Setting Up a Company

Types of Companies and Capital (Max/Min)	Number of Partners/Shareholders and Liability
Individual businessman alone No notion of capital	1 person Liability for debts on his personal property.
Limited liability company (SARL) Minimum: EUR 1	1 to 100 partners. Limited to the amount of capital contributed.
Private limited company under sole ownership (EURL) 7,500 EUR minimum	1 to 100 person Limited to the amount of capital contributed.
Public limited company (SA) EUR 225,000 minimum if the company brings in public savings, EUR 37,000 otherwise	minimum 7 shareholders Limited to the amount of capital contributed.
Simplified joint-stock company (SAS). Minimum: EUR 1	minimum : 1 natural person or legal entity Limited to the amount of capital contributed.
General partnership (SNC). no minimum	minimum 2 partners Liability is joint and indefinite.
Limited joint-stock partnership no minimum	2 partners: the active partners and the silent partners The active partner: joint and indefinite; The silent partner: limited to the amount of capital contributed.
Non-trading company no minimum	minimum 2 partners Liability for registered debts.

The Competent Organization: The Portal for the Company Formalities Centers
The register of commerce
Search a Company or a Financial Report: Société
Infogreffe
Verif.com, Financial and legal information.
Manageo.fr, Financial and legal information.

Source: Doing Business.

Business Setup Procedures: Consult Doing Business Website, to know about procedures to start a Business in France.
Trade Register, in French.
Registry of the Tribunal de Commerce de Paris, in French.

Working Conditions

Legal Weekly Duration: 35 hours
Retirement Age: 67 years of age, but as soon as the employee has paid enough into the compulsory retirement scheme, he can leave his work any time after age 62.
Working Contracts: The permanent contract (CDI) is the type of contract which is most often used.
The fixed-term contract (CDD) makes it possible to resort to temporary workers.
The Contrat Nouvelle Embauche (New Hiring Contract) is a new form of CDI where the rules for breach of contract are more flexible during the first two years in exchange for the payment of an indemnity of 10%.

Minimum Wage: The minimum gross wage is EUR 9.00.
Average Wage: The average annual wage for men is EUR 24,446 and for women EUR 19, 818.
Social contributions: Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: 42% to 45% (the employer pays the contributions to be free of his commitments regarding sickness, retirement and unemployment).
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: 22%

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners: In France negotiations take place at the national level, at the level of sectors of activity and at the company level. French labor law provides an extensive institutional role for employee representatives and for organized labor.
Unions: The CGT, general labor confederation
The CFDT, French democratic labor confederation (in French)
FO, workers' union
The CFTC, French Christian workers' confederation
The CFE-CGC, management confederation-general confederation of managers
The UNSA, national union of autonomous unions
The Solidaires trade union
Unionization Rate: Today 8% of French employees belong to a union, that is twice fewer than 25 years ago. And yet the unions remain strong and active.
Labor Regulation Bodies: The Ministry of Employment

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