Section 5: Disclosure of accounts

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Article L232-21

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

I. - General partnerships all of whose partners with unlimited liability are limited liability companies or joint stock companies are required to file at the court registry, for annexation to the register of commerce and companies, within one month of the approval of the annual accounts by the ordinary meeting of the partners or within two months of such approval where such filing is made by electronic means:

1° The annual financial statements and, where applicable, the consolidated financial statements, the group management report, the statutory auditors' reports on the annual financial statements and the consolidated financial statements, where applicable supplemented by their comments on the amendments made by the meeting which have been submitted to them;

2° The proposed appropriation of the result submitted to the meeting and the appropriation resolution voted on or the appropriation decision taken.

The management report must be made available to any person who requests it, in accordance with conditions defined by decree in the Conseil d'Etat.

II. - In the event of refusal of approval or acceptance, a copy of the deliberation of the meeting shall be filed within the same period.

III. - The obligations defined above also apply to sociétés en nom collectif where all the partners with unlimited liability are sociétés en nom collectif or en commandite simple where all the partners with unlimited liability are sociétés à responsabilité limitée or par actions.

IV. - For the purposes of this article, foreign companies with a comparable legal form are treated in the same way as sociétés à responsabilité limitée ou par actions.

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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