Life of the company

Company formalities: a one-stop shop on 1 January 2023

Publié le 24 novembre 2022 - Mise à jour le 07 août 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Companies must carry out formalities, in particular when they are set up, with the company formality centers (CFE).

To make it easier for entrepreneurs, the CFEs are replaced by a single site formalities.companies.gouv.fr enabling all formalities to be completed online. Already accessible, this site will become mandatory from 1er january 2023.

Image 1
Image 1Crédits: Rido - stock.adobe.com

How to complete your formalities?

Tableau - Where to complete your formalities?

Type of company or contractor

Where to go until December 31, 2022

Where to contact the 1er january 2023

  • Individual contractor or business (EURL, SARL, SA, SAS, SNC) carrying out a commercial activity.

Online at formalities.companies.gouv.fr

  • Individual contractor or business engaged in craft industry ;
  • Companies for the transport of goods by water or river cooperative business.

Online at formalities.companies.gouv.fr

  • Individual contractor or business engaged in agricultural activities principally.

Online atformalities.companies.gouv.fr

  • Sole trader exercising a liberal profession;
  • Artist-author;
  • Independent home seller;
  • Taxi driver renting his professional vehicle.

Online at formalities.companies.gouv.fr

  • Commercial agent (natural person);
  • civil business (SCI, SCM, SCP,...);
  • liberal exercise business (SERARL, SELAFA, SELCA);
  • Business in participation;
  • Public industrial and commercial establishment;
  • Economic interest group;
  • Furnished rentals.

Online atformalities.companies.gouv.fr

Who is the unique site for?

Since 1er january 2023, use of the site formalities.companies.gouv.fr is required for all formalities and for all company types :

  • individual companies or businesses engaged in a commercial, craft, agricultural or self-employed activity;
  • Companies with a registered office, principal or secondary establishment or address in France;
  • Foreign companies wishing to carry out an activity in France.

What can be done on the single site?

The site formalities.companies.gouv.fr allows you to perform the following:

  • creation of the company : registration or declaration of commencement of activity;
  • changes : change of activity, address, name, number of partners, status, etc. ;
  • cessation of activity.

The submission of annual accounts businesses can be made either:

  • online at formalites.companies.gouv.fr;
  • in paper form at the registry of the commercial court on which the business depends.

Who can use the single site?

The Head of company (manager or micro-entrepreneur) can carry out the formalities online himself.

He can ask an employee (called delegate) to carry out the formalities on behalf of the company by drafting a delegation.

It is also possible to entrust this task to any other person (known as an agent) by drafting a contract of office. The site formalities.companies.gouv.fr provide a template for the mandate.

A copy of the delegation act or the mandate must be sent when the formality is carried out on the website.

How does the single site work?

The registrant (the Head of company, the authorized representative or the delegate) must set up a user account at the time of the first login. This user account is personal. It allows access to and management of all the formality files deposited on the site.

Holders of "e-procedures" accounts at the Inpi can use this account to access the formalities window.

The declarant shall enter the information online and attach the necessary paperless documents. The competent bodies (INSEE, social and tax services, registries of commercial courts, consular chambers, etc.) process the information received.

The status of the formality can be consulted at any time on the window, from the personal space dedicated to the declarant.

Please note

The use of the site is free. But some formalities are not free, such as the filing of annual accounts for businesses.

What are the support services?

Every registrant receives technical and regulatory assistance at every stage of their onsite activities.

Free, this assistance shall be accessible:

  • by telephone at 01 56 65 89 98 (INPI Direct Customer Service available 24/7);
  • in person (by appointment with the relevant consular networks);
  • online (on the website formalites.companies.gouv.fr);
  • by email.

For remote digital users, the platform's partners (e.g. consular networks) set up computers at their premises.

Please note

In addition to this assistance, paid and optional support may be offered by consular networks in particular.

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