Chapter I: Legal status of medical devices.

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Article L5211-1

French Public Health CodeIn force

Updated 6 Nov 2023

I.-The placing on the market, putting into service and making available on the market of medical devices and their accessories shall comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2017 and with the provisions of this Title.

These provisions shall also apply to the groups of products not intended for medical use listed in Annex XVI to the same Regulation.

II.-Medical device means: any instrument, apparatus, equipment, software, implant, reagent, material or other article, intended by the manufacturer to be used, alone or in combination, in human beings for one or more of the medical purposes mentioned below and whose principal intended action in or on the human body is not obtained by pharmacological or immunological means or by metabolism, but whose function may be assisted by such means:

1° Diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, prediction, prognosis, treatment or alleviation of a disease;

2° Diagnosis, control, treatment, alleviation of or compensation for an injury or disability;

3° Investigation, replacement or modification of an anatomical structure or function or a physiological or pathological process or state;

4° Communication of information by means of in vitro examination of samples from the human body, including organ, blood and tissue donations.

The following are deemed to be medical devices

-devices intended to control or assist design;

-products specifically intended for the cleaning, disinfection or sterilisation of medical devices, their accessories and groups of products not intended for medical purposes listed in Annex XVI to the aforementioned Regulation (EU) 2017/745.

III.-Medical device accessory means: any article which, without itself being a medical device, is intended by its manufacturer to be used with a given medical device, or with several of them, to enable that medical device to be used in accordance with its intended purpose, or to contribute specifically and directly to the medical function of the medical device according to its intended purpose.

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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