Section 3: Fees charged by commercial court registrars.

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Article R743-140

French Commercial codeIn force

Updated 4 Nov 2023

The emoluments due to the clerks of the commercial courts for drawing up and checking the conformity of the deeds of their department are subject to the following provisions.

They include remuneration for all work, care, diligence and formalities relating to the deed or procedure in question.

The diligence involved in each transmission of an instrument, decision or document, by hand delivery against receipt or by secure electronic means, shall give rise to a fee set by an order made pursuant to Article L. 444-3, with the exception of the transmission of an extract from the commercial register, by secure electronic means, for which this remuneration is equal to another fee determined under the same conditions. When the transmission is made in another form, the disbursements, including postage and telephone costs, are reimbursed to the court clerk for their actual amount, unless a flat-rate transmission fee has been provided for by an order made pursuant to article L. 444-3.

No remuneration or reimbursement of any expenses shall be due to the registrar in respect of the transmissions, provided for in article R. 123-7, to the single body mentioned in article R. 123-1, with the exception of any databases that he may have developed in the context of the private use of the data concerned.

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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