Receiving mail at a third party: everything you need to know

Can mail be delivered to a third party?

Receiving mail at a third party's premises is possible. Certain conditions must be met.

The essential conditions for setting up a domiciliation with a third party

It is possible to have your business mail forwarded to a third party's address, provided it corresponds to your principal residence. It is not possible to have your business mail forwarded to the address of a second home.

A professional may receive mail from an organization or third party provided that :

• in the case of a rental, the rental lease does not prohibit the domiciliation of a company;
• within a condominium, the by-laws must not prohibit the domiciliation of a company or sole proprietorship.

Obtain the third party's consent to have his or her mail domiciled with him or her

Whether you choose to domicile your mail with a friend, relative or your parents, it is essential to obtain the consent of the third party. If you choose to domicile your business with your parents, a document must contain the following information:

• the exact postal address of the domiciliation ;
• the start date of the domiciliation authorization ;
• first and last name of the third party ;
• the host's signature.

Legal provisions for third-party domiciliation

The Town Planning Code sets out clear provisions for receiving business mail at a third party's premises:

• Domiciliation at a private postal address is authorized in small towns with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants.
• You can receive business mail at a third party's premises in zones franches urbaines and in areas considered to be "zones tendues".
• Domiciliation in towns with a population of over 200,000, in the Val-de-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine and Seine-Saint-Denis departments, is authorized provided it does not adversely affect the neighborhood.

How long can I have my mail domiciled with a third party?

A legal entity may domicile its P.O. box with a third party for a maximum period of five years. After this period, the company must have its own registered office. The following legal forms are concerned: EURL, SASU, SARL, SAS, SNC, etc.

The landlord may refuse to allow your business to be domiciled with a third party, either in the lease or following official notification. You have five years to find an alternative solution. The same period of tolerance applies if the co-ownership regulations prohibit domiciliation with a third party.

What are the advantages of a third-party mailing address?

Choosing to domicile your business with a third party offers a number of advantages, which we invite you to discover.

Reduce the cost of your domiciliation

Leasing commercial premises involves significant operating costs:

• monthly rent ;
• energy bills (water, electricity, gas) ;
• telephone and Internet bills ;
• premises maintenance costs, etc.

Domiciliation with a friend or family member reduces operating costs. A family member or friend can host your business free of charge. This is an attractive solution for entrepreneurs just starting up who need to cut costs. In a second phase, you can transfer your registered office to a new address or a poste restante.

Reduce the cost of business property tax (CFE)

The cotisation foncière des entreprises (CFE) is a local property tax levied by each municipality. It takes into account the surface area of the premises dedicated to the company's activity. It is payable by December 16 of each year. CFE is calculated on the basis of sales for the year n-2.

So you have to ask yourself if a micro-entrepreneur without premises has to pay a CFE? The answer is yes. Micro-entrepreneurs are liable for CFE tax, whether they have their registered office in their own home or in the home of a third party. You must indicate the surface area occupied by your business. The minimum surface area is 1 m².

The following self-employed activities are exempt from CFE:

• Artisan ;
• Artist-author ;
• Farmer ;
• Fisherman;
• Owner renting a furnished part of his home ;
• Sports ;
• Self-employed home salesman.

Micro-entrepreneurs with sales of less than €5,000 excluding VAT are exempt from CFE.

What are the disadvantages of domiciliation with a third party?

Domiciliation with a third party presents disadvantages for entrepreneurs and their hosts.

Invasion of privacy

A company is obliged to indicate theaddress of its registered office on its official documents:

• Social documents: employment contracts, pay slips, collective bargaining agreements.

• Commercial documents: quotations, invoices, purchase and delivery orders, etc.

• Tax and accounting documents: balance sheets, general meeting minutes, company articles of association, etc.

Websites specializing in legal information about companies are likely to communicate the address of your company's head office to users. Your customers and service providers can find out the location of your hosts' addresses, and disrupt their privacy.

Risks related to the confidentiality of your mail

If you choose to have your mail domiciled with a third party, there are risks concerning the confidentiality of your mail. People close to you have access to your business mail and the confidential information it may contain. You could be exposing your business to major threats, simply through negligence.

Third-party domiciliation: a solution for the digital nomad

The digital nomad is an entrepreneur who combines a professional activity with travel. They work mainly in the digital sector. Domiciliation with a third party is an interesting solution for this type of entrepreneur.

What is a digital nomad?

Digital nomads work remotely. All they need is a laptop and Internet access to carry out their daily tasks.

The digital nomad adapts to the ever-changing world of work. They determine their own work-life balance. It's an ideal form of work for the self-employed.

The digital nomad: a trend in individual entrepreneurship

Digital nomadism is attracting more and more young auto-entrepreneurs. Self-employment offers greater flexibility than salaried employment. Thanks to the development of Internet solutions covering the whole world, a digital nomad can work in most parts of the world.

Imagine traveling across Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific while working on your computer in a camper van or aboard the Canadian Pacific Railway, a legendary train that departs from New York in the USA and crosses North America to Vancouver.

If you have navigation skills, you can buy or rent a boat to cruise the Polynesian islands while working from a PC.

What kind of jobs do you do as a digital nomad?

Not all professions are compatible with digital nomadism. The following professions are particularly well suited to this form of entrepreneurship:

• SEO web copywriter : responsible for producing editorial content for websites that meets search engine requirements.
• Community manager: manages an online community on behalf of one or more customers. He or she is the guarantor of the brand's image on social networks.
• Web graphic designer: responsible for the communication and visual identity of clients' businesses.
• Web developer: creates websites, designs user interfaces, develops mobile applications, etc.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital nomadism?

Being a digital nomad has its advantages and disadvantages.

Digital nomad: why choose to live with a third party?

A digital nomad is an entrepreneur without a stable address. He could use a P.O. box service at a post office to receive his mail. However, a trusted third party would have to pick up his mail several times a month.

Requesting a direct debit from someone you trust means you can receive your mail in complete security. This person can e-mail you the documents received, so that you can consult them on the other side of the world.

The digital nomad can use the services of a domiciliation company offering mailbox rental for independent entrepreneurs traveling the world. The SeDomicilier team will digitally forward all incoming mail to you.

Company domiciliation: what is it?

Domiciliating your company or sole proprietorship is a legal obligation. But what does it really mean? SeDomicilier tells you all about it.

Registering your head office: an essential step when setting up your company

When you set up your company or sole proprietorship, you must declare an address for your registered office. This is necessary to obtain your Siret/Siren number, and to carry out other formalities such as registering your share capital, publishing your incorporation announcement in a legal gazette, etc.

What is the purpose of a registered office address?

The registered office address is used to determine the location of a company. The authorities are able to specify which tax authorities and courts are competent to deal with the company or self-employed business.

On which documents must the address of a company's registered office appear?

The address of the registered office must appear on the official documents of a company or micro-business:

Your company website must include the address of your registered office. This address must also appear in your General Terms and Conditions of Sale (GTCS), which can be freely consulted by your customers.

Websites specializing in legal information on companies inform the public about the address of the registered office of each company or micro-business. Each entrepreneur may choose not to communicate this address publicly. However, it must appear on the aforementioned documents.

How do I change my registered office address?

A company must inform its service providers and customers of any change to its registered office address. Before doing so, it is important to take official administrative steps:

• Call an Extraordinary General Meeting to vote on a change of registered office address.
• Amend the company's bylaws.
• Start the process on the Centre des formalités des entreprises website.
• Write and publish an advertisement in an official newspaper.

The process is simpler for sole traders. They can submit their request on the website of the Centre des formalités des entreprises (CFE), which centralizes all requests. URSSAF automatically registers the change of address.

The domiciliation company: the alternative for receiving mail

A domiciliation company represents an interesting alternative for domiciling your entrepreneurial activity or your company.

What is a domiciliation company?

A domiciliation company offers solutions to entrepreneurs and self-entrepreneurs for domiciling their company headquarters. It has prefectoral approval to carry out its missions. SeDomicilier offers business centers throughout France:

• in the most prestigious districts of Paris;
• in major provincial cities (Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Nice, Cannes, Lyon, etc.);
• on Reunion Island.

You can register directly on the SeDomicilier website. Our team is at your disposal to offer you services adapted to your daily life.

What are the advantages of a domiciliation company?

The advantages of a domiciliation company are many and varied. Entrepreneurs choose tailor-made services:

• Mail management: reception, scanning and forwarding.
• Physical and telephone reception.
• Support in setting up your business.
• Legal advice and assistance with administrative procedures: change of registered address, drafting of articles of association, templates for general meeting minutes, etc.

A business center offers private offices for rent, so you can work with complete peace of mind. If you're an entrepreneur who appreciates synergies, you can opt for a coworking space. This way, you can exchange ideas with other entrepreneurs and share common projects.

You have the opportunity to rent meeting rooms for discussions with your team or customers. Depending on the company you choose, you can also benefit from audiovisual equipment. Business centers offer Internet connection and access to printers.

A flexible commitment for entrepreneurs

In general, a domiciliation company requires a minimum commitment of three months. You have the option of terminating your contract at the end of this period. Flexibility is important for entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs. On the other hand, a one-year commitment may offer price advantages.

It is possible to receive mail at a trusted address. However, legal requirements must be respected, particularly in the case of rented accommodation or accommodation in a condominium. SeDomicilier offers an alternative solution for receiving and managing your company's mail.