How to Register a SAS in France: Step‑by‑step Guide for Founders

If you are planning to register a SAS France operation, this guide walks you through every stage of the process, from checking your company name to filing with the commercial court registry and declaring beneficial owners. The société par actions simplifiée (SAS) is the most popular corporate vehicle for startups, holding companies and foreign investors entering the French market, thanks to its governance flexibility and low statutory capital threshold. This page is written for founders, including non‑residents, who want a single, authoritative resource covering documents, costs, timelines, and the practical traps, particularly banking KYC, that slow down registrations. Below you will find numbered steps, two comparison tables, and a dedicated section for those registering from abroad.

We draw on official French sources (INPI, guichet‑entreprises, Infogreffe and Legifrance) so the figures and procedures you rely on are accurate and current.

Quick overview, What is an SAS (key features)

An SAS (société par actions simplifiée) is a French joint‑stock company characterised above all by contractual freedom. The Code de commerce (articles L227‑1 et seq.) sets only a light framework; shareholders define governance, voting arrangements, share transfer restrictions and the powers of the president largely as they wish in the articles of association (statuts). This makes the SAS exceptionally adaptable, a founder can create multiple share classes, preferred shares for investors, and bespoke decision‑making rules that would be far harder to achieve in other structures.

The headline attractions are a nominal minimum capital (as low as €1), limited liability for shareholders up to their contributions, and the fact that the president is treated as an assimilé‑salarié under the general social security regime. For many founders, the decision to register SAS France stems precisely from this combination of investor‑friendly equity flexibility and protective social coverage for executives.

SAS vs SASU (single‑shareholder variant)

A SASU is simply an SAS with a sole shareholder, a société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle. It follows the same legal regime, offers the same governance flexibility, and converts seamlessly into a multi‑shareholder SAS when new investors arrive. The practical differences are limited to the governance clauses that only become relevant when there is more than one shareholder (such as drag‑along, tag‑along and pre‑emption rights). Solo founders frequently start as a SASU and open up the cap table later.

Why non‑residents and investors choose an SAS

• No nationality or residency barrier: foreign individuals and foreign legal entities may be shareholders and officers.
• Investor familiarity: the share‑based structure maps cleanly onto venture capital expectations, including preferred shares and liquidation preferences.
• Governance freedom: founders can tailor the statuts to control decision‑making and protect strategic direction.
• Executive social protection: the president benefits from the general social security regime rather than the self‑employed regime.

Process, How to register a SAS in France (numbered steps)

France has consolidated its formation formalities around a small number of official portals. Name and trademark checks run through INPI; the one‑stop filing of the registration dossier runs through guichet‑entreprises (part of the Service‑public ecosystem), which routes applications to the competent greffe and Infogreffe for entry on the Registre du commerce et des sociétés (RCS). The 2025–2026 process is predominantly digital, and the beneficial‑owner declaration is now integrated into the online filing. Follow the steps below in order; preparing documents concurrently is the single biggest accelerator.

Step 1, Choose a name and check availability (INPI)

Begin by selecting your company name (dénomination sociale) and verifying it is not already in use or protected as a trademark. Use the INPI databases to search existing company names and registered trademarks; a clash can block registration or expose you to infringement claims. Check domain availability at the same time. If the name is distinctive and you intend to build a brand, consider filing a trademark with INPI in parallel to secure your rights from day one.

Step 2, Draft the articles of association (statuts)

The statuts are the constitutional document of your SAS and the most important drafting exercise in the whole process. Because the Code de commerce leaves most governance to the shareholders, careful drafting now prevents deadlocks and disputes later. A multi‑shareholder SAS needs more detailed provisions than a SASU.

Mandatory clauses typically cover the company name, corporate form, registered office, corporate purpose (objet social), duration, share capital, the number and type of shares, contributions, the identity and powers of the president, and rules for collective shareholder decisions. Optional but recommended clauses include share‑transfer approval (agrément), pre‑emption rights, preferred shares, inalienability periods, and dispute‑resolution mechanisms. For drafting support and downloadable precedents, see our sample SAS statutes (statuts) + templates resource. Sign and date the finalised statuts; electronic signature is accepted for most SAS formations.

Step 3, Appoint officers, shareholders and prepare minutes

An SAS must have at least a president (président), who may be an individual or a legal entity, resident or non‑resident. You may also appoint a directeur général or other officers if the statuts provide for them. Prepare the list of shareholders with their subscriptions, the subscription forms, and any founding minutes or shareholder decisions appointing the first officers. Collect valid identity documents for every manager and shareholder, as these are required for the registration dossier and for later banking KYC. Where a manager is a foreign entity, a recent extract from the equivalent commercial register will usually be needed.

Step 4, Deposit share capital and obtain the attestation

Cash contributions must be deposited into a blocked account before registration, and you must obtain a certificate of deposit (attestation de dépôt des fonds). The deposit can be made with a French bank, a notary, or the Caisse des dépôts; some fintech and neobank providers also offer capital‑deposit services that can speed things up. For non‑residents, this is the step most likely to cause delay because of KYC requirements, see our guidance on how to open a French business bank account. The funds are released once the company is registered and you present the RCS extract (Kbis). If you contribute assets other than cash (apports en nature), a contribution auditor (commissaire aux apports) may be required depending on value.

Step 5, Publish a legal notice (journal d’annonces légales)

You must publish a notice of incorporation in an authorised journal d’annonces légales in the department of your registered office. The notice contains core company details: name, form (SAS), capital, registered office, purpose, duration, and the president’s identity. You will receive an attestation de parution to include in the registration dossier. Guidance on publication obligations is available via Service‑public and the Journal officiel.

Step 6, File the application with the Greffe via guichet‑entreprises

Submit your registration dossier online through guichet‑entreprises, the single national portal that transmits your application to the competent commercial court registry and to Infogreffe for RCS entry. The typical document bundle includes:

• Signed statuts: the final articles of association.
• Capital deposit attestation: proof of blocked funds.
• Proof of registered office: lease, domiciliation contract or title document.
• Publication attestation: from the legal‑announcements journal.
• Officer declarations and IDs: including a declaration of non‑conviction for the president.
• List of shareholders and beneficial‑owner information: see Step 7.

Once the dossier is complete and accepted, the registry issues your Kbis extract, the official proof of existence of the company. Routine registrations are often completed within a few working days to a few weeks after filing, assuming no queries.

Step 7, Register the beneficial owners (RBE)

Every SAS must declare its beneficial owners (bénéficiaires effectifs) to the Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs (RBE) held at the greffe. This declaration is usually filed together with the registration dossier and must identify natural persons who ultimately own or control the company (typically those holding more than 25% of capital or voting rights, or exercising control by other means). The declaration is mandatory, must be kept up to date, and failure to comply can expose officers to criminal penalties and fines. The beneficial‑owner regime reflects France’s anti‑money‑laundering framework; keep supporting documents on file.

Step 8, Post‑registration tasks

Registration is the beginning, not the end. After receiving the Kbis, finalise your operational setup:

• VAT and tax: obtain your intra‑community VAT number and confirm your corporate tax position.
• Social and payroll registrations: set up URSSAF and payroll before paying the president or hiring staff; see tax and payroll for SAS.
• Bank account finalisation: convert the blocked capital account into an operating account and release the funds against your Kbis.
• Trademark protection: complete any INPI trademark filing started in Step 1.

A common pitfall for international founders is underestimating banking KYC. If you plan to register SAS France remotely, start the bank conversation early and prepare certified, translated identity documents in advance.

Costs and typical timelines to register SAS France

The direct official cost of forming an SAS is modest; the larger variables are banking, translation and advisory fees. Government and registry charges, together with the legal‑announcement fee, generally fall within a predictable range, while professional assistance scales with complexity. The table below summarises indicative figures, always confirm current rates at Infogreffe and guichet‑entreprises before you file, as fee schedules were updated for the 2025–2026 period.

In short, the statutory cost to register SAS France is low, but realistic budgeting should account for bank account opening, document legalisation, and any advisory input on the statuts.

Comparison: SAS vs SARL France (requirements, costs, timelines)

The SAS and the SARL (société à responsabilité limitée) are the two dominant forms for small and medium businesses in France. Both offer limited liability and a nominal minimum capital, but they differ significantly in governance flexibility, share transferability and the social regime of their managers. The table below sets out the headline differences; for a deeper analysis, see our SAS vs SARL comparison.

When to choose SAS vs SARL

Choose an SAS where you want maximum governance flexibility, plan to raise venture capital, intend to issue preferred shares, or value the general social security regime for the president. The SAS is the near‑default choice for scalable startups and holding structures. Choose a SARL where the business is a small family or closely held operation, where the parties prefer a well‑defined statutory framework, or where a majority manager wants the generally lower social‑charge base of the self‑employed (TNS) regime. The trade‑off is clear: the SAS offers freedom and investor appeal; the SARL offers predictability and, in some cases, lower social charges for the controlling manager.

Because the governance of an SAS is contractual, poor drafting carries more risk, another reason to invest in the statuts.

Key requirements and eligibility (constituer une SAS)

To constituer une SAS correctly, you must satisfy a small set of legal requirements and make several practical decisions. None of them is onerous, but each must be addressed before the registry will issue your Kbis.

Minimum capital and share types

French law permits a nominal minimum capital for an SAS, effectively from €1, and leaves the size and structure of capital to the founders. You may create ordinary shares and preferred shares with tailored voting and economic rights, which is one of the SAS’s principal advantages. Voting arrangements, dividend preferences and the rules for issuing new shares are all set in the statuts. In practice, set capital at a level credible to banks, suppliers and investors rather than at the bare legal floor.

Shareholder requirements

An SAS requires at least one shareholder (a SASU) and has no upper limit. Shareholders may be natural persons or legal entities, and there is no residency or nationality restriction, foreign individuals and foreign companies may hold shares and serve as officers. This openness is precisely why so many international founders choose to register SAS France. Where a shareholder is a foreign company, you will typically need a recent register extract and, often, a certified translation.

Registered office (domiciliation)

Every SAS needs a French registered office (siège social). Options include leasing commercial premises, using the president’s domicile (subject to conditions), or engaging a professional domiciliation company that provides a registered address and mail handling. Proof of the registered office, a lease, domiciliation contract or title deed, is a mandatory part of the filing dossier.

Beneficial‑owner declaration obligations and sanctions

As noted above, declaring beneficial owners to the RBE is compulsory. The declaration must identify the natural persons ultimately controlling the company and must be updated whenever ownership or control changes. Non‑compliance can lead to fines and, in serious cases, criminal liability for the directors. This obligation sits within France’s broader anti‑money‑laundering framework overseen in the banking sphere by the ACPR, which also explains the depth of KYC applied when you open a corporate bank account.

Special section, Registering an SAS from abroad (practical checklist)

Non‑resident founders can register SAS France entirely from overseas, but the process requires more preparation. The friction points are rarely legal, they are administrative: identity verification, document legalisation, and banking KYC. Build the following into your plan to avoid the common 4–8 week delays. For a full walkthrough, see our guide on how to register a SAS from abroad.

• Power of attorney: appoint a trusted representative in France to sign and file on your behalf where you cannot act in person.
• French registered address: arrange domiciliation before filing; the registry requires a valid siège social.
• Document legalisation: have foreign identity and corporate documents translated and, where required, apostilled or legalised.
• Banking KYC: engage your capital‑deposit provider early; prepare certified IDs, proof of address and the source of funds, as flagged by ACPR guidance.
• Realistic timeline: budget four to eight weeks overall, driven mainly by the bank rather than the registry.

Common pitfalls and practical tips for founders

• Underestimating bank KYC: the capital deposit, not the registry, is usually the bottleneck, open the banking conversation first.
• Weak statuts: because SAS governance is contractual, vague drafting invites deadlocks; define decision rules, quorums and transfer restrictions clearly.
• Ignoring IP: run an INPI name and trademark check early and file to protect your brand.
• No local representative: a French authorised representative smooths signing, filing and correspondence, especially for founders abroad.

Conclusion, Next steps to register SAS France

The SAS remains the most flexible and investor‑ready vehicle in France, and the path to register SAS France is now largely digital and well signposted through the official portals. The legal cost is modest and routine registrations complete within one to three weeks; the real variables are the quality of your statuts and the speed of banking KYC, the latter being the single biggest factor for founders based overseas, who should budget four to eight weeks. By preparing documents in parallel and engaging your capital‑deposit provider early, you can compress the overall timeline considerably.

If you are ready to proceed, the three most valuable immediate actions are clear. First, run a name and trademark check on INPI and secure your domain. Second, draft robust articles of association, giving particular attention to governance, share classes and transfer rules, the areas where contractual freedom is both the greatest strength and the greatest risk of the form. Third, open the capital‑deposit conversation with your chosen bank or notary so the attestation is ready when you file through guichet‑entreprises. Address those three early and the remaining steps, publication, RCS filing, and the beneficial‑owner declaration, follow quickly. With the right preparation, you can register SAS France efficiently and start trading with a clean, compliant foundation.

Sources

• INPI, Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle
• Guichet‑entreprises
• Service‑public
• Infogreffe / Greffe des tribunaux de commerce
• Legifrance, Code de commerce
• Journal officiel
• ACPR / Banque de France