Register a company in France, the continent's second market.

Yes. The INPI portal is fully online: statutes sign electronically, the capital deposits remotely, and the Kbis arrives without a notary (none is required for an SAS). Fintechs like Qonto onboard founders by video; traditional banks sometimes want a meeting, and we route you accordingly.

Turnkey registration starts from €2,400 including the capital-deposit certificate, INPI fees, the legal notice and the first-year address. With an account arranged, packages start from €4,400. Renewals with accounting run from €2,500 a year.

25% on profits, 15% on the first €42,500 if you qualify as an SME, and the 30% flat PFU when dividends reach you personally (0% to qualifying EU parents). VAT is 20%. The CIR can hand back 30% of research spend. We model the full picture, payroll included, before you commit.

The Crédit d'Impôt Recherche refunds 30% of qualifying R&D: researcher salaries (counted with a 43% overhead uplift), subcontracting, IP costs. Profitable companies offset tax; young companies receive cash. It is the single reason engineering teams in Paris cost less than their invoices suggest, and we document eligibility from incorporation so the credit survives an audit.

The SAS is the modern default: free governance, preferred shares, easy investor entry, a président instead of a gérant, and no social-security oddities for the executive. The SARL suits family businesses wanting statutory rails. Investors expect SAS; we draft either, but nine founders in ten leave with an SAS.

In numbers: plan on roughly 40-45% on top of gross salary for mid-and-up wages, less at minimum-wage levels thanks to reductions. A €60,000 engineer costs about €85,000, before the CIR gives a third of qualifying R&D back. We model per role; France rewards businesses whose people create IP.

It is real: hiring is simple, but exits follow procedure (notice, documentation, sometimes negotiated settlements). The 2017 reforms capped dismissal awards and made separations predictable if the paperwork is right. Our answer is prevention: correct contracts, correct procedure, no surprises.

Two-speed. Qonto, Shine and their peers open accounts in days and run French business banking natively online, and most founders start there. BNP, SocGen and Crédit Agricole bring full service with slower, thorough onboarding. The capital deposit works through either; we pick the door that fits your profile.

Germany offers the bigger industrial economy at heavier combined taxes and federal admin. Spain undercuts French labour costs but funds less R&D. France's case is concentrated: one market of 68 million, the CIR, SAS flexibility and Europe's second VC pool. Consumer, tech and luxury-adjacent businesses usually pick Paris, and we say when yours shouldn't.

One to two weeks: days for statutes and the capital certificate, up to a week at INPI with the legal notice, then the Kbis and tax registrations. A fintech account can be live in days; traditional banks add a week or two. The CIR and payroll setups run in parallel so nothing waits on anything.