How much does it cost to draw up company articles of association?

An essential document, drafting company articles of association is the most important step when setting up a company.

They actually govern the rules surrounding the relationships between partners, but also with regards to third parties. It's super important not to overlook any aspect and to consider additional costs like registration fees. The entrepreneur can write them up, or a professional (like a notary, lawyer, accountant, or legal specialist) can handle it.

Also, the complexity of the company to be created and the multiplication of clauses to be provided for can greatly complicate the completion of this task. Depending on the option chosen, the cost of drafting the articles of association is therefore very variable.

This article gives you an overview of all the options available to you for writing your articles of association, as well as the budget you'll need to set aside.

Follow the guide!

Draft the articles of association yourself

There are many websites offering templates for free or for a very small fee. For some others, you need to fill in your company's details and specify the particular clauses to receive completed articles of association directly in your email inbox.

However, be careful not to forget any specific details and to fill out the online questionnaire correctly.

If you're just given a template, make sure you know all the potential changes you need to make to ensure your document is valid and suitable for setting up your project.

Approved and validated articles of association cannot be modified later without incurring new, restrictive, and costly administrative procedures.

Some online platforms offer 100% automated services that involve no human oversight. Also, the price offered varies depending on any additional clauses to be included.

For example, it's not uncommon to be surcharged if your company's formation requires the appointment of a contributions auditor.

Generally, the total cost varies depending on the quality of the questionnaire and the templates offered, ranging from free to a few dozen euros. But more importantly, the lack of human input doesn't guarantee that the final result will be suitable for the administration.

It's up to you to have sufficient knowledge to not omit anything, and not make mistakes when filling out the forms.

If not, your application will be rejected by the authorities, and you won't be able to create your business in its current state.

Hiring a professional to draft the articles of association

You can also get support from an expert in the field to offer you a "turnkey" solution. Of course, this is a more expensive solution, but it also guarantees a satisfactory result that complies with the law.

This is definitely the solution to choose if your legal knowledge is very limited.

In this case, the expert will ask you the right questions and take care of drafting the appropriate articles of association independently. As a bonus, you'll have someone to answer all your questions, and you'll get the benefits of advice.

Of course, the fees charged depend on the expert's experience and reputation, as well as the complexity of the project you want to create. Significant contributions in kind, or creating a company through capital increases, often lead to additional costs.

Some specialists only work online using dedicated platforms, which helps to keep their fees down. Meeting them several times in their office will incur more substantial fees.

If it's a company with only one partner, the budgets rarely exceed 300 to 500 euros. However, if it's a SAS, SA, or SARL, expect to pay between 400 and 1,500 euros.

Above all, don't forget to consider the cost of administrative formalities. These apply regardless of the solution you choose.

These fees cover the publication of the legal notice for the company's creation in an approved newspaper, and to send your file to the Registry of the Commercial Court and the Business Formalities Centre (CFE).

For this service, the registry charges 45.68€ including VAT, and the publication of a legal announcement varies between 90€ and over 1000€ depending on the project and the region.

If you decide to create a craft business, registration with the directory of trades costs between €100 and €200 extra.

Making the right choice to optimize the costs generated by drafting your articles of association therefore depends on your knowledge of company law to carry out this important task successfully.

Don't forget that a rejected application sometimes requires paying certain application fees again, and that amending the articles of association costs an average of €500.