Paragraph 3: Publication of the register

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Article R123-318

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 6 Nov 2023

In application of the third paragraph of Article L. 123-52, the following authorities, administrations, legal entities and professions have access to all the information contained in the National Register of Companies, in order to carry out their duties:

1° Regional and departmental inter-ministerial directorates responsible for the economy, employment, labour, solidarity and population protection;

> Central services of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry 2° The central departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the regional and interdepartmental directorates for food, agriculture and forestry, the regional directorates for food, agriculture and forestry, the directorates for food, agriculture and forestry and the services and payment agency mentioned in article L. 313-1 of the Code rural et de la pêche maritime, the établissement national des produits de l'agriculture et de la mer mentioned in article L. 621-1 of the same code, the Corsican agricultural and rural development office referred to in article L. 112-11 of the same code and the agricultural development office for overseas departments referred to in article L. 696-1 of the same code;

3° Les directions départementales des territoires, les directions départementales des territoires et de la mer, la direction générale des territoires et de la mer;

> 4° La direction générale des finances publiques 4° The Directorate General of Public Finance;

> The Chairman of the High Council for the Economy and Finance 5° The chairman of the Haut Conseil du Commissariat aux Comptes and its general rapporteur, any person directly involved in the work of the Haut Conseil whom they designate specifically for this purpose, as well as the auditors designated pursuant to Article R. 821-69 and the investigators authorised pursuant to Article R. 824-2;

6° Judicial commissioners, bailiffs and auctioneers;

Notaries 7° Notaries;

Notary publics 8° Court-appointed administrators and agents;

8° bis Clerks of the commercial courts and of the judicial courts ruling on commercial matters;

9° Bodies responsible for managing a compulsory social security scheme or for collecting social security contributions;

10° The networks of chambers of commerce and industry, chambers of trade and craft trades and chambers of agriculture, for businesses within their remit;

> The Institut national de la recherche et de l'innovation (INRIA), for businesses within its remit. 11° The Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques;

> The Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques 12° The single body provided for in Article L. 123-33.

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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