Preliminary section: Business formalities centres

Articles in this section · 13

Article A123-7

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 4 Nov 2023

A strategic college is hereby set up under the authority of the Minister for the Economy to oversee the monitoring of the processing of company formalities, authorisations to access or carry out their activities and the recognition of professional qualifications by the single body, the recipient bodies and the authorised authorities.


In addition to overseeing the single body and monitoring its dealings with the recipient bodies and the authorised authorities, the strategic steering college will In addition to steering the single body and monitoring its dealings with the recipient bodies and the authorised authorities, the strategic steering committee will:


Part 1. 1° Ensures that the collection and processing of company declarations, the issuing of authorisations for access to their activities or for the pursuit of these activities, and the recognition of professional qualifications all run smoothly;



2° Ensures that the declarations made by companies are correctly aligned with the competencies of the bodies to which they are sent, and ensures that declarants have a smooth career path by adapting, where necessary, the prioritisation of the work carried out by the single body in order to integrate all the declarations it receives;



3° Shall be informed by its members, by any interested administrative authorities and by the single body of:


a) draft changes to legislation or regulations relating to business formalities, applications for authorisation, recognition of professional qualifications or any other subject that has an impact on the performance of the above procedures;


> b) any technical difficulties or problems that may arise in the course of the procedures b) any technical difficulty or new system implemented by the administration that is likely to have an impact on the operation of the system implemented by the single body;


>. 4° Ensures that information is shared between the members of the strategic steering committee and ensures that any useful information is passed on to the bodies to which it is sent by their supervisory ministry, as well as to any interested administration or person;


> In particular, with regard to the information mentioned above, the strategic steering committee will 5° With particular regard to the information referred to in 3°, decides on the technical developments to be implemented by the single body, sets, after consultation with the single body, the deadlines by which these developments must be completed, and ensures that they are completed, in coordination with the recipient bodies;


> 6° Sets, after consultation with the single body, the deadlines by which these developments must be completed, and ensures that they are completed, in coordination with the recipient bodies;


6° Sets, after consultation with the recipient organisations, their deadlines for carrying out the technical changes made necessary by those mentioned in 3° and ensures that they are completed, in coordination with the single body;


> Co-ordinates the procedures for carrying out the technical changes made necessary by those mentioned in 3°. 7° Coordinates the assistance provided by the various competent bodies, particularly with regard to the scope of their involvement and their relationship with each other;



8° Ensures that the entire system and the work carried out by the single body are coordinated with the other initiatives to modernise public action and digitise the State;



9° Where necessary, sets up technical working groups to:


a) providing it with technical advice on a given subject;


> and b) technically implementing certain guidelines it has decided on;


10° Sets the objectives of the single body and determines the relevant indicators and the frequency with which they are to be used to assess the operation of the system as a whole;


11° Ensures that the processing of declarations and requests for authorisation is harmonised throughout the country;


12° Decides on the implementation of the procedure provided for in Article R. 123-15, in accordance with the procedures laid down by the order referred to in the same article.

Mariela Petrova

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Common Questions

Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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