Markets
Start an online business in France
The steps the government of France sets for a new business that sells online, each linked to the official page that runs it, then the steps to open your store. Read from the official sources on October 14, 2026.
Set up your business in France
The steps in the order most new sellers take them. Each is read from the official page linked under it.
1. Choose a legal form
The Guichet unique names the entreprise individuelle, the micro-entrepreneur (auto-entrepreneur), the EURL (single-member SARL) and the SASU.
2. Register the business
Since 1 January 2023 all creation formalities are filed online at the Guichet unique des formalités des entreprises.
3. Get your tax number
Registration gives the SIREN number (and a SIRET per establishment) from the Sirene directory managed by Insee.
4. Check when you must register for VAT
The franchise en base de TVA applies up to 85 000 € for sales of goods and 37 500 € for services (tolerance limits 93 500 € and 41 250 €), thresholds applicable from 1 January 2025.
5. Follow the rules for selling online
The DGCCRF fact sheet sets out e-commerce rules between professionals and consumers, including the 14-day right of withdrawal.
Open your store in France
What Tanqory sets up for a store based in France. You change any of it in Settings.
- Tax
Your store starts with a VAT entry for France, pre-filled at 20%, with collecting off until you switch it on.
VAT in France- Card payments
Through your own Stripe account, which Stripe opens for businesses in France. Tanqory adds no transaction fee; Stripe charges its own rate.
- Shipping labels
DHL Express and Easyship, bought in your admin, with the customs declaration sent with each label for parcels that cross a border.
What stays with you
- Registering the business and choosing its legal form. Tanqory does not register a business for you.
- Registering for VAT, filing returns and paying the tax authority.
- Licences or permits your products need in France.
- Legal or tax advice. This page points to the official sources; an adviser in France can apply them to your business.
Questions about starting a business in France
Which legal form should I choose in France?
The official page in step 1 lists the forms a business in France can take. Your choice decides how you register, how you are taxed and whether your own money is kept apart from the business, so an adviser in France is worth asking before you decide.
What does Tanqory set up for a store in France?
A tax entry for France with collecting off, card payments through your own Stripe account, and DHL Express and Easyship labels you buy in your admin. You change any of it in Settings.
Does Tanqory file my VAT return?
No. Your store works out and charges VAT at checkout and keeps a record of every order. You register, file and pay the tax authority yourself, or through your accountant.
What do I have to tell buyers when I sell online in France?
The official page in step 5 lists the information and rights a buyer in France must get before and after they order. Put that information on your store before your first sale.
How current are these steps?
Each was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. Rules change; the official page is the authority, so open it before you act.
How we checked
Each step on this page was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. The store facts come from Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup.
- Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup
- formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr
- formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr
- entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr
- www.impots.gouv.fr
- www.economie.gouv.fr
Open your store in France today
Build your store while you set up your business, and switch on tax collecting when your registration is in place.