Section 4: Search of the file and direct information to the Ministry of the Interior

Articles in this section · 4

Article R53-8-24

French Code of Criminal ProcedureIn force

Updated 6 Nov 2023

I.-Pursuant to the provisions of 3° of Article 706-53-7, may directly query the file, via a secure telecommunications system, based solely on the identity of a person who has applied for recruitment, assignment, authorisation, approval or accreditation concerning an activity or profession involving contact with minors or whose exercise of such an activity or profession must be supervised :

1° Prefects or agents of prefectures specially authorised by them for this purpose;

2° Heads of departments or agents individually designated and specially authorised by them for this purpose of the following State administrations:

a) The department in charge of human resources management at the ministry responsible for national education and higher education;

b) Rectorates and academic inspectorates;

c) The directorate of youth judicial protection and its regional directorates;

d) The directorate of prison administration and the interregional directorates of prison services;

e) The youth and popular education directorate and the sports directorate;

f) The regional directorates for the economy, employment, work and solidarity, the regional academic delegations for youth, commitment and sports, the departmental directorates for social cohesion and the interdepartmental departmental directorates responsible for social cohesion.

3° The directors general of the regional health agencies.

II.-The persons mentioned in I shall indicate the reason for which they are querying the file.

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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