Section 2: Contract for the sale of travel and holidays

Articles in this section · 8

Article L211-14

French Tourism CodeIn force

Updated 8 Nov 2023

I.-The traveller may cancel the contract at any time before the start of the trip or holiday. In this case, the vendor may require the traveller to pay appropriate and justifiable cancellation costs. The contract may stipulate reasonable standard cancellation costs, calculated on the basis of the date of cancellation of the contract before the start of the trip or holiday and the cost savings and income expected as a result of the travel services concerned being made available again. In the absence of a standard cancellation fee, the amount of the cancellation fee corresponds to the price minus the cost savings and income realised as a result of the travel services being made available again. At the request of the traveller, the vendor will justify the amount of the cancellation costs.

II.-The traveller has the right to cancel the contract before the start of the journey or holiday without paying cancellation costs if exceptional and unavoidable circumstances, occurring at the place of destination or in the immediate vicinity thereof, have a significant impact on the performance of the contract or on the transport of passengers to the place of destination. In this case, the passenger is entitled to a full refund of payments made, but not to additional compensation.

III.-The organiser or retailer may cancel the contract and refund the passenger in full of payments made, but is not liable for additional compensation, if :

1° The number of persons registered for the journey or holiday is less than the minimum number specified in the contract and the vendor notifies the traveller of the cancellation of the contract within the period specified in the contract, but no later than:

twenty days before the start of the trip or holiday in the case of trips lasting more than six days;

-seven days before the start of the trip or holiday in the case of trips lasting between two and six days;

-48 hours before the start of the trip or holiday in the case of trips lasting no more than two days;

or

2° The organiser or retailer is prevented from performing the contract due to exceptional and unavoidable circumstances and notifies the traveller of the cancellation of the contract as soon as possible before the start of the journey or stay.

Mariela Petrova

Need help applying this article to your situation?

A registered French Lawyer explains what applies to your business — in English, fixed fee.

within 48h

Fixed Fee

Talk to a lawyer
Common Questions

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

English · French · Russian

Ready When You Are

Talk To A Corporate
Lawyer In France.

A 20–30 minute call, in English, to scope the engagement. No obligation, no preliminary fee. You will leave the call with a clear view of what the work will cover and what it will cost.

First EngagementFixed Fee

Talk to a French lawyer.

Reply within 24 hours.

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

Continue Reading

Related corporate services in France

01 / Setup

Setting up a French company

Choose between SAS, SARL, SA or SCI — and structure your first French entity around how you actually plan to operate.

Read More
02 / Operating

French commercial contracts

Distribution, agency, supply, services and IP licences — drafted around the protections French law actually gives.

Read More
03 / Disputes

Business disputes & litigation

Shareholder conflicts, commercial breaches and pre-litigation strategy — handled by the same team that knows the file.

Read More