What setting up a company in France really costs in 2026

Quick answer. In 2026, setting up a company in France costs at least 200 to 260 € in fixed statutory fees: registry filing 37.45 € incl. tax, declaration of beneficial owners 21.41 € incl. tax, and the incorporation legal notice (199 € excl. tax for a SAS, 148 € excl. tax for a SARL). Professional support and first fees come on top of this base.

You are comparing formation offers and the same words appear everywhere: "from 0 €". Yet in France, registering with the commercial registry triggers fixed government fees that no one can erase. So the real question is not "is it free?", but "how much should I actually plan for, line by line, given my structure and situation?".

This article breaks down the full budget for setting up a French company in 2026: statutory fees by structure (SAS, SASU, SARL, EURL), support costs, and the items that are often forgotten. The goal is simple: that you reach a quote or the one-stop shop with no nasty surprises.

Three cost lines are set by regulation. They are due regardless of the platform, accountant or method chosen, because they pay the State and the registry, not a service provider.

1. Registration with the commercial registry (RCS) through the one-stop shop: 37.45 € incl. tax for a commercial company carrying out an activity (a 15 € supplement applies for a craft activity).
2. The declaration of beneficial owners (RBE) at incorporation: 21.41 € incl. tax. This is a transparency obligation, not an option.
3. The incorporation legal notice, published in an authorised outlet. Since the 2021 reform, its price is a flat fee that depends on the legal structure.

For 2026, the flat fee for legal notices comes from the order of 19 November 2025 (published in the Official Journal of 28 December 2025, in force on 1 January 2026). The amounts below are excluding tax and exclude Réunion and Mayotte, where higher rates apply.

Table 1: statutory incorporation fees by structure (mainland France, 2026)#

How to read it: the registry and the RBE are amounts including tax, while the legal notice is shown excluding tax. The "Indicative total" column adds these lines to give an order of magnitude of the legal minimum, before any support. A single-shareholder SASU is mechanically cheaper than a multi-shareholder SAS, because its flat legal notice is lower.

A "0 €" formation offer removes none of the fees above. The registry, the RBE and the legal notice are always due and always end up on your statement. The "0 €" only concerns the platform's service, that is, help filling in the file.

This genuinely free service is usually offset elsewhere: through paid options offered along the way (premium articles of association, fast-track capital deposit, legal support), through a committing accounting subscription, or through banking partnerships. The cost does not vanish; it changes line and timing.

A common case#

In formation files, one pattern recurs: a founder drawn to a "free SASU" page first pays 142 € excl. tax for the legal notice and the registry fees, then discovers at final checkout options added almost automatically (enhanced drafting of the articles, priority service). The "free" turns into several hundred euros, without any line being unlawful. The issue is not the billing, it is the gap between expectation and the real quote.

This is one of the most misunderstood points. The minimum legal share capital of a SAS, SASU, SARL or EURL is 1 €. Above all, this capital is not an expense: it is a contribution that remains the company's property and funds its first needs. The money does not leave your economic estate; it simply moves pockets.

The underestimated risk#

The trap is not the amount, it is real cash flow. Capital of 1 € is legally valid, but it leaves the company with no cushion for its first costs (insurance, first purchases, deposit, first fees). In the most stretched files, the blockage does not come from registration fees but from capital too low to start calmly. Capital is not a cost, but it must be available.

Beyond the statutory base, several items add up depending on your situation. They are inherently variable and priced on a quote basis: it would be dishonest to announce a single price.

• Support fees (accountant or lawyer) to secure the articles of association, the corporate purpose, the clauses and the right sequence of formalities. The price depends on the complexity of the setup.
• Tailored drafting of the articles of association, when the standard template is not enough (shareholders' agreement, approval clauses, specific governance).
• First accounting fees: setting up the file, configuring VAT, the first financial year. To be distinguished from the cost of formation itself.
• Opening a professional bank account and, where relevant, depositing the capital.
• Trademark filing with the INPI, optional but often relevant to protect a trade name.
• An auditor of contributions in kind, mandatory where a contribution in kind exceeds the legal thresholds (a contribution above 30,000 €, or total contributions in kind exceeding half of the capital). Their fees are variable.

To assess the recurring accounting item, beyond formation alone, you can read our analysis on how much an accountant costs in 2026, as well as the detailed budgets for the cost of an accountant for a SASU and the cost of an accountant for a SARL.

Table 2: indicative total budget by scenario (SAS or SASU, mainland France)#

How to read it: in all three cases the statutory base is identical. The difference is the service and its price. Doing it alone lowers the immediate bill but shifts the legal risk to you; support has a cost but secures structuring choices (structure, articles, opening tax position).

Both options are legitimate. The right choice depends on the complexity of your project and your tolerance for risk.

Setting up alone via the one-stop shop suits a simple project: single shareholder, clear activity, standard articles, no contribution in kind, no shareholders' agreement. You then pay only the statutory base. The downside: no review of the clauses, no opening tax decisions, and the burden of fixing a mistake afterwards.

Getting support is justified as soon as there are several shareholders, a contribution in kind, a tax issue (remuneration, dividends, holding), a regulated activity, or simply the wish to start with no blind spots. The cost of well-calibrated support compares to the cost of a later correction, almost always higher.

To dig into this comparison, read our dedicated article: setting up online or with an accountant.

Before launching any formality, ask the right questions to compare offers on an honest basis.

• Always ask for the breakdown of statutory fees separate from the service price: a serious quote distinguishes registry, RBE and legal notice.
• Check the structure chosen, because it drives the legal notice rate (a SASU does not carry the same flat fee as a SAS).
• Identify the genuinely useful options and set aside those that inflate the bill without value for your case.
• Confirm whether there is a contribution in kind: above the thresholds, an auditor of contributions becomes mandatory and changes the budget.
• Plan for available capital rather than minimum capital, so as not to start dry.

Several elements deserve particular attention this year. First, the legal notice rate was updated by the order of 19 November 2025: the flat fees above apply from 1 January 2026 in mainland France, with surcharges in Réunion and Mayotte. Next, all formalities go through the one-stop shop; do check the 15 € supplement if your activity is a craft activity. Finally, beware of comparisons based on the headline price alone: an offer may look the cheapest and cost more once options and the subscription are included.