Are you Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Belgian, Romanian… and living in (or moving to) France? Good news: thanks to freedom of establishment within the European Union, you can become an auto-entrepreneur exactly like a French citizen. No special residence permit, no work authorisation, no extra paperwork.
Note: "auto-entrepreneur" (also called micro-entrepreneur) is France's simplified self-employed status.
Who is eligible?
You benefit from this simplified status if you are a citizen of:
- one of the 27 European Union countries;
- a country of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway);
- Switzerland.
In all these cases, you do not need a residence permit (titre de séjour) to start and run a self-employed activity in France.
What you need
The process is the same as for a French national. You essentially need:
- a valid ID document (national ID card or passport from your country);
- proof of a French address (it's your address in France that matters, not your nationality);
- depending on your situation, a French social security number or a pending application.
This is the main difference with a non-EU national, who must provide a residence permit authorising self-employment. For you, as an EU citizen, this step simply doesn't exist.
Your address in France
To register, your business needs a French address — its "siège social" (registered office). You have two main options:
- use your own French home address (free, the most common choice); or
- use a business address provider (société de domiciliation, around €15–40/month) if you prefer to keep your home address private or don't have a home in France yet.
Not sure how to handle your French address? We can point you in the right direction.
Ask us about your French address
The steps, one by one
The path is identical to that of a French auto-entrepreneur: you declare your activity online, then you receive your SIRET number, which makes your business official. If you're just starting out, our guide to the auto-entrepreneur status explains how it works (contributions, VAT exemption, turnover thresholds). Note: the registration itself is in French — we guide you step by step.
Regulated professions
For most activities, no particular qualification is required. However, if your profession is regulated (healthcare, law, certain building trades…), you will need to have your diploma recognised. This is an equivalence formality, separate from the registration itself. Explore what you can do in our list of activities.
What about taxes?
If you are a tax resident in France, your auto-entrepreneur income is taxed there, like for any resident. You declare your turnover to URSSAF under the usual French rules. The status is known for being simple: contributions are a fixed percentage of your turnover, with no turnover meaning no contributions to pay.
Important
This applies to EU citizens who live in or are moving to France. If you live and work in your home country, EU social-security rules require you to register as self-employed there, not in France — you can't run a French micro-entreprise from abroad simply because the regime is simpler. A genuine link with France (living or actually working here) is required.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a residence permit? No, not for EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.
Do I need to speak French? It's not a legal requirement, but it's strongly recommended for your paperwork and your clients.
Can I combine it with an employed job in France? Yes, under the same conditions as a French national.
What if I'm not an EU citizen? You'll then need a residence permit authorising self-employment — the steps are slightly different.