How long does it take to form a company in France?
It takes on average 1 to 2 business weeks to form a limited liability company (SAS or SARL) in France remotely.

Can I form a company in France remotely?
Yes, the process of incorporation in France can be done remotely and without a visit.

The whole incorporation process can be conducted remotely. No travel necessary. Notarization of documents is necessary;
A Power of Attorney (POA) from (all) partners/shareholders is needed;
The POA is sent to you by us based on the services you want;
You have to certify the POA by a notary and in some cases legalize it by apostille (some countries need full legalization);
Once you have the POA on your hands, we double-check, and you send us the original form (physical document!) via courier to our address.
France is part of the Hague Convention of the Apostille

Necessary information to begin with company formation in France
3 options of your desired name for the company and a company contact email address;
Names, addresses and emails of all shareholders and board members;
Short description of your company's activity.

Without VAT number in France
Company will not be eligible to receive VAT refunds, which means everything bought is 20% more expensive (
important: B2B payments between two VAT exempt companies are not more expensive
);
Your company will not have to file monthly tax returns (prerequisite: no one receives a salary), which means low costs.
With VAT number in France
The company will be eligible to receive VAT refunds, which means you can make use of the reverse-charge mechanism;
Monthly tax returns have to be filed, even if no transactions occur;
Registering for a VAT number can be done online.

Required documents to provide to register a company in France
Passport copies (a scan) of shareholder/s and director/s, also beneficiary owner if applicable;
A Power of Attorney (in case of a remote company registration);
Certified company documents (in case at least one of the shareholders is going to be a foreign company).