Section 1: Administrative approval

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Article L382-1

French Insurance CodeIn force

Updated 8 Nov 2023

I. - Supplementary occupational pension funds may not commence operations until they have obtained administrative authorisation issued by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution.

Approval is granted at the request of the fund, for the operations referred to in the first paragraph of article L. 381-1 and for the coverage of additional guarantees referred to in article L. 143-2 arising therefrom. The fund may only carry out the operations for which it has been authorised.

II. - The competent authorities of the other Member State of the European Union or party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area concerned are consulted before granting authorisation to a supplementary occupational pension fund which is :

1° Either a subsidiary of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking authorised in another Member State of the European Union or party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area ;

2° Or a subsidiary of the parent undertaking of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking authorised in another Member State of the European Union or party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area;

3° Or an undertaking controlled by a natural or legal person who also controls an insurance or reinsurance undertaking authorised in another Member State or party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

The Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution shall also consult the authority responsible for supervising credit institutions or investment firms in the Member State of the European Union or party to the European Economic Area Agreement concerned, when deciding on an application for authorisation submitted by a subsidiary of a credit institution or investment firm authorised in another Member State of the European Union or party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or by a subsidiary of the parent undertaking of an investment firm or credit institution authorised in another Member State of the European Union or party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or by an undertaking controlled by a person, a natural or legal person who also controls an investment firm authorised or a credit institution authorised in another Member State of the European Union or party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

III. - The Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution informs the European Commission, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and the supervisory authorities of the other Member States of the European Union or parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area of any decision to authorise a supplementary occupational pension fund controlled by a parent undertaking within the meaning of Article L. 356-1, the head office of which is established in a State which is not a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. This information specifies the structure of the group.

Mariela Petrova

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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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