There are three basic forms of limited liability company in France, the Société Anonyme (SA), the Société à Responsabilité Limitée (SARL) and the Société par actions simplifiée (SAS).

Here we give as an example the simplest form, the "Société à Responsabilité Limitée".

The SARL is a private limited liability corporation and thus the liability of its shareholders is generally limited to the amount of their shareholding.

To ensure the efficient working of the company, it is usually preferable to have at least two shareholders who may be either an individual or a body corporate.

The SARL does not have a board of directors but is instead run by a Gérant or CEO who is appointed by the shareholders and who need not necessarily be a shareholder himself.

Within certain limitations, you may choose whatever name you wish for your company : if the name you prefer is not acceptable to the French Registrar of Companies ("Greffe"), we will offer you other suggestions. 

The formalities of company formation in France are considerably more complicated than in many common law jurisdictions such as the USA or the UK and it may well take some 8 weeks for all steps to be completed.

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