GUIDE · BUSINESS DOMICILIATION IN FRANCE

Starting a business domiciliation company in France: steps, licence and obligations

Published 5 October 2026 · Sources checked that day

A domiciliation company (a domiciliataire in French law) gives other businesses the address of their registered office and often receives and forwards their mail. To set one up in France you need compliant premises, the prefect's licence before registration and an anti-money-laundering set-up supervised by the DGCCRF.

What is a domiciliation provider?

A domiciliation provider is a licensed business that professionally supplies a registered office or a commercial, administrative or postal address to businesses registered with the French Trade and Companies Register (RCS) or the national business register (RNE). Its clients can set up without renting business premises.

Around the domiciliation contract, it often offers extra services: receiving and forwarding mail, administrative support, phone answering, occasional rental of offices or meeting rooms.

The steps

Order matters: the licence must come before registration (Code de commerce, article L123-11-3).

Choose a legal form. Sole trader or company: the activity is commercial. For a company, managers and partners holding 25% or more will have to meet the licence's good-character conditions.
Find compliant premises. A room that ensures confidentiality and lets domiciled businesses hold management meetings and keep their registers; own the premises or hold a commercial lease; never a main residence or mixed-use premises (articles L123-11-2 and L123-11-3).
Set up your AML/CFT system. Risk classification, a procedure to identify clients before signing, training: all of it must exist before the first contract, and training is now a condition of the licence.
Apply for the licence to the prefect of the head office's département (in Paris, the Prefect of Police). The prefect has two months to answer and silence means refusal: the file and deadlines are set out in our guide to the licence.
Register the business through the INPI one-stop shop, in charge of business formalities in France since 1 January 2023.
Draft your standard contract. In writing, for at least three months, renewable by tacit agreement, stating your licence references (article R123-168). Your client files it with their own registration (article R123-167).
Organise the follow-up. A file per client, the mail, notices to the court registry, quarterly lists to the tax office and social bodies: these routine obligations are set out in our guide to the licence.

AML/CFT obligations, supervised by the DGCCRF

Domiciliation providers have been covered by France's anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing regime since 2009 (Monetary and Financial Code, article L561-2, 15°). The brochure published by the DGCCRF and Tracfin (France's financial intelligence unit) in May 2026 sums up what is expected:

classify the risks of your business (clients, services, sales channels, geography) and match your due-diligence measures to that classification;
identify and verify each client and their beneficial owner before the business relationship starts, and record the purpose of the relationship;
report suspicions to Tracfin on the ERMES platform, before the transaction is carried out whenever possible;
train yourself and your staff, with material suited to your business;
keep identification and know-your-customer records for five years after the business relationship ends;
check that your clients are not subject to an asset freeze;
set up internal controls in proportion to your size.

The DGCCRF is the supervisory authority for domiciliation providers. Its reports go to the National Sanctions Commission, which issued 19 decisions against domiciliation companies in 2023: warnings, fines from €500 to €50,000, and suspended temporary bans of two to twelve months.

The assessment sheet in the brochure lists mail forwarding and mail scanning among the "product" risk factors. Software can file documents and log mail; deciding that a client is high-risk or that a suspicion must be reported remains your judgement.

Franchise or independent?

Joining a network or a franchise brings a brand, methods and sometimes tools. It transfers no obligation: every business that carries on the activity must hold its own licence (article L123-11-3) and answers for its own AML/CFT system to the DGCCRF.

The National Sanctions Commission has made the point: simply joining a trade association that informs members about risks does not replace training actually given to staff (decision no. 2017-30 of 23 May 2018).

Staff and premises open to the public

Employees of a domiciliation company are generally covered by the French national collective agreement for staff of service providers in the tertiary sector, dated 13 August 1999. If your premises receive the public, the rules for establishments open to the public (ERP) apply: fire safety and accessibility.

What software can do, and what it does not

Domiciliation software files each client's documents, logs the mail, prepares certificates and contracts, and answers the front desk's repetitive questions. It does not verify an identity for you, does not rate a client as high-risk and does not decide to report a suspicion: those decisions stay human.

Frequently asked questions

What APE code does a domiciliation company get?

Usually 82.11Z, combined office administrative services. Insee, France's statistics office, assigns it at registration based on the main activity declared.

Can you run a domiciliation company from home?

No. The activity cannot be carried on in a main residence or mixed-use premises (article L123-11-2), and you must own or hold a commercial lease on the premises you provide (article L123-11-3).

Do you need the licence before registering the company?

Yes. No one may carry on the domiciliation business without a prior licence, obtained before registration with the RCS (article L123-11-3). The prefect has two months to review the application; with no answer, it is refused.

Is a domiciliation company subject to AML/CFT rules?

Yes, since 2009 (Monetary and Financial Code, article L561-2, 15°). The DGCCRF supervises these obligations and the National Sanctions Commission can issue a warning, a reprimand, a fine, a temporary ban or withdrawal of the licence.

How long must you keep your clients' documents?

Five years after the business relationship ends for identification and know-your-customer records, and five years after execution for documents on transactions, according to the DGCCRF-Tracfin brochure of May 2026.

Does a franchise exempt you from the licence?

No. Every business that carries on the domiciliation activity must hold its own licence (article L123-11-3) and answers for its own AML/CFT obligations.

Sources

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