Section 1: Conditions for issuing authorisations

Articles in this section · 21

Article R5139-20

French Public Health CodeIn force

Updated 1 Nov 2023

On a proposal from the Director General of the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé, the following are set:

1° By order of the Minister for Health:

a) The maximum doses and concentrations of the micro-organisms and toxins on the list provided for in Article L. 5139-1 above which products containing them are subject to the provisions of this chapter;

b) Information appearing on the authorisation issued by the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé, in particular information relating to the holder of the authorisation, the establishment where the authorised operations are carried out, the nature of these operations, the micro-organism or toxin used and the period of validity of the authorisation;

c) Information appearing on the annual stock statements provided for in Article R. 5139-14 ;

d) The information contained in the register or records referred to in article R. 5139-17, in particular the procedures for keeping them and the information they contain;

2° Par arrêté des ministres chargés de la recherche et de la santé, les titres de formation et l'expérience professionnelle pertinente dont le titulaire de l'autorisation justifie pour lui-même ainsi que pour les personnes qu'il habilite pour contribuer, sous sa responsabilité, aux opérations faisant l'objet de l'autorisation ;

3° By order of the ministers responsible for agriculture, industry, research, health and labour, the rules of good practice designed to guarantee biological safety and security mentioned in article R. 5139-18.

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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