Title VIII: Criminal records

Articles in this section · 28

Article 777

French Code of Criminal ProcedureIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

Bulletin no. 3 is the record of the following convictions handed down by a national court for a felony or misdemeanour, where they are not excluded from Bulletin no. 2:

1° Sentences involving deprivation of liberty of more than two years which are not suspended or which must be served in full by the effect of revocation of the suspended sentence;

2° Sentences involving deprivation of liberty of the kind referred to in 1° above and of a duration of less than or equal to two years, if the court has ordered this to be entered in bulletin no. 3;

3° Sentences involving prohibitions, disqualifications or incapacities handed down by a national court without a suspended sentence, pursuant to the articles 131-6 to 131-11 of the Criminal Code, for the duration of the prohibitions, disqualifications or incapacities;

4° Decisions imposing the socio-judicial supervision provided for by Article 131-36-1 of the Criminal Code or the prohibition from exercising a professional or voluntary activity involving habitual contact with minors, for the duration of the measure.

Bulletin No. 3 also contains foreign court sentences of more than two years' imprisonment that are not suspended.

Bulletin No. 3 may be requested by the person it concerns, it must not, under any circumstances, be issued to a third party, unless it is the central authority of a Member State of the European Union, referred to by the person concerned.

If the applicant is a foreigner who is a national of a Member State of the European Union, any request for bulletin no. 3 shall be addressed to the central authority of that State, so that it may communicate the particulars that appear on the bulletin issued to him or her.

If the applicant for bulletin no. 3 is a national of a third country or stateless person, the automated national criminal record sends a request for information extracted from the criminal record only to the central authorities of the Member States of the European Union identified via the centralised European data processing system known as "ECRIS-TCN" and which hold information on the criminal record of the person concerned. It shall include this information in the bulletin issued to the applicant.

Mariela Petrova

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Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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