Section 3: Operating rules

Articles in this section · 8

L621-3L621-4L621-5L621-5-1L621-5-2L621-5-3L621-5-4L621-5-5

Article L621-5-4

French Monetary and Financial CodeIn force
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Updated 7 Nov 2023

I.- The duties and contributions mentioned in article L. 621-5-3 are liquidated, authorised and recovered according to the procedures laid down for the revenues of the State's public administrative establishments. Disputes relating to these duties and contributions shall be brought before the Paris Administrative Court.

They are paid under conditions and on a date set by decree.

II - When a payment notice is required, the payment period is thirty days from the date of receipt of the payment notice. The amount is increased by the legal monthly interest rate for each month of delay, starting on the thirty-first day following the date of receipt of the payment notice, any month started being counted in full.

In all other cases, with the exception of financial investment advisors, the amount is increased by the legal monthly interest rate per month of delay from the first day following the payment deadline, any month begun being counted in full.

Where a taxpayer fails to provide the information requested in order to determine the basis of assessment of the contribution and its collection, the amount of the contribution is increased by 10%.

III - The increase may be raised to 40% if the document containing the information has not been filed within thirty days of receipt of a formal notice sent by registered post to produce it within this period, and to 80% if the document has not been filed within thirty days of receipt of a second formal notice sent in the same way as the first.

The increases provided for in the two preceding paragraphs may not be imposed before the expiry of a period of thirty days from the date of notification of the document informing the taxpayer of the increase to be applied, the reasons for the increase and the opportunity available to the interested party to submit comments within this period.

IV - The departments of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) may check the declarations. To this end, they may ask taxpayers for any information, justification or clarification relating to the declarations filed.

Mariela Petrova

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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

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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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