GUIDE · BUSINESS DOMICILIATION IN FRANCE

The French domiciliation licence (agrément): conditions, application and deadlines

Published 5 October 2026 · Legal texts checked on Légifrance that day

In France, a company that hosts other businesses' registered offices needs a prior licence, the agrément, issued by the prefect (the State's representative) of the département where its head office is, in Paris the Prefect of Police, before it registers with the Trade and Companies Register (RCS). The prefect has two months to decide, silence means refusal, and a licence once granted lasts six years.

Who needs the licence?

Anyone who carries on the business of domiciliation, meaning hosting other companies' registered offices on their premises, must be licensed before starting and before registering with the French Trade and Companies Register (Code de commerce, article L123-11-3). The activity cannot be carried on in premises used as a main residence or for mixed residential and professional use (article L123-11-2).

When the domiciliation provider is a company, its managers and any partners or shareholders holding at least 25% of the votes, shares or voting rights must also meet the good-character conditions (article L123-11-4).

The six licence conditions

Article L123-11-3 of the Code de commerce, as in force since 27 June 2026, sets six cumulative conditions.

Suitable premises. Provide the domiciled companies with a room that ensures confidentiality and lets their management bodies meet regularly, and lets them keep, store and consult their mandatory books, registers and documents.
A right to the premises. Own them or hold a commercial lease on them.
No final conviction for a serious crime, nor any sentence of at least three months' imprisonment without suspension for one of the offences listed in the text: fraud, breach of trust, handling stolen goods, money laundering, corruption, forgery, criminal conspiracy, drug trafficking, fraudulent bankruptcy, tax fraud or undeclared work, among others.
No withdrawal of a domiciliation licence as a sanction in the last five years.
No personal bankruptcy and no prohibition or disqualification under Book VI of the Code de commerce.
AML/CFT training. Show that you have completed training in combating money laundering and terrorist financing, under arrangements left to a decree. This sixth condition comes from Law no. 2026-534 of 25 June 2026.

Preparing the application file

The application goes to the prefect of the département where the domiciliation company's head office is located, and in Paris to the Prefect of Police (article R123-166-1). Under article R123-166-2, the file contains:

a statement describing the business: name, legal form for a company, activity, head office and the address of each secondary establishment;
the civil status, home address, occupation and position of the sole trader or, for a company, of its legal representatives, managers and partners holding at least 25% of the votes, shares or voting rights, with a copy of a valid identity document for each;
proof of the two premises conditions (confidential room, ownership or commercial lease) for the head office and for each secondary establishment;
a sworn statement that the good-character conditions are met (convictions, licence withdrawal, personal bankruptcy).

This list dates from 2010 and does not yet mention proof of the AML/CFT training required since 27 June 2026. Ask your prefecture how to provide it.

Deadlines: review, validity, changes

Four deadlines shape the life of a licence. The first one often surprises people: here, the administration's silence does not mean approval.

Step	Deadline	What the text says
Review of the application	2 months	From receipt of the application. If the prefect does not answer within that time, the application is refused (R123-166-3).
Licence validity	6 years	Granted for six years when the conditions are met (R123-166-3).
Substantial change	2 months	Any substantial change to the information in the file must be declared to the prefect who issued the licence (R123-166-4).
New secondary establishment	2 months	Show that each establishment meets the premises conditions; the prefect issues a new licence where needed (R123-166-4).

Renewing the licence

The Code de commerce provides neither automatic renewal nor a separate procedure: as the six years run out, plan a new application to your prefecture.

Timing matters. The prefecture has two months and its silence means refusal, so file at least three months before expiry and keep proof of the date it was received. In a network, each establishment must still meet the premises conditions when you apply.

Suspension, withdrawal and penalties

Suspension or withdrawal. The prefect can suspend the licence for up to six months, or withdraw it, if the conditions are no longer met or a change was not declared. The decision can target a single establishment (R123-166-5).
AML/CFT proceedings. If the company faces proceedings before France's National Sanctions Commission, the prefect can suspend the licence as a precaution for up to six months, renewable by reasoned decision, after giving it the chance to respond (R123-166-5).
Operating without a licence, or after withdrawal or suspension: six months' imprisonment and a €7,500 fine (L123-11-8).
Breaching the domiciliation contract obligations set out in article R123-168: the fine for a fifth-class petty offence (R123-169-1).

Once licensed: day-to-day obligations

The licence opens the business; article R123-168 then governs each contract. Among other things, the provider must:

sign a written contract with each client, for at least three months and renewable by tacit agreement, stating the licence references;
keep a file for each domiciled company: home address and phone details (of the sole trader or legal representative), proof of the places of business, and of where the accounting records are kept if not on your premises;
inform the commercial court registry (greffe) when a contract ends or is terminated early, and when a client has not picked up or viewed their mail for three months;
give bailiffs (huissiers de justice) holding an enforceable title the information needed to reach the client;
send the tax office and the social-contribution collection bodies a quarterly list of arrivals and departures and, each year before 15 January, the list of companies domiciled on 1 January;
apply the anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing obligations of the Monetary and Financial Code (L123-11-5).

Verifying an identity or assessing a money-laundering risk remains a human decision: software can help file documents and track dates, but it does not replace that judgement.

Multi-branch networks: what changes

The licence is issued by the head office's prefect for the company and its establishments, but the law works branch by branch: each one needs its own confidential room and a right to its premises (L123-11-4), each opening must be justified to the prefect within two months (R123-166-4), and a suspension or withdrawal can target a single branch (R123-166-5).

In practice, a network tracks several dates per branch: opening, change of premises or lease, licence expiry, AML/CFT training. A shared spreadsheet works for two or three branches; beyond that, these deadlines easily slip between more urgent files.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get a domiciliation licence?

The prefect has two months from receipt of the application to review it. If there is no answer within that time, the application is refused, so follow up with the prefecture before the deadline (article R123-166-3).

How long is the licence valid?

Six years (article R123-166-3). It can be suspended or withdrawn earlier if the conditions are no longer met or a change was not declared.

Who issues the domiciliation licence in Paris?

In Paris, the Prefect of Police. Elsewhere in France, the prefect of the département where the domiciliation company's head office is located (article R123-166-1).

Do you need a licence for each branch?

The licence is issued by the head office's prefect, but each secondary establishment must meet the premises conditions. For each opening you have two months to prove it to the prefect, who issues a new licence where needed (articles L123-11-4 and R123-166-4).

What is the risk of domiciliating companies without a licence?

Six months' imprisonment and a €7,500 fine, including when the business carries on after the licence was withdrawn or suspended (article L123-11-8).

Must the licence number appear on the domiciliation contract?

Yes. The domiciliation contract states the licence references (article R123-168). It is also what your future clients can check before signing.

Sources

This guide reflects the texts in force on 5 October 2026. It informs; it does not replace advice from a legal professional or your prefecture's instructions.