A first client ready to sign, a skill to sell, the wish to work for yourself: this is often how people decide to become an auto-entrepreneur. What remains is to do it by the rules, without missing a step.
This guide follows the steps published by service-public.gouv.fr to start a micro-enterprise: prepare the project, choose a name and an address, protect your assets, register online and get organised once you have your Siren number.
Key points:
- The micro-enterprise is a simplified tax and social regime of the sole proprietorship (“entreprise individuelle”): you work in your own name.
- Starting a micro-enterprise means registering online on the business formalities portal (“guichet des formalités des entreprises”), at the earliest one month before you start and at the latest within 15 days after.
- Registration is free, except for commercial agents, who pay €23.21 for the special register of commercial agents.
- You need an ID, proof of address and a declaration of no criminal record. You then receive a Siren number and an APE code.
What is a micro-enterprise?
According to service-public.gouv.fr, the micro-entrepreneur status, formerly called auto-entrepreneur, is a simplified tax and social regime of the sole proprietorship. Starting an auto-entreprise therefore does not create a company: the activity is carried out in your own name, as an individual. The corresponding tax regime is set out in Article 50-0 of the French General Tax Code.
This lack of legal personality has a direct consequence: a micro-enterprise cannot open its capital to investors and cannot raise funds like a company. On the other hand, it remains simple to set up, and the formalities come down mostly to one online filing.
It also lets you get started without waiting: even without a separate legal personality, the entrepreneur can take some steps before the creation, such as purchases or signing contracts, but always in their own name.
Prepare the project before registering
To start your micro-enterprise on a sound footing, service-public.gouv.fr recommends beginning with the project itself: a business model to describe how you will earn money, a market study to check profitability based on supply, demand, the environment and the sales strategy, then a business plan that sets out the financial forecasts. Several sources of funding exist:
Also check whether the activity is regulated. A restaurant owner, an estate agent or a hairdresser, for example, must meet prior conditions: a diploma, an authorisation from the town hall where they work or an approval. These documents will be requested at registration.
A business plan is not only for companies. Service-public.gouv.fr considers it essential to convince a bank or an investor, as it sets out the strategy, the financial forecasts and the business model. Finally, think about how you will make yourself known: social media, your personal network, trade fairs or networking events.
Name, business address and assets
A micro-enterprise carries the entrepreneur’s first and last name, preceded or followed by the words “entrepreneur individuel” or “EI”. A trade name can be added: it is optional, but it gives the activity an identity on a website or on social media.
A registered business address is mandatory. It is the company’s administrative address, the one that will appear on invoices, quotes and contracts. You can register the activity at home, in business premises, with a domiciliation company, in a coworking space or in a business incubator. If the address is your home, you can ask Insee not to publish it. When the activity uses part of your home, you can charge rent to your own business, with a provision agreement or a lease, for a reasonable and justified amount, usually in proportion to the area used.
Since 15 May 2022, sole proprietors benefit from an automatic separation between their business assets and their personal assets, and the main residence is protected by law. The entrepreneur can waive this protection under the conditions set by law, notably by notarial deed. To protect other property not used for the activity, such as a second home, a declaration of non-seizability made before a notary is required. The protection has limits: the tax authority and social security bodies can recover debts from both sets of assets in case of fraud or serious breaches, and a personal debt, such as a loan for the main residence, remains secured by personal assets.
Remember: your name followed by “EI”, a mandatory business address and personal assets separated automatically. These choices come before registration, because they appear in the file.
How to start a micro-enterprise in 5 steps
Once the project is ready, here is how to start a micro-enterprise in practice, in the order in which the steps follow one another.
Make sure the activity is not regulated, or that you meet its conditions: diploma, authorisation or approval. Prepare copies of these documents. Without them, the registration file cannot go through.
Settle on your name followed by “EI”, a possible trade name, then the business address and the matching proof, such as an electricity bill. If you register the activity at home, remember to ask for the address not to be published.
ID, proof of address, sworn declaration of no criminal record and statement of parentage, dated and signed, plus any documents linked to your situation.
Complete the formality on the business formalities portal, at the earliest one month before you start and at the latest 15 days after.
Once registered, you receive a certificate with your Siren number and APE code. The APE code matches your main activity. You can then invoice and organise your activity.
Registration: where, when and how much
Registering as an auto-entrepreneur is done online only, on the business formalities portal. The application can be filed at the earliest one month before the activity starts and at the latest within the 15 days that follow. The register depends on the nature of the activity, and so does the cost:
| Activity | Register | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | National business register (RNE) and trade and companies register (RCS) | No registration fee |
| Craft | National business register | No registration fee |
| Liberal profession | National business register | No registration fee |
| Commercial agent | National business register and special register of commercial agents (RSAC) | €23.21 for the RSAC |
Starting a micro-enterprise for free is therefore the rule, except for commercial agents. The official formality goes through the business formalities portal, and it is what gives you your Siren number.
As soon as you file, you receive a receipt for the business creation file marked “En attente d’immatriculation” (awaiting registration). It lets you complete the useful steps with public and private bodies, for example taking out insurance for the activity, and stays valid until registration is confirmed, for one month at most. If the file is incomplete, the portal sends a receipt listing the missing items, to be provided within 15 working days.
The documents to provide
The registration file includes a copy of your ID, proof of the business address with a clearly identifiable address, a sworn declaration of no criminal record and a statement of parentage, dated and signed. For a regulated activity, add the authorisation, diploma or qualification. If you made a notarial declaration of non-seizability, its certified copy is also required. If you signed a business project support contract, also attach a copy of it. Additional documents apply if you are married or in a civil partnership, or if your spouse works with you. If you are married under the community property regime, you attach a certificate that your spouse was informed of the consequences of business debts for joint property. If your spouse or civil partner works with you, a sworn statement gives their status, employee, partner or collaborator, together with an extract of the marriage or civil partnership certificate, or a birth certificate extract mentioning the marriage or civil partnership.
In short: a single online formality, free except for commercial agents, to complete between one month before and fifteen days after the activity starts.
After registration: the first steps
Setting up an auto-entreprise does not end with registration. The certificate of registration in the national business register contains the Siren number and the APE code of the main activity. Several steps follow, the first three recommended by service-public.gouv.fr:
Even when it is not yet mandatory, a separate account for the activity makes it easier to track incoming payments and declare turnover, since every client payment shows up there without mixing with personal spending.
Vivid to get your activity started
Vivid offers online business accounts to micro-entrepreneurs, sole proprietors and companies. For a micro-entrepreneur, an ID, a tax number and proof of activity are usually enough. The application takes about 10 minutes, and opening the business account for freelancers usually takes between 10 minutes and 1 hour.
The account is managed in the app, where the business and your personal finances stay separate. Direct debits can also be taken from a sub-account, so you can pay contributions from the reserve set aside for them. Vivid Business is an online business account offered by an electronic money institution.
Vivid in brief: an online business account for micro-entrepreneurs, usually opened in under an hour, with a French IBAN, sub-accounts and invoicing included.
A business account for your new activity
With Vivid, you apply online in about 10 minutes and get a French IBAN, sub-accounts and invoicing included. The Standard plan costs €0/month.
Frequently asked questions
How much does micro-enterprise registration cost?
Registration is free for commercial, craft and liberal activities. Only commercial agents pay €23.21 to register in the special register of commercial agents. Any further costs come from your own choices: an address in business premises or with a domiciliation company, insurance, a declaration of non-seizability with a notary.
Where do you register to start a micro-enterprise?
Online, on the business formalities portal. The micro-enterprise is entered in the national business register, and also in the trade and companies register for a commercial activity. Once the application is processed, you receive a registration certificate showing the Siren number and the APE code.
When should you apply for registration?
At the earliest one month before the activity starts, and at the latest within 15 days of the start date. Before registration, you can already prepare the project and take some steps in your own name.
Which documents do you need?
A copy of your ID, proof of the business address, a sworn declaration of no criminal record and a statement of parentage. A regulated activity also requires the authorisation, diploma or qualification. Other documents may be requested depending on your situation, for example if you are married under the community property regime.
Does a micro-enterprise need a dedicated account?
For a commercial activity, the dedicated account is mandatory from the start. For other activities, it becomes mandatory after two consecutive calendar years above €10,000 of turnover.
Can you register your micro-enterprise at home?
Yes. A business address is mandatory, and your home is one of the options, along with business premises, a domiciliation company, a coworking space or an incubator. You can ask Insee not to publish this address. If the activity uses part of the home, rent can be charged to the business, with an agreement or a lease.
Are personal assets protected?
Yes, since 15 May 2022 personal assets are automatically separated from business assets, and the main residence is protected by law. Other property can be protected by a declaration of non-seizability with a notary.
This article is provided for general information and does not constitute legal, tax or accounting advice. The steps and amounts cited are those published on service-public.gouv.fr at the time of writing. Payment services are provided by Vivid Money S.A., an electronic money institution authorised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg, whose French branch is supervised by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR).
