Many entrepreneurs and project leaders have chosen theauto-entrepreneur status for their business. It's a simple status, with fewer constraints than other statuses, enabling you to work independently on a full-time or part-time basis.
Like all companies, you are obliged to domicile your company's registered office. For obvious reasons of separation between private and professional life, many auto-entrepreneurs choose to transfer their registered office after some time in business, for greater flexibility. However, the procedure for transferring your registered office differs depending on whether you are an auto-entrepreneur or not.
How do you transfer your registered office?
The auto-entrepreneur status offers a great deal of freedom when it comes to self-employment. In most cases, auto-entrepreneurs choose to set up their registered office at their personal address.
In fact, when setting up a business, it's easier and more practical to establish the registered office at your home address. As a result, many entrepreneurs who don't need an office, can work from home or only work outside the home, choose to have their company mail delivered to their personal address.
You should be aware, however, that this easy choice is not the ideal one, since choosing to establish your registered office at your personal address means that your address is accessible to all your customers, partners or other professionals with whom you may have dealings. What's more, this can quickly limit your business if you move or need to receive customers or partners.
Permeability between professional and personal life
Transferring your registered office to a business address through a domiciliation company will enable you to maintain a low level of permeability between your professional and personal lives. In fact, you'll benefit from a prestigious address that represents a significant lever for your company's growth. You'll also benefit from a wide range of services, such as mail forwarding, office space and reception rooms.
Flexibility and brand awareness
As you can see, transferring your head office to a domiciliation company gives you flexibility and enables you to raise your profile while benefiting from services that will enable you to capitalize on the development of your project.
A quick and easy process
Declaring a change of registered office when you are an auto-entrepreneur is quick and easy, as you can change your address online by logging on to your account at the relevant Centre de Formalités des Entreprises.
Once you have logged in, go to the " Declare a change(s) to your situation or activity " section. You will then be asked to check the nature of the change you wish to declare. Choose " Change of personal address " and enter the date.
This takes you to the next page, entitled " Declaration of change of activity ", where you must describe your main activity, even if only your address has changed.
On the next page, you will be asked to enter your UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER(SIREN), which remains the same, and to complete a number of personal details, including your address. You can then either provisionally save your request (i.e. it will not be sent to your CFE) or definitively validate it.
Finally, if you don't manage your account online, you'll need to go to the relevant CFE to complete and sign your change-of-address file.
SIRET number, Centre de Formalité and Cotisations
The transfer of your registered office will involve a number of changes to your status, and you will receive a new Certificate of Registration in the Register of Companies and Establishments(SIRENE).
When you transfer your registered office, your SIRET number will change. The last 5 digits will indeed change according to your new address, since they indicate your company's domicile.
This transfer will also entail a change of CFE (Centre de Formalités des Entreprises), depending on the location of your new head office. If the address of your new head office is no longer within the jurisdiction of your CFE, your file will be transferred to another center.
Finally, you should know that this transfer will also change the amount of your Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises. Indeed, depending on the département where your head office is located, the amount of your contribution will not be the same. In Paris, the Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises is one of the lowest in France.
Lower taxes in Paris
This is all the more attractive because if you transfer your registered office to a domiciliation company in Paris, you'll pay fewer fees while benefiting from a prestigious address and the full range of services offered by these companies.
Relocating your head office: a strategic choice
Relocating your registered office must be a strategic choice. As a self-employed entrepreneur, the most practical choice is to set up your business in your own home. However, you may have to move house, or receive customers or partners, which is not permitted in most cases.
What's more, while domiciliation at home may seem easy and practical, it suffers from a number of limitations, and you are subject to the requirements of your lease if you are a tenant.
Your address is also part of your company's image, and having a prestigious, strategic address is a real lever for your company's development.
Relocating your head office is therefore a solution worth considering, bearing in mind the advantages offered by domiciliation companies, such as mail management and the provision of office and reception space.
Get the headquarters you deserve!
As a low-cost solution that lets you concentrate on what's most important: developing your business, domiciliation companies offer you flexibility and transparency.
Finally, the formalities involved in transferring your registered office are quick and easy, and can be completed online. So now you have all the keys you need to get the head office you deserve!
Written by our expert Antoine Dubois
July 31, 2017
