Section 4: Reporting and information requirements

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L561-15L561-15-1L561-16L561-17L561-18L561-19L561-20L561-21L561-22

Article L561-15

French Monetary and Financial CodeIn force
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Updated 7 Nov 2023

I. - The persons mentioned in Article L. 561-2 shall be required, under the conditions laid down in this chapter, to report to the department mentioned in Article L. 561-23 the sums entered in their books or transactions involving sums which they know, suspect or have good reason to suspect originate from an offence punishable by a custodial sentence of more than one year or are linked to the financing of terrorism.

II. - By way of derogation from I, the persons mentioned in Article L. 561-2 shall declare to the department mentioned in Article L. 561-23 sums or transactions which they know, suspect or have good reason to suspect to be the proceeds of tax fraud when at least one criterion defined by decree is met.

III. - On completion of the enhanced examination prescribed in Article L. 561-10-2, the persons mentioned in Article L. 561-2 shall, where applicable, make the declaration provided for in I of this Article.

IV. - The department referred to in Article L. 561-23 shall be informed without delay of any information likely to invalidate, confirm or amend the information contained in the declaration.

V. - The attempted transactions referred to in I and II of this Article shall be reported to the department referred to in Article L. 561-23.

VI. - The report referred to in this Article shall be made in writing. However, except in the case of the persons referred to in Article L. 561-17, it may be collected verbally by the department referred to in Article L. 561-23, under conditions enabling the latter to ensure that it is admissible.

This department shall acknowledge receipt of the declaration, unless the person referred to in Article L. 561-2 has expressly indicated that it does not wish to do so.

VII. - A decree of the Conseil d'Etat shall specify the conditions for application of this article, and in particular the content and procedures for transmission of the declaration and the conditions under which the department shall acknowledge receipt of the declaration and ensure that it is admissible.

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

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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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