French SAS Snapshot 2026 — Quick Read
The SAS is France's most flexible commercial-company form, governed by Articles L.227-1 to L.227-20 of the Code de commerce. It needs 1+ shareholder (SASU if one), has no legal capital minimum (€1 suffices), accepts foreign founders and presidents with no residency requirement, and is subject to IS at 25% with a 15% reduced rate on the first €42,500 of PME profit. The président is assimilé salarié (régime général). Incorporation is fully digital through the INPI Guichet unique (mandatory since 1 January 2023); the K-bis is typically issued by the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce in 48–72 hours and the SIREN/SIRET assigned by INSEE shortly after.
1. SAS vs SARL vs SA vs Micro-entreprise — Which Form to Choose?
France offers four mainstream legal forms. The right choice depends on number of founders, growth ambition, social-charge profile and capital-raise plans.
SAS — Société par Actions Simplifiée
Created 1994 (Code de commerce L.227-1) · €1 minimum capital · 1+ shareholders (SASU if 1) · President assimilé salarié
SARL — Société à Responsabilité Limitée
Created 1925 · €1 minimum capital · 2–100 shareholders (EURL if 1) · Gérant majoritaire = TNS regime
SA — Société Anonyme
Created 1867 · €37,000 minimum capital · 2+ (or 7+ if listed) · Conseil d'administration + commissaire aux comptes mandatory
Micro-entreprise (Auto-entrepreneur)
Created 2009 · No legal entity · Sole trader · Turnover capped at €77,700 services / €188,700 goods (2026)
SASU — Single-Shareholder SAS
Sub-form of SAS with one associé unique · Same flexibility · Most popular vehicle for solo founders and holdings in 2026
The Decision Logic
- Solo founder, low turnover, no employees: micro-entreprise until you hit the ceiling, then convert to SASU.
- Solo founder, want to grow / hire / raise: SASU. Same flexibility as SAS, no second associé needed.
- 2+ founders, VC-friendly governance: SAS. Preference shares, customisable statuts, no shareholder cap.
- 2+ founders, family / small SME with TNS preference: SARL. Lower social charges if the gérant is majoritaire.
- Public-market ambition with €37,000+ capital: SA — rarely chosen at incorporation; most listed SAs were SAS first.
The rest of this guide focuses on the SAS (which includes the SASU as a single-shareholder variant), the dominant form for new commercial company registrations in France in 2026.
Ready to start your SAS in France?
From €1 capital and the right statuts to K-bis in 48 hours — Zunapro handles your INPI Guichet unique file end-to-end, with bilingual support for foreign founders and a Qonto / Shine bank account opened in parallel.
2. SAS Minimum Capital — €1, Truly No Minimum
The Letter of the Law
Article L.227-1 of the Code de commerce states that the SAS is governed by the same rules as the SA "subject to the present chapter" — and Article L.227-2 frees the SAS from the SA's €37,000 capital requirement. The Code specifies no minimum; Article 1832 of the Code civil only requires "a contribution" (apport). Courts have validated incorporations with a symbolic €1 capital since the 2009 LME reform.
What Founders Actually Choose in 2026
Real-world SAS incorporations in 2026 typically use one of three brackets:
Apports en Numéraire, Nature, Industrie
The Code de commerce recognises three contribution types: apport en numéraire (cash — most common; only 50% must be paid in at incorporation under L.225-3, balance callable within 5 years; escrowed at a bank or notaire and unlocked against the K-bis); apport en nature (in-kind: equipment, IP, real estate, customer list — a commissaire aux apports must value it unless each apport ≤ €30,000 and total ≤ 50% of capital, Article D.227-1); and apport en industrie (skills, know-how — admissible since 2008 but does not count toward share capital; contributor receives a separate share category defined in the statuts).
Practical capital choice: for an e-commerce or SaaS SAS targeting a Qonto / Shine bank account, > €1,000 capital is the threshold above which onboarding is almost automatic; below it, neobanks may still accept but expect more KYC questions. Use the Zunapro capital simulator →
3. Formation Steps — INPI Guichet Unique, Greffe, INSEE
The 2023 Reform — Goodbye CFE, Hello Guichet Unique
Until 31 December 2022 a SAS was registered through the CFE — typically the CCI for commercial activities. Since 1 January 2023 the CFE has been replaced by the Guichet unique des formalités d'entreprises, operated by the INPI at formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr — the single mandatory entry point for incorporations, changes and dissolutions. It dispatches files in real time to the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce, INSEE (SIREN/SIRET) and DGFiP (tax registration).
The 9-Step Sequence in 2026
- Choose the dénomination sociale — check availability on the INPI trademark database and Infogreffe. Name appears on legal documents followed by "SAS" or "SASU".
- Define the objet social — broad enough to cover present and future activities, specific enough to avoid catch-alls that some banks refuse.
- Choose the siège social — home, leased premise, domiciliation provider (Sedomicilier, Kandbaz, Les Tricolores) or coworking. Determines the competent Greffe and local CFE rate.
- Draft the statuts — the SAS's contractual constitution. Article L.227-9 leaves vast freedom on governance, share categories, transfer clauses, drag-along/tag-along.
- Open a capital deposit account at a bank, notaire or — increasingly — Qonto / Shine / Wise. Receive the attestation de dépôt des fonds.
- Sign the statuts — by hand or with eIDAS qualified e-signature.
- Publish the avis de constitution in a journal d'annonces légales (JAL) for the département of the siège (€120–€200, online JAL accepted since 2020).
- File on INPI Guichet unique — statuts, JAL receipt, capital attestation, IDs, siège proof, RBE declaration.
- Receive the K-bis from the Greffe in 24–72h; INSEE assigns SIREN (9 digits) and SIRET (14 digits) in parallel.
Documents the Greffe Requires
Statuts signed and paraphé (PDF), attestation de dépôt des fonds, JAL receipt, justificatif de jouissance des locaux (lease, domiciliation contract or property deed), pièces d'identité of the président and directors (passport for foreigners), déclaration de non-condamnation and parental affiliation, déclaration des bénéficiaires effectifs (RBE — mandatory since the 2017 anti-money-laundering directive), and a power of attorney if a third party (Zunapro, expert-comptable, lawyer) files for the founders.
Timeline Reality in 2026
Typical end-to-end timing: Day 0 — statuts signed, capital deposited at Qonto/Shine (instant attestation), JAL published. Day 1 — INPI file submitted; Greffe receives the dossier. Day 2–3 — Greffe issues the K-bis (Paris and Nanterre often same-day; smaller jurisdictions up to a week). Day 4–10 — INSEE confirms the SIREN/SIRET and the company appears in the SIRENE database. Day 10–15 — capital unlocked by the bank on presentation of the K-bis. Plan for two to three weeks end-to-end; the most common Greffe rejection cause is an incomplete RBE declaration.
📘 Read our detailed Greffe / INPI walkthrough
Step-by-step screenshots of the INPI Guichet unique flow, the exact list of required documents, common rejection reasons and the optimal order to wire capital + publish JAL + file.
4. Director and Shareholder Requirements
The President — Mandatory and Unique
Every SAS must have at least one président — the only mandatory governance organ under Article L.227-6. The président represents the SAS vis-à-vis third parties and can be a natural person of any nationality and residency (a US, Turkish, Brazilian or Indian founder can be président without ever stepping on French soil) or a legal person — common in holding structures where a Delaware Inc. or a Luxembourg SARL holds the French operating SAS. Appointment is by the statuts at incorporation, then by decision of the associés in the form set by the statuts.
Optional Organs — DG, DGD, Comités
Beyond the président, the statuts can freely create a directeur général (DG) as additional legal representative (useful when the président is a holding company), a DG délégué with limited scope (e.g. a CTO signing tech contracts but not equity), or comités de direction, stratégique, d'audit — purely contractual organs whose composition, powers and quorum are entirely free under L.227-9.
Shareholders — One Is Enough (SASU), No Maximum
The SAS requires at least one associé. With exactly one, it is legally a SASU — same rules with simplified decision-making (the unique associé signs all decisions in a registre). There is no maximum number of shareholders; SAS routinely operate with 100+ associés on a cap table.
Foreign Shareholders and Directors
The SAS is the preferred vehicle for foreign-owned French operations because nothing in the Code de commerce limits foreign participation: 100% foreign-owned SAS are routine, requiring no declaration beyond the standard bénéficiaires effectifs filing. A foreign président needs only a passport ID (no nationality or residency test); no work permit is needed for non-executive roles. A foreign président physically residing and working in France needs a "Passeport Talent — création d'entreprise", a residency-permit issue (not a corporate-law one).
Social Regime of the President — The Big SAS Advantage
The président of a SAS is assimilé salarié: when paid a salary, URSSAF receives full social charges as if for an employee, and the président benefits from the régime général de la Sécurité sociale (health, pension, work-injury) — minus unemployment insurance, never granted to corporate officers. This contrasts with the SARL gérant majoritaire under the cheaper but less protective TNS regime. Frequent 2026 optimisation: the président takes a modest salary (or zero) and distributes excess profits as dividends taxed at the PFU of 30% (12.8% IR + 17.2% prélèvements sociaux). Unlike the SARL gérant majoritaire, dividends paid by a SAS to its président are not subject to URSSAF on the share exceeding 10% of capital — a structural advantage that drives many freelancers to convert from EURL/SARL to SASU.
5. Foreign Founder Requirements — No Residency, Yes Representation
The Three Reassurances
Articles L.227-1 ff. never mention citizenship; there is no nationality requirement, no residency requirement for shareholders or président, and no minimum local-capital requirement beyond €1.
What Foreign Founders Actually Need
- Passport or national ID of every président, director and significant shareholder (≥25% for the bénéficiaires effectifs declaration under ordonnance n°2016-1635).
- Address for the siège social — leased office, coworking (Wojo, Morning, Spaces), domiciliation provider (Les Tricolores, Sedomicilier, Kandbaz), or notarial address.
- Proof of address in the home country (utility bill, bank statement < 3 months).
- Translated and apostilled corporate documents if a foreign legal person is a shareholder.
- A French IBAN-issuing bank — Qonto, Shine, Revolut Business, Wise Business, N26 Business all accept non-resident founders.
When a French Fiscal Representative Is Needed
Most foreign SAS founders do not need a French représentant fiscal — the SAS itself is the taxable person and pays IS in France. A représentant fiscal is mandatory only when a non-EU company (foreign supplier or seller, not the SAS) is liable to French TVA without EU establishment (Article 289 A CGI), or when a non-EU shareholder realises a capital gain on substantial French shares (≥25% of the SAS) under Article 244 bis B CGI.
Visas and Residency — Optional but Useful
A foreign founder who wishes to physically work and live in France uses the "Passeport Talent — création d'entreprise" (Articles L.421-1 ff. CESEDA), issued for up to 4 years to founders with a viable French project, sufficient capital and a master's-level diploma or equivalent experience. It grants the right to work, brings spouse and children under the family-life regime, and converts to a 10-year carte de résident after 5 years. Many non-resident founders simply remain in their home country, manage the SAS remotely and travel to France on a Schengen tourist visa — fully compatible with French law as long as no permanent professional activity is exercised on French soil.
Common scenario: a Turkish or Brazilian e-commerce operator opens a French SAS to sell on Cdiscount, Fnac and Amazon.fr, uses a Sedomicilier siège social in Paris, banks at Qonto, and never relocates — fully legal, fully tax-residency in France for the SAS, no immigration implication for the founder. Foreign founder checklist →
6. Tax Obligations — IS at 25%, TVA at 20%, CFE
IS — The Default Regime
A SAS is by default subject to impôt sur les sociétés (IS) under Article 206-1 CGI. 2026 rates:
The IR Option — Five-Year Window for Family SAS
Article 239 bis AB CGI lets newly created SAS opt for impôt sur le revenu (IR) for up to five years if: less than 5 years old, fewer than 50 employees and turnover (or balance-sheet) under €10M, voting rights held ≥50% by individuals and ≥34% by executives and family, and the activity is industrial, commercial, artisanal, agricultural or liberal (not mere management of own assets). Useful when founders expect early-year losses to offset against personal income, or for family vehicles with no growth ambition. Most growth-stage SAS keep the default IS.
TVA — The 20% Standard, the Franchise en Base
The SAS is subject to French TVA at the following rates in 2026:
- 20% — standard rate, applicable to most goods and services.
- 10% — restauration, transport, certain travaux, hôtellerie.
- 5.5% — basic food, books, gas/electricity, energy-renovation work, female hygiene products.
- 2.1% — reimbursed medicines, certain press.
- 0% — intra-EU exports under specific conditions, exports outside the EU.
A new SAS can opt for the franchise en base de TVA if turnover stays under €85,000 for goods or €37,500 for services (2026 thresholds). Below these caps, the SAS does not charge TVA on its invoices but cannot recover input TVA either. Most active SAS opt out of the franchise from day one to recover TVA on equipment, software and consulting expenses.
Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises (CFE)
Every SAS owes the CFE, a local tax on the rental value of premises occupied. Newly created SAS enjoy a first-year exemption (Article 1478 CGI). Afterwards, even home-based or domiciliés SAS owe a minimum CFE between roughly €237 and €7,533 per year in 2026, set by the commune by turnover band. CFE is invoiced annually November–December via the impots.gouv.fr professional account; payment due 15 December. SAS with turnover > €500,000 also owe the CVAE, being phased out by 2027.
Dividend Taxation — PFU at 30%
Dividends paid to individual shareholders are subject by default to the PFU (flat tax) at 30%: 12.8% IR + 17.2% prélèvements sociaux. Shareholders can opt out and have dividends taxed at the marginal IR rate with a 40% abatement — only relevant for low-tax-bracket shareholders.
Other Taxes Worth Knowing
Beyond IS, TVA and CFE, payroll-bearing SAS owe taxe d'apprentissage (0.68% of payroll), participation à la formation professionnelle continue (0.55%–1%), versement mobilité (1.5%–2.95% in public-transport zones), and — for SAS not subject to TVA on at least 90% of turnover (banking, insurance, healthcare) — the taxe sur les salaires.
🧮 Estimate your French SAS tax burden
Use Zunapro's IS + TVA + CFE + dividend simulator to project the net cash position of your SAS over years 1–5 — including PME reduced-rate eligibility and the IR-option scenario.
7. Accounting Obligations — Expert-Comptable, FEC, Plan Comptable Général
PCG and Bookkeeping Duties
Every SAS must keep books per the Plan Comptable Général (PCG), the framework set by the Autorité des Normes Comptables (ANC). Articles L.123-12 ff. of the Code de commerce impose chronological recording, an annual physical inventory and comptes annuels approved by the associés within 6 months of year-end.
FEC — Fichier des Écritures Comptables
Since 2014, every SAS subject to IS must produce on demand to the DGFiP a FEC — a structured text file with every accounting entry of the year, in the normative 18-column format (Article A.47 A-1 LPF). During a tax audit, the FEC is the first document the auditor requests; a non-conformant or absent FEC triggers a rejet de comptabilité and reconstruction of profit.
Is an Expert-Comptable Mandatory?
Strictly, no: French law does not require an expert-comptable (member of the Ordre des Experts-Comptables) to keep books. In practice almost every SAS appoints one because the PCG and FEC format are technically demanding, the liasse fiscale (forms 2065 + annexes) is complex, and the expert-comptable's countersignature gives accounts credibility with banks and investors.
Expert-Comptable Fees — Realistic 2026 Benchmarks
- SASU dormant / holding — €600 to €1,200 / year all-in.
- Small operational SAS, <€200K turnover, no employee — €1,500 to €3,000 / year.
- SAS with 1–5 employees, €200K–€2M turnover — €3,000 to €8,000 / year incl. payroll.
- SAS with 5–20 employees, €2M–€10M turnover — €8,000 to €25,000 / year.
Online expert-comptable firms (Dougs, Indy, Numbr, L-Expert-Comptable, Captain Compta) compete on price and offer fully automated bookkeeping from bank-feed imports — ideal for digital-native SAS.
Commissaire aux Comptes — Statutory Auditor
Since the 2019 PACTE law, a SAS must appoint a commissaire aux comptes (CAC) only if it exceeds at year-end two of: balance-sheet total > €5M, net turnover > €10M, headcount > 50. Below these thresholds a CAC is optional. Most SAS in their first years therefore have only an expert-comptable, not a CAC.
Practical 2026 setup: a typical e-commerce SAS pairs Zunapro for operations (orders, stock, marketplaces) + Qonto for banking + an online expert-comptable (Dougs/Indy) ingesting Qonto bank feeds + Zunapro sales export for the FEC. See accounting integration stack →
8. Bank Account — French Banks vs Wise, Qonto, Shine
Two Stages — Capital Deposit and Ongoing IBAN
The SAS bank story has two stages: the capital-deposit account (receives apports en numéraire, blocked until K-bis, depositary delivers the attestation de dépôt des fonds) and the ongoing operating account (day-to-day IBAN, payroll, suppliers). Since the 2019 PACTE law, payment institutions and EMIs (Qonto, Shine, Memo Bank, Revolut, Wise) can issue the attestation — most foreign founders in 2026 do both stages at Qonto.
Qonto — The Default Neobank for French SAS in 2026
Qonto, founded 2017 in Paris by Alexandre Prot and Steve Anavi, is the dominant business-banking choice — 500,000+ clients across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal and Austria. Every account gets a French IBAN (FR76…) accepted by URSSAF, DGFiP and suppliers. The capital deposit certificate is issued online in 24h with qualified e-signature. Plans run €9 to €299 / month; Pro plans include accountant-export integration for Dougs, Indy and traditional expert-comptables. Non-resident founders accepted on passport + K-bis.
Shine, Revolut, N26, Memo Bank, Wise
- Shine — founded 2017 in Paris, acquired by Société Générale in 2020. Strong for solo SAS / freelancers; capital deposit since 2020.
- Revolut Business — UK-licensed, operates in France via EEA passporting; multi-currency strength for cross-border SAS.
- N26 Business — German bank, EU-wide; popular with German-resident SAS founders.
- Memo Bank — founded 2017, full banking licence since 2020; SME segment with relationship-banker layer.
- Wise Business — ex-TransferWise. French IBAN, EUR/USD/GBP balances on one platform — go-to for SAS sourcing from suppliers in CNY, USD, GBP, TRY. Issues capital-deposit attestations through its partner bank since 2023, though some Greffes still prefer Qonto / Shine.
Traditional Banks — BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, LCL, Banque Populaire
Traditional banks remain useful for credit lines, Bpifrance co-guaranteed loans, POS terminals (TPE) at scale and international correspondent banking — areas where neobanks do not (yet) compete. The pragmatic 2026 pattern: Qonto first for incorporation and day-to-day, traditional bank added in year 2 once a credit need appears.
🏦 Compare French business banks for your SAS
Qonto vs Shine vs Revolut vs Wise vs BNP Paribas — pricing, IBAN type, capital deposit support, accountant integrations and non-resident eligibility, all in one table.
9. Annual Filings — Approval, Greffe Deposit, Beneficial Owners
Approval & Filing of Annual Accounts
Within six months of year-end, the associés must approve the comptes annuels (deadline 30 June for a calendar fiscal year). SASU = registre des décisions; multi-shareholder SAS = AG, physical, online or by written consultation. Within one month of approval (two months if filed electronically), the SAS deposits at the Greffe via INPI: bilan, compte de résultat, annexe, rapport de gestion (above PCG-simplified thresholds), procès-verbal/décisions de l'associé unique, proposition d'affectation du résultat and CAC report if applicable. Deposit fee roughly €46; late filing fine up to €1,500 per defaulting officer.
Confidentiality Options for Small SAS
Article L.232-25 ff. of the Code de commerce lets small SAS keep parts of their accounts confidential: micro-entreprises (balance sheet < €450K, turnover < €900K, <10 staff) can hide the entire comptes annuels; petites entreprises (balance sheet < €7.5M, turnover < €15M, <50 staff) can hide the compte de résultat while still filing the bilan publicly. Banks and credit-risk agencies (Altares, Ellisphere) can still demand the full accounts during due diligence but the documents will not appear on Infogreffe / Pappers public searches.
RBE and Statuts Modifications
Any change in the bénéficiaires effectifs (RBE) — a shareholder crossing 25%, a change in ultimate ownership — must be filed within 30 days through the INPI Guichet unique; non-compliance is sanctioned by up to 6 months imprisonment and €7,500 fine (Article L.561-49 Code monétaire et financier). Any change to the statuts (capital, siège, objet, dénomination, président) requires an associés' decision, updated statuts, a JAL publication, an INPI filing and an updated K-bis. Greffe fees per modification typically run €80–€200, plus €100–€200 for the JAL.
RGPD Records
Every SAS must maintain a registre des traitements de données personnelles under Article 30 of the RGPD, available on request from the CNIL. E-commerce SAS handling customer data must publish a privacy policy, configure cookie consent (CNIL recommendation 2020-091) and appoint a DPO above certain processing thresholds.
10. E-Commerce SAS Advantages — Why It's the Default Choice
Statutory Flexibility for Multi-Marketplace Operations
French e-commerce operators routinely run a single SAS across Amazon.fr, Cdiscount, Fnac/Darty, ManoMano, Veepee, Rakuten and their own Shopify / PrestaShop / WooCommerce stores. The free statuts let founders issue actions de préférence for VC liquidity, BSPCE (France's tax-friendly stock options reserved for SAS / SA), drag-along / tag-along / non-compete clauses, and a multi-shareholder cap table without the SARL's 100-associé cap.
Tax & TVA Compatibility with Marketplaces
The SAS registers once at the DGFiP Guichet unique TVA / OSS and files cross-border EU B2C sales in one quarterly declaration regardless of source marketplace. Since the 2021 EU package, marketplaces like Amazon and Cdiscount can be considered the TVA collector for sales by non-EU sellers; the SAS as an EU seller stays in the standard "vendeur direct" regime, simplifying compliance. The BIC (Bénéfice industriel et commercial) regime applies to all retail and e-commerce SAS activities under the IS umbrella.
Payment & Logistics Integrations
Every major French PSP — Stripe, PayPlug, Mangopay, Lyra, Lemonway — onboards a SAS in under 48 hours given a K-bis less than 3 months old. Same for logistics: Colissimo, Chronopost, Mondial Relay, DPD France, GLS France, Geodis. The K-bis is the universal "passport" of French commercial life.
RGPD and Consumer Protection
French e-commerce is subject to the Code de la consommation (14-day right of withdrawal, two-year legal warranty of conformity), the Loi Informatique et Libertés / RGPD enforced by the CNIL with fines up to 4% of worldwide turnover, the Loi Hamon (2014) on distance selling, and the Loi REEN (2021) on environmental impact of digital services. The SAS bears controller obligations toward customers; marketplaces are joint controllers for shared-data segments. Clean RGPD governance (DPO, privacy policy, CNIL cookie banner, EU hosting) is now a basic onboarding requirement for premium marketplaces.
Why Not a Micro-entreprise for E-Commerce?
Many solo founders start as micro-entrepreneurs for the simplicity but quickly hit limits: turnover ceilings at €188,700 (goods) or €77,700 (services), no TVA recovery below the franchise, no expense deduction (forfait abatement on turnover), no real hiring, no equity round. Standard 2026 trajectory: micro-entreprise year 1 to validate, SASU conversion year 2 — or skip micro and incorporate a SASU from day one.
🛒 Read the full e-commerce SAS playbook
From SASU at €1 to multi-marketplace SAS with BSPCE — the full Zunapro playbook covers statuts templates, Qonto setup, Stripe / PayPlug onboarding, and marketplace API connections.
SAS Formation Cost Breakdown 2026 — Realistic Budgets
Beyond the legal minimum, here is what an SAS incorporation actually costs in 2026.
| Cost Item | DIY | Online Service | Lawyer / Notaire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statuts drafting | €0 (template) | €129 – €399 | €800 – €2,500 |
| JAL publication | €120 – €200 | €120 – €200 | €120 – €200 |
| Greffe + RBE filing fee | ~€60 | ~€60 | ~€60 |
| Domiciliation (1st year) | €0 – €200 | €96 – €420 | €96 – €600 |
| Bank (Qonto Basic year 1) | €108 – €348 | €108 – €348 | €108 – €348 |
| Total out-of-pocket | €280 – €800 | €500 – €1,500 | €1,200 – €3,800 |
A DIY SAS can be opened for under €300 if the founder is comfortable with the INPI Guichet unique. An online service like Zunapro adds €200–€1,000 in convenience and bilingual support — well worth it for foreign founders. Lawyer / notaire fees are reserved for complex cap tables and pactes d'associés.
French Legal Framework for SAS 2026 — Key Texts
The SAS is governed primarily by the Code de commerce (Articles L.227-1 to L.227-20 — SAS-specific rules; L.225-1 ff. — SA rules applied by reference; L.232-1 ff. — annual accounts; L.123-1 ff. — RCS) and by the Code monétaire et financier (L.561-1 ff. — bénéficiaires effectifs and AML).
Taxation falls under the Code général des impôts (CGI): Article 206-1 (IS scope), Article 219 (IS rates including the €42,500 reduced-rate band), Article 239 bis AB (five-year IR option for family SAS), Articles 256 ff. (TVA), Article 293 B (franchise en base thresholds), Articles 1447 ff. (CFE) and Article 200 A (PFU 30% on dividends and capital gains).
Data protection and consumer rules add Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (RGPD), the French Loi Informatique et Libertés (n° 78-17 du 6 janvier 1978, modernised 2018), Code de la consommation Articles L.221-1 ff. (distance selling, 14-day withdrawal) and L.217-3 ff. (two-year warranty of conformity), the Loi Hamon (2014) and the Loi REEN (2021).
Compliance is not optional. IS, TVA, CFE, FEC, RBE, RGPD and annual Greffe filings are enforced with real penalties — up to 4% of turnover for RGPD breaches, up to €1,500 per officer for missed Greffe deposits, and reconstruction of profit for non-conformant FEC. See compliance bundle →
How to Start Your French SAS — 2026 Step-by-Step
1. Decide SAS vs SASU vs SARL (Decision Tree)
- Solo founder, want flexibility → SASU
- 2+ founders, plan to raise → SAS
- 2+ founders, family business, want TNS → SARL
- Solo founder, turnover < €77K services / €188K goods → micro-entreprise (convert later)
2. Capital, Siège, Statuts
Capital €1 legal minimum (typically €1,000–€10,000 for credibility). Siège at a home address, coworking or domiciliation provider (Sedomicilier, Kandbaz, Les Tricolores). Statuts from Zunapro / Captain Contrat / notaire template, customised to your governance.
3–4. Capital Deposit + JAL
Open a Qonto, Shine or traditional bank account, wire the paid-in capital (≥50% of cash apports), receive the attestation de dépôt des fonds within 24h. Publish the avis de constitution in a JAL covering the département of your siège (€120–€200).
5–6. INPI Guichet Unique → K-bis
Upload statuts, capital attestation, JAL receipt, ID documents, domiciliation proof, RBE declaration; pay the Greffe fee (~€60 incl. RBE). The file is dispatched to the Greffe, INSEE and DGFiP in real time. K-bis typically in 48–72h; SIREN/SIRET in 8–15 days.
7. Operationalisation
Present the K-bis to the bank to unlock capital; engage an expert-comptable (Dougs, Indy, Numbr); file the IR option if relevant (otherwise IS is automatic); opt out of franchise en base if you want TVA recovery; register for URSSAF for salaries; set up RGPD register and privacy policy.
8. Connect Operational Tools via Zunapro
- Sign in to Zunapro and open the France module
- Connect Qonto / Shine for bank-feed import
- Connect marketplaces — Amazon.fr, Cdiscount, Fnac, ManoMano, Veepee — via API key / OAuth
- Connect Stripe / PayPlug / Mangopay for own-shop checkout
- Enable FEC export for your expert-comptable
- Go live — first sync ~10 minutes for a 1,000-SKU catalog
Create your French SAS in 48 hours — €1 capital, foreign-founder friendly
Statuts drafting + INPI Guichet unique filing + Qonto / Shine bank account + expert-comptable matching — all bundled with Zunapro. K-bis delivered in 48–72h, K-bis-ready marketplace integrations for Amazon.fr, Cdiscount, Fnac and 30+ French sales channels.
🇫🇷 Launch My SAS Today →French SAS FAQ 2026
What is the minimum share capital to create a SAS in France in 2026?
Legally, a SAS can be created with a share capital of €1 — Article L.227-1 of the Code de commerce imposes no minimum. In practice, founders typically subscribe between €1,000 and €10,000 to project credibility to banks, suppliers and the Greffe.
Only 50% of cash contributions (apports en numéraire) must be paid up at incorporation; the balance can be released within five years. In-kind contributions (apports en nature) must be fully transferred at incorporation and may require a commissaire aux apports.
Can a foreigner open a SAS in France without being a French resident?
Yes. There is no nationality and no residency requirement to be a shareholder or president of a SAS. A non-EU founder needs a passport, an address that can serve as the siège social (a virtual office or domiciliation provider is accepted), and a French bank account or a Qonto / Wise / Shine equivalent.
A French représentant fiscal is required only in specific TVA cases for non-EU companies — not for the standard SAS itself. The SAS is the taxpayer; the foreign founder simply receives dividends or salary as defined in the statuts.
How long does it take to register a SAS in France in 2026?
With a complete file submitted through the INPI Guichet unique (the single online portal that has replaced the CFE since January 2023), the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce typically issues the K-bis within 24 to 72 hours. INSEE assigns the SIREN / SIRET in parallel, usually within 8 to 15 days.
The realistic end-to-end timeline from drafting the statuts to receiving the K-bis is one to three weeks, mostly limited by the founder's pace for capital deposit, JAL publication and document gathering, not by administrative processing.
SAS vs SARL — which is better for a startup or e-commerce in 2026?
For most growth-oriented and venture-backed projects, the SAS is the default choice. It offers contractual freedom in the statuts, easy issuance of preference shares (actions de préférence) for investors, no obligatory cap on number of shareholders, and the président is affiliated to the régime général (assimilé salarié) rather than the TNS regime.
The SARL is cheaper on social charges for a majority gérant but more rigid, capped at 100 shareholders, and not preferred by VCs. SAS / SASU represents 70%+ of new commercial companies in France in 2026.
What is the corporate tax (IS) rate for a SAS in France in 2026?
The standard impôt sur les sociétés (IS) rate is 25% on all taxable profits. A reduced rate of 15% applies on the first €42,500 of profit for SAS qualifying as PME (turnover under €10M and capital fully paid up and held at least 75% by individuals).
Above €42,500, the standard 25% rate applies. SAS can also opt for impôt sur le revenu (IR) for five years under strict conditions (family-owned, less than 5 years old, under 50 employees and €10M turnover — Article 239 bis AB CGI).
Is an expert-comptable mandatory for a SAS in France?
Strictly speaking, the law does not require an expert-comptable to keep the books of a SAS — the company is free to do its own bookkeeping. In practice almost every SAS appoints one because the Plan Comptable Général (PCG), the FEC (Fichier des Écritures Comptables) format required by the DGFiP, the liasse fiscale and the annual filing at the Greffe are technically demanding.
Below certain thresholds an SAS is also exempt from appointing a commissaire aux comptes — required only if the SAS exceeds two of: balance-sheet total > €5M, net turnover > €10M, headcount > 50 employees (PACTE 2019 thresholds).
Can I use Wise or Qonto as my SAS business bank account?
Yes — neobanks such as Qonto, Shine, Revolut Business and Wise Business are widely accepted by the Greffe for the capital deposit certificate (attestation de dépôt des fonds) and for the company's ongoing IBAN. Qonto is the dominant choice for French SAS in 2026 (over 500,000 business clients).
Traditional banks (BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, LCL) remain useful for credit lines, real-estate loans and POS terminals, but most foreign founders open with Qonto first and add a traditional bank in year 2 when a credit need appears.
Does a SAS pay TVA from the first euro of turnover?
Not automatically. SAS below the franchise en base de TVA thresholds — €85,000 for the sale of goods or €37,500 for services in 2026 — can opt out of TVA invoicing. Most SAS choose to be TVA-registered from day one to recover input TVA on purchases, especially in goods-resale and SaaS businesses with significant TVA on costs.
The standard TVA rate is 20%; reduced rates of 10%, 5.5% and 2.1% apply to specific categories. Intra-EU sales follow the OSS / VAT One Stop Shop regime, filed quarterly through the DGFiP Guichet unique TVA.
How does a SAS file its annual accounts with the Greffe?
A SAS must file its comptes annuels (bilan, compte de résultat, annexe) with the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce within one month of approval by the shareholders' general assembly — itself due within six months of the financial year end.
Filing is now done electronically via the INPI Guichet unique. Small SAS can request confidentiality of their income statement (compte de résultat) under Article L.232-25 of the Code de commerce. Late filing carries a fine of up to €1,500 per defaulting officer.
What is the Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises (CFE)?
CFE is a local tax owed by any business operating in France, computed on the rental value of the premises used. Newly created SAS benefit from a full CFE exemption in the first calendar year of activity. After that, the minimum CFE in 2026 ranges from roughly €237 to €7,533 per year depending on turnover band and on the commune.
CFE is invoiced annually around November–December and paid via the impots.gouv.fr professional account by 15 December. SAS with turnover > €500,000 also owe the CVAE, which is being phased out by 2027.
Can a SAS have a single shareholder?
Yes. A SAS with a single shareholder is called a SASU (Société par Actions Simplifiée Unipersonnelle). It follows the same rules as a multi-shareholder SAS but with simplified governance — the unique associé signs all decisions personally in a registre des décisions, no AG required.
The SASU is the most popular vehicle in France in 2026 for solo founders, freelancers leaving the micro-entreprise regime, and foreign holding structures wanting a French operational subsidiary.
Is the SAS suitable for e-commerce and online marketplaces?
Yes — the SAS is the most common legal form for French e-commerce in 2026. It accommodates multiple founders and investors cleanly, allows preference shares for VCs, supports flexible governance (président, directeur général, comités) and is fully compatible with the marketplace TVA / OSS rules, RGPD obligations and the Loi Informatique et Libertés.
Most French marketplaces (Amazon.fr, Cdiscount, Fnac, ManoMano, Veepee), payment service providers (Stripe, PayPlug, Mangopay) and accounting platforms onboard a SAS in less than 48 hours given a fresh K-bis. The K-bis is the universal "passport" of French commercial life.
What happens if I miss the annual Greffe filing deadline?
The Greffe automatically sends a relance and, after a second default, files an injunction with the Tribunal de Commerce. The président of the SAS can be fined up to €1,500 personally per missed filing under Article L.247-1 ff. of the Code de commerce.
More damaging in practice: banks, marketplaces, suppliers and Bpifrance routinely check Infogreffe / Pappers for up-to-date filings before granting credit, opening seller accounts or releasing co-guaranteed loans. A SAS with a missing 2024 filing in 2026 will be quietly excluded from many opportunities.
Can I change my SAS's siège social or president later?
Yes — both are routine modifications. Each requires a decision of the associés in the form set by the statuts, an updated statuts document, a JAL publication (~€100–€200), a filing on the INPI Guichet unique (~€80–€200 Greffe fee) and an updated K-bis.
If the new siège is in a different département, the Greffe of the old jurisdiction transfers the file to the new Greffe — a process that adds a few days. Most SAS go through one to three modifications in their first five years.
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