In France, due to rigorous management systems of French companies, the concept of a “shell companies” does not exist. Once a company is established, it should operate legally.
There is a total of seven types of company that could be set up in France. Limited liability companies are those whose shareholders’ liability is limited to their capital contributions. They include SA, SAS, SARL, and EURL.
For general commercial purpose, companies tend to incorporate their business in France as a SARL «Société à Responsabilité Limitée» which is mostly known as a limited liability company in other countries.

You may choose any name which is not already registered as a company or business in France or alternatively, a company name that is not regulated under the relevant French intellectual property provisions.

For a SARL, there is no minimum share capital requirement. However, most companies indicate a share capital they deem sufficient to cover the company’s durable needs. 20% of the said capital must be deposited into the company’s bank account at the time of incorporation. The remaining must be paid within 5 years of incorporation. The amount chosen must be frozen on a bank account or with a French Notary during the period of the formation of the company and the amount chosen will only be available after the registration certificate has been issued.

For SARL, there may be a minimum of 2 and maximum of 100 shareholders (natural persons or companies). Foreign shareholders are acceptable, but he/she must possess a French residence card.

Under the French law, there is no requirement for a company secretary to be appointed by a French company.

In France, they call a director, “gérant” (manager or agent of the company in other countries).
For a SARL, it must be managed by one or more managing directors (gérants) either appointed by the members or designated by the Articles of Incorporation. The director must be a natural person with no criminal conviction records and above 18 years old. He or she must have a residence permit if not an EU national. A corporate body as director is not acceptable in France.

There is no legislation to regulate the process of appointing a nominee director and shareholder in France. An individual nominee director is possible, but a nominee director must NOT be a corporate body.

The residence permit can be applied from the French Embassy in the applicant’s own country. It normally takes 4 months. When the application is successful, the applicant will get the permit to reside in France.Applicants need to provide a business plan, personal CV, work experience and a business contract for their application.

Companies in France must have their own physical registered office. A written agreement or a lease document is required to be submitted to the French company registrar for incorporation purpose. It is possible for the company to use its director’s private residential address as the registered office of the company.

If every things are ready, it usually takes 2-3 weeks to complete the entire registration process. However, if the applicant is a non-French citizen, the process of applying for a residence permit may take 4 months or more.

Banks in France practise the procedure known as “Know Your Customer” (KYC), (a requirement required by the European and national authorities against money laundering) for any individual or company wishing to open a bank account.
There are various methods available to open a bank account in France. It is sometimes preferable for the parent company to open an account in its country of origin with a subsidiary of a French bank, or one that enjoys a partnership with a banking network in France.
A list of documents such as identification documents of shareholders and directors, director’s CV, business plan, register of members, company identity certificate of the parent company etc. are usually requested by French banks when examining an account opening request.