Section 3: Duties of the Registrar and appeals

Articles in this section · 2

R521-26R521-27

Article R521-26

French Commercial codeIn force
Ask for lawyer reviewed or certified translation

Updated 5 Nov 2023

Within one clear working day of receipt of the request, the Registrar shall make the required initial, amending and cancellation entries. However, where the application is incomplete, the Registrar shall request the missing information or documents within this time limit, which shall be supplied within fifteen days of the complaint. On receipt of such information or documents, the Registrar shall proceed with the registration within the period referred to in the first paragraph.

In the absence of regularisation of the application, the Registrar shall proceed with the registration within the period referred to in the second paragraph. If the application is not regularised under the conditions indicated above or if the Registrar considers that the application does not comply with the requirements of articles R. 521-6, R. 521-7, R. 521-13, R. 521-14 and R. 521-19 to R. 521-21 or that the information declared by the applicant does not correspond to the content of the supporting documents provided, the Registrar will take a decision to refuse registration, which must be substantiated.

The decision will be notified to the applicant, who will be informed of the reasons for the decision. The decision is notified to the applicant within the time limit mentioned in the first paragraph, by delivery against receipt, or by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. It may also be sent by electronic means in accordance with the procedures laid down by order and on condition that the recipient of the notification has expressly consented to this method of communication.

Where the complexity of the file requires a special examination, the Registrar shall inform the applicant, within the time limit laid down in the first paragraph and by the same means as for notification of the decision to refuse, that the registration will be made or that the decision to refuse registration will be delivered or notified to the applicant within five clear working days of receipt of the application.

The Registrar shall inform the applicant of the decision to refuse registration and shall inform the applicant of the decision to refuse registration within five clear working days of receipt of the application.

The Registrar shall inform the applicant of the decision to refuse registration. If the registrar fails to comply with the obligations incumbent upon him pursuant to this article with regard to applications for principal registrations, amendments and cancellations, the applicant may lodge an appeal under the conditions laid down in Article R. 521-27.

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
Previous articleArticle R521-25Next articleArticle R521-27
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.

Talk To A Corporate Lawyer+33 1 84 88 31 00
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