For an executive, domiciling a company means choosing the best address for its headquarters. This is the first step in setting up a company. 

Involving many strategic and logistical factors, calling on the services of a a domiciliation company has many advantages for all entrepreneurs, which is why we're going to explore together how company domiciliation works.

 

Definition of company domiciliation

Domiciliation is a legal requirement for registration with the RCS (Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés) or the RM (Registre des Métiers) for craftsmen. This obligation applies to micro-businesses, sole proprietorships, companies and associations alike. 

In other words, it's the company's administrative address, legally and fiscally, and also its official point of contact with the authorities. It must appear on all official and commercial documents (invoices, quotes, order forms, business cards, etc.).

Head office address

Whatever the legal form of your company, having a registered address for your for its registered office is essential for setting up and registering a company. Choosing the address for your company's registered office is a crucial decision when you set up your business, in several respects.

Administrative and fiscal support for your company

As a key element of a company's identity, the registered office address is crucial for legal formalities and the life of the business. The registered office is to a company what the home address is to an individual. It is the company's reference address in dealings with the authorities responsible for its nationality, country, tax regime and jurisdiction in the event of a dispute.

What's more, the head office is the company's showcase, and is therefore of undoubted strategic interest. Commercial domiciliation allows entrepreneurs to choose this address for their head office and benefit from a prestigious address, as well as numerous services to lighten their daily routine, but we'll come back to this later.

Three choices for domiciling your head office

Depending on their project, entrepreneurs can choose between three opportunities for domiciling their head office:

Domicile your business at home

The first alternative for domiciling your company is to choose your personal address. Although this is the least expensive solution, it nevertheless means that you have to publicly disclose your home address on all official and online documents (articles of association, business cards, brochures, invoices, quotes, website, online business directories, social networks, etc.). Domiciliating your company at home therefore has significant disadvantages when it comes to protecting your privacy.

In addition, restrictions apply to municipalities with populations of over 200,000 and to the departments of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne.

Indeed, if the entrepreneur chooses his personal home as the company's registered office, it must be his principal residence, and the business must be carried on exclusively by the occupants, without receiving customers or goods.

Finally, entrepreneurs who domicile their business in their own home must ensure that domiciliation is not prohibited by the terms of their lease with the landlord. In this case, the lease clearly stipulates that personal premises may not be used for business purposes.

    Registering my company
 

Renting commercial premises for your business

The second alternative for domiciling your company is to renting professional commercial premises This involves signing a commercial lease, which has a number of disadvantages.

First of all, domiciling your business in commercial premises to set up an office or workspace requires you to pay a monthly rent. This is a substantial fixed charge, often a heavy burden for a start-up or sole trader. Additional deposits and guarantees are also required, tying up significant sums of money, to the detriment of the company's growth.

The rise of telecommuting during and after the Covid crisis now increases worker mobility and frees them from commercial premises. Today, start-ups prefer to mobilize all their resources to finance their growth rather than rent office space for their company.

Good to know business incubators are reception and support structures that offer entrepreneurs and project leaders a range of services, including commercial domiciliation.

Choosing a company address

Finally, it is possible to use the services of a domiciliation company. This alternative is the ideal choice for benefiting from a prestigious head office address, in a renowned business center or luxury district of the capital or any major city, at lower cost, and while protecting your privacy. 

Business domiciliation is not time-limited, and allows you to benefit from a wide range of additional professional services to lighten your daily workload as an entrepreneur. At SeDomicilier, these services can be configured online from your virtual office: 

  • mail management, 
  • workspace rental, 
  • offices and meeting rooms, 
  • telephone permanence, 
  • legal support and formalities, etc.

In order to comply with current legislation and to facilitate the process of setting up a business, an entrepreneur's recourse to the services of a domiciliation company is a strategic solution.

What is a domiciliation company?

A domiciliation company offers corporate domiciliation and complementary services to individuals and legal entities. Approved by the local prefecture, it provides its customers with a registered office as well as a postal, commercial and administrative address.

A domiciliation company must respect several conditions in order to be able to carry out its activity correctly and legally:

  • hold official prefectoral approval,
  • make premises available to domiciled companies according to their needs (management, general meetings, meetings, supervisory boards, etc.),
  • be registered with the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés.

Company domiciliation contract 

If a company signs up with a domiciliation company, a domiciliation contract must be drawn up: it is concluded between the domiciliation company and the domiciled company.

The minimum duration of company domiciliation contract is 3 months, with tacit renewal unless notice of termination is given. The contract must include the registration details and company name of the domiciliation agent.

The domiciliation contract obliges the domiciliary, whoever he may be, to offer premises that meet all the requirements of the domiciled company: possibility of keeping and consulting administrative and accounting documents, confidentiality of meetings, surveillance, etc.

A company can also offer its premises to another for domiciliation. If the company does not own the premises, a written agreement must be obtained from the lessor.

Who should consider domiciliation?

In France, the address of your company's head office is of particular importance, because although it's an occasional reception area, it's above all your company's calling card, appearing on all its communication media and official documents. 

It's a practical and symbolic element, very important for conveying a positive image of your company to third parties. 

We're thinking first and foremost of entrepreneurs who don't need premises to run their business. They will be able to use an address other than their home to domicile their business.

Business domiciliation can also be suggested to companies with cyclical activities that have to close down at certain times of the year. Business domiciliation will enable them to continue receiving company mail even when the business is closed. 

A similar situation arises for professionals who are often away on business , but need to manage their business by receiving their business mail. In both these cases, domiciliation provides entrepreneurs with flexibility in the management of their structure.

Finally, corporate domiciliation is for everyone , since every company must have a domiciliation address. This applies to all companies, including micro-businesses and sole proprietorships, freelancers and self-employed people, as well as associations, whatever their size or sector of activity. 

Can associations also benefit from a domiciliation company?

Every association must also have a registered office address, and mention this on the company's articles of association and all its official documents. The purpose of this requirement is to identify the prefecture where the association is registered , and the legal authorities to which it will be subject in the event of litigation or criminal liability. Domiciling an association also makes it possible to determine which prefecture is responsible for issuing authorization to organize events of any kind.

The association can choose to domicile its head office:

  • At a member's home, under certain conditions,
  • in a collective building,
  • in rented commercial premises,
  • using the services of a domiciliation company,
  • in coworking spaces.

That said, the status of association gives greater freedom when it comes to domiciliation. For example, it is not obliged to indicate a precise address, street name or number, in its articles of association, but only the commune and département. This makes it easier to deal with any change of commune. The management address may be different from the registered office address, provided it is declared correctly.

    Registering my company
 

The advantages of commercial domiciliation

Using the services of a domiciliation company offers major advantages for an entrepreneur.

Economic and tax benefits

First and foremost, it's an entrepreneur's main motivation for choosing a domiciliation company. Setting up a business can be costly, and the entrepreneur doesn't necessarily have the means to rent or buy premises. 

In fact, domiciliation enables you to have premises that comply with regulations and your needs, but at competitive prices. The entrepreneur is thus freed from charges such as rent, energy bills, monthly credit payments, etc. First and foremost, business domiciliation helps reduce substantial fixed costs.

What's more, domiciling a company enables entrepreneurs to save on tax and administrative costs, depending on the location and country chosen for the head office. Depending on the location chosen, domiciliation can also reduce the Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises (CFE) tax, particularly in Paris, where it is less expensive than in other major cities.

The choice of flexibility 

Company domiciliation is the most flexible option for business creators. Indeed, a postal domiciliation does not require a conventional lease contract, or even the acquisition of real estate. 

With SeDomicilier, you can set up your business address online, in just a few clicks. All you need are two official documents and a few administrative details, and the address assignment takes just a few minutes, depending on your choices. In just 5 minutes, your company is optimally domiciled !

You'll save a lot of time, not to mention money, and be able to optimize the time you devote to running your business. This great flexibility allows you to capitalize on the development and growth of your business.

This high degree of flexibility is further enhanced by the absence of a commitment period in your domiciliation contract. This means you can cancel your contract at any time (in the case of domiciliation without commitment), which is useful if your company is expanding rapidly.

A prestigious and strategic address

A domiciliation company offers its customers prestigious addresses located in business or emblematic districts. This privileged location has a positive impact on the image of the companies domiciled there, an added value not to be overlooked when acquiring new prospects or customers. 

By choosing a prestigious address such as the Champs-Élysées in Paris, companies project an upscale image and inspire confidence. 

Last but not least, by separating the head office from your actual place of business, domiciliation gives you a headquarters address in an area where real estate prices are usually unaffordable for renting a professional office.

Protecting your privacy

Another advantage of having a company domiciled with a domiciliation company is thatno mention is made anywhere of the entrepreneur's personal address. This separation of private and professional life helps to protect the company's directors and reinforce the reputation of their business. 

What's more, your business can run smoothly, without you or your employees being disturbed at their place of work, since visitors, calls and mail are directed and centralized at the head office address. So you can concentrate on your work and optimize your company's performance.

Tailor-made services

Domiciliary companies offer a wide range of services. Choose them à la carte, according to your company's real needs and budget. Daily mail management (provision, forwarding, scanning), switchboard and telephone answering service, meeting room and office rental, accounting and legal assistanceSeDomicilier offers a wide range of non-binding services to suit your needs.

As for your business mail, you can have it forwarded or scanned, depending on your direct debit contract. You'll save a lot of time and paperwork!

But far more than just a mailbox, the additional services we offer can lighten your daily routine, saving you time and money, freeing you up to focus on higher value-added tasks.

How can you domicile your business with a domiciliation company?

Do you want the very best for your business, and want to use the services of a domiciliation company? Nothing could be simpler:

  • Step #1: Choose a head office address from a wide range of prestigious locations in France's best-valued cities and metropolises, such as Paris.
  • Step #2: Add additional services to suit your needs and budget
  • Step #3: Sign your contract and get your direct debit certificate in just a few clicks!

Dedicated experts are also on hand to help entrepreneurs with all their administrative and legal formalities, to support them in setting up or transferring their business, and to ensure that all formalities run smoothly.