If you want to set up your own business, there are a number of administrative formalities to be completed. And as you'd expect, they're not free. So you need to factor in certain fixed costs right from the start.

Fixed costs, also known as overheads, refer to expenses incurred by a company that are in no way linked to its production or activity.

These are to be contrasted with variable costs , which are directly related to the company's production activity. 

Today we'll be focusing solely on the fixed costs of legal formalities to be carried out with the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce (Commercial Court Clerk's Office) in your département.

Rates according to legal form for a start-up 

The first step is to look at the fees for setting up a company and registering it. These fees vary according to the legal form of the company concerned.

A distinction must be made here: 

  • Sole proprietorships (EIRL, EURLSASU...) will have to pay €26.68.
  • Some companies, such as SAS, SARL will have to pay a fee of up to €41.50.
  • For other types of company, the registration fee is €74.10.
  • Lastly, registration without BODACC, which is necessary for certain companies such as SELs, GAECs and CUMAs, will entail payment of €74.10.

 This variation in the fixed fees payable to the RCS for registration also applies to the transfer of a registered office.

Rates for transfers by legal form 

As mentioned above, in addition to registering your company when you start up, you also need to register when you transfer your registered office. 

  • Sole proprietorships (EIRL, EURL, SASU...) will have to pay : 
    • For a transfer without "maintaining activity in the jurisdiction of the former registry": €138.14
    • For a transfer "with continued activity in the jurisdiction of the former registry": €164.82
    • And possibly an additional notification fee for each secondary registration: €35.57
  • Companies will have to pay higher sums: 
    • For a transfer without "maintaining activity in the jurisdiction of the former registry": €246.46
    • For a transfer "with continued activity in the jurisdiction of the former registry": €283.51
    • And possibly an additional notification fee for each secondary registration: €48.91

As a result, there are once again differences in rates, depending on the legal form of the company. 

The difference between a legal entity and a natural person

Finally, as mentioned above, there is also a distinction in rates between legal entities and individuals.

While individuals are charged just 26.68 euros to set up a new business, legal entities are billed 41.50 euros or more, depending on the legal form of the company in question.

That's almost twice as much! 

In conclusion, these are costly fees, but they are compulsory. It's important to find out which legal form is best suited to your project, so that you don't have to pay excessive fees to the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce without really needing the advantages of a particular legal form.