT.

The 7 steps

  1. Choose the legal form (SASU/SAS or EURL/SARL), the name, the activity and the registered office.
  2. Draft the articles of association.
  3. Open a bank account for the company in formation and deposit the capital; the bank issues a deposit certificate.
  4. Sign the articles.
  5. Publish the formation notice in an approved legal-notice journal.
  6. File with the guichet unique, which sends the file to the greffe, INSEE, URSSAF and the tax office.
  7. Receive the Kbis extract (proof of registration) once the greffe validates the file.

Statutory costs in 2026 (mainland France)

FormRegistry + beneficial ownersLegal notice (excl. VAT)Total incl. VAT
SASU€53.16€142€223.56
SAS€53.16€199€291.96
EURL€53.16€124€201.96
SARL€53.16€148€230.76

With LegalRapide's Rapide plan (€149 excl. VAT: document check, filing within 24 business hours of a complete file, anti-rejection guarantee), a SASU costs €402.36 in total.

Documents

Signed articles, capital deposit certificate, legal notice certificate, proof of registered office, the director's valid passport or ID, and a signed declaration of no criminal conviction. Files must be PDFs under 10 MB.

Sources

Related

Can a non-resident own and run a French company?Yes: a foreign national can create a company in France without living there. What changes for EU and non-EU founders.French company formation: capital deposit and bankingHow the share capital deposit works for a French SAS or SARL, how much to pay in, and when funds are released.SASU vs EURL: a guide for international foundersSASU or EURL for a single founder: director's social regime, dividends (31.4% flat tax in 2026), formation cost.

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