Section 1: Foreign nationals married to French nationals

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Article L423-6

French Code governing the entry and residence of foreign nationals and the right of asylumIn force
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Updated 8 Nov 2023

A foreign national who has been married to a French national for at least three years will be issued with a ten-year residence permit provided that he or she has been legally resident in France for three years and that the spouses have not ceased living together since the marriage, that the spouse has retained French nationality and, where the marriage was celebrated abroad, that it was previously transcribed into French civil status registers.It may be withdrawn on the grounds of a breakdown in cohabitation within a maximum period of four years from the date of celebration of the marriage.
However, where cohabitation has been broken off by the death of one of the spouses or as a result of family or domestic violence, the administrative authority may not withdraw the card on these grounds.
In addition, where one or more children have been born of this union and provided that the foreign national holding the residence permit establishes that he or she has effectively contributed, since birth, to the maintenance and education of the child or children under the conditions set out in article 371-2 of the Civil Code, the administrative authority may not withdraw the permit on the grounds of the break-up of the cohabitation.

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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