Section 1: Common provisions

Articles in this section · 4

Article R1263-1

French Labour CodeIn force

Updated 5 Nov 2023

I.-The employer established outside France shall keep a record of the documents mentioned in this article at the place of work of the employee seconded to the national territory or, if this is not physically possible, at any other place accessible to his representative appointed in application of article L. 1262-2-1 and shall present them without delay at the request of the labour inspectorate of the place where the service is provided.

II.-The documents required for the purposes of verifying the information relating to seconded employees are as follows :

1° Where it is in writing, the employment contract or any equivalent document attesting in particular to the place of recruitment of the employee ;

2° Where applicable, the work permit allowing the third-country national to work as an employee;

3° Where applicable, the document attesting to a medical examination in the country of origin equivalent to that provided for in article R. 1262-13 ;

4° Where the duration of the secondment is equal to or greater than one month, pay slips for each seconded employee or any equivalent document attesting to remuneration and containing the following information:

a) Gross remuneration (1) ;

b) Period and hours of work to which the salary relates, distinguishing between hours paid at the normal rate and those with a supplement;

c) Leave and public holidays, and elements of remuneration relating thereto;

d) Conditions of membership of holiday and bad weather funds, where applicable;

e) If applicable, the title of the collective agreement applicable to the employee;

5° Where the duration of the secondment is less than one month, any document providing proof of compliance with the minimum wage;

6° Any document attesting to the actual payment of remuneration (1) ;

7° A timesheet indicating the start, end and duration of each employee's daily working hours.

III - If the company is established outside the European Union, the employer must make available to the Labour Inspectorate the document attesting to the regularity of its social situation with regard to an international social security agreement or, failing this, the certificate of provision of a social declaration issued by the French social protection body responsible for collecting the social security contributions for which it is liable and dated less than six months.

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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