Working in France - self employed

The bureaucracy associated with starting a business in France is frightening and rates among the most difficult in the world. France is a red tape jungle and civil servants (fonctionnaires) can be inordinately obstructive in order to find work for themselves (for example, the number of French farms has halved in the last few years. The number of civil servants associated with farming has remained the same). For foreigners, the red tape is almost impenetrable, especially if you don’t speak French, as you will be inundated with official documents which you must fill in.

Some businesses, of course, such as running gites or bed and breakfast, are more suitable for the newcomer: and the French system offers useful tax incentives for these businesses. Bear in mind that if it is the intention to trade from home, or to use the home for income, this should be made plain in the acte de vente (sales contract) Companies cannot be bought off the shelf, and they usually take several months to form a new one.

So much for the three 'reefs' which one can expect to find anywhere. The fourth reef, working illegally, is a much less expected one. One of my employers in France employed me illegally, and caused me a great deal of grief. One is more prone to  fall into this trap as a newcomer, as one expects those who have gone before to know the rules. In fact they may be knaves or fools (and I've met and heard stories of plenty of both). There is little one can do except to get everything in writing and check with the local authorities (initially at the Mairie) that your employer is above board.

This is one of a series of pages on buying French property and living in France, as can be seen from the site map. The next page is some dealers in French property

If you intend to move to France to work, you certainly need to read more. We recommend that you read both the books by Alan Biggins and the reference books we advertise: our books