Whether or not you want to set up your own business, the question of domiciliation is a subject you'll have to deal with sooner or later.
Nor is it always easy to differentiate between the many forms of direct debit, which may appear to be fiscal, banking or administrative.
We will try to shed some light on the second concept: administrative domiciliation.
Administrative domiciliation is essential for both individuals and companies.
The latter refers to the operation used to obtain a geographical address, and above all a postal address.
According to the French Civil Code, this is the place where the individual has his or her "principal establishment", and most often corresponds to a place that a person or company "chooses" to best meet the needs of "the performance of a contract" or "a procedure", unlike residence, which is a "state of fact".
Beyond the practicality of having such an address to receive mail and be contacted as easily as possible, owning an address is mandatory for businesses and strongly recommended for individuals.
For private individuals, domiciliation appears to be a right under French law, and is therefore not compulsory. However, having an administrative address seems a "de facto" obligation for anyone wishing to be integrated into society, as it enables them to receive administrative mail, social assistance and pay their taxes, among other things.
Administrative domiciliation is also possible for private individuals, through a domiciliation company, whose use is not restricted to professionals.
This allows you to have a physical address, even if your home is in a different city or country, or if you don't own one. The "domiciliation box" goes further than a simple P.O. box, as it also offers a mail forwarding system, call tracking and a fax service.
This offer can be aimed at different profiles
People who have several residences and wish to have a stable address, expatriates whose main activity is in France, people who have neither a fixed address nor a stable address enabling them to obtain state aid, or individuals who simply wish to keep their personal address secret.
Last but not least, domiciling a company is no longer a right, but a legal obligation.
Registering your company isthe first step in setting it up. It gives you an official address and enables you to receive all your commercial and administrative documents.
This address will be used as a contact address, and corresponds to the company's head office.
What's more, no company can be "registered with the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés or the Registre des métiers" without first having an administrative address.
In the end, as for private individuals, it's a question of choosing an address that is both geographical and postal, but it goes further than that, because it's also a question of choosing where to position your head office in the most strategic way possible, so as to be able to project the best possible image to the authorities and other potential investors. Choosing a company's administrative address, and therefore its registered office, is both a practical and symbolic decision.
There are several ways to domicile your business:
- The home address (this option is subject to certain conditions if you don't own your own home)
- On business premises
- With a domiciliation company, as for private individuals (domicile your company in a business center for a prestigious address)
- In a coworking space
As each domiciliation option has its own conditions and attributes, it's important to determine the nature of your project, its objectives and its characteristics, in order to make the right choice!
Written by our expert Quentin MOYON
January 23, 2018
