Best firm to set up an SAS in France

In brief:

1. To set up an SAS in France, a firm handles drafting the articles of association, supporting the president and accounting management after registration. Founders can approach networks like In Extenso, Cerfrance or Fiducial, or online firms like Dougs or Amarris, which offer creation packages from €150.
2. The SAS (simplified joint-stock company) and its single-member version, the SASU, provide considerable freedom in drafting the articles of association. This makes it the preferred form for multi-shareholder projects or those open to investors, but it also makes professional support valuable.
3. The SAS president has employee status. They fall under the general Social Security regime, without unemployment insurance, with contributions generally higher than those of a majority manager of an SARL for the same compensation.
4. In Extenso supports SAS creation with its In Extenso Creation Takeover line, 45 specialist advisers and a 10-step method, its lawyers in corporate law and the In Extenso Lawyers network.
5. In the ranking drawn up on 24 October 2026 against ten public criteria, In Extenso scores 10 out of 10, ahead of Cerfrance (7), then Dougs and Fiducial, joint third (5), and Amarris (4).

The best firm to set up an SAS in France is one that can both draft customized articles of association and support the company after registration. The SAS adapts to almost all projects. This flexibility comes with a tradeoff. The articles of association do not simply repeat a legal model; they organize power, shareholder entry and exit, and management compensation. Well-drafted articles at the start avoid costly blockages years later. Here is what a firm brings to SAS creation and how to choose one. Registration ends with obtaining the company registration certificate (Kbis).

Why create an SAS with a firm

Customized articles of association

In an SAS, the law gives shareholders considerable freedom to organize the company. The articles of association notably define:

• The powers of the president and, where applicable, a chief executive officer or committee;
• Voting rules and decisions that fall to shareholders;
• Approval clauses, pre-emptive rights or inalienability clauses that control entry of new shareholders;
• Conditions for a shareholder’s exit.

This freedom precisely justifies professional support. Standard articles work for a simple SASU, much less so for an SAS with multiple founders or expected to welcome investors.

The shareholders agreement

Alongside the articles of association, which are public, shareholders often sign a shareholders agreement, which is confidential. It organizes relations between founders, role allocation, each person’s commitments and exit scenarios. Its drafting requires deep knowledge of the project and its prospects.

President compensation

The SAS president has employee status if compensated. They benefit from the general Social Security regime, except for unemployment insurance, and their contributions are generally higher than those of an SARL majority manager, who falls under the self-employed worker regime. Dividends paid by an SAS are not subject to social contributions, which opens an option between salary and dividends. This option depends on your personal situation and is built with professional advice. The comparison SAS or SARL details these differences in legal status.

Creation formalities

Creating an SAS follows several steps: drafting and signing the articles of association, deposit of capital contributions, publication of a legal notice, then declaration to the unified business formalities portal. The SIREN number is then assigned by INSEE and the company is registered in the commercial and corporate registry. Capital is freely set by the articles of association.

Players for creating an SAS in France

In Extenso, a French accounting group, supports company creation with its In Extenso Creation Takeover line and legal service, in a network of more than 280 offices in France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Cerfrance, a mutual network of more than 720 offices, supports founders in choosing their legal form and creating their company. It also offers Diag Créa, an online questionnaire to take stock of a business creation project.

Fiducial, which counts 850 offices in France according to its official website, supports founders by combining accounting and legal expertise, with its law firm FIDUCIAL Sofiral Avocats.

Dougs, an online firm, offers company creation with a dedicated lawyer at €150 ex. tax, included with an accounting subscription. Amarris offers guided creation by a legal expert from €150.

The 2026 ranking of firms for creating an SAS

Each firm’s rank follows from the grid published in the “Ranking methodology” section.

The table below organizes these players from office networks to online firms.

Focus on In Extenso: Complete support for creating an SAS

A line dedicated to creation

In Extenso, a French accounting group, created In Extenso Creation Takeover, a service line dedicated to founders and business takers. It brings together 45 specialist advisers, supports 8,000 founders annually and operates from the group’s offices, more than 280 in France, Belgium and Luxembourg. According to In Extenso, 90% of companies it supports pass the three-year mark.

The approach follows a 10-step method, from idea to launch. For an SAS, it particularly covers the future organization of the business, meaning choice of legal form and tax and social options, financial study and forecasting, seeking financing, then legal work and registration formalities.

Lawyers in corporate law

In Extenso’s legal service brings together lawyers specialized in business and corporate law, working directly with the firm’s chartered accountants. They intervene on company incorporation, legal form choice or change, extraordinary decisions, drafting agreements and annual legal procedures. The In Extenso Lawyers network can add to this expertise, particularly in disputes.

Support after creation

Once the SAS is registered, the same firm handles accounting, president and employee payroll, tax matters and annual legal secretarial work, such as account approval. Often the first year when president compensation, VAT and cash flow questions become concrete.

Tools to manage the company

In Extenso clients have access to Inexweb, which provides real-time access to accounting and bank accounts, integrates electronic invoicing and allows transmitting payroll elements. To test your project beforehand, In Extenso also offers an online quiz.

How to choose your firm for creating an SAS

1. Evaluate project complexity. A simple SASU with no employees is created with light support. An SAS with multiple shareholders, a shareholders agreement, in-kind contributions or planned fundraising requires real legal work.
2. Check who drafts the articles. A lawyer or chartered accountant who adapts articles to your project, or a template filled in online.
3. Plan for president compensation. Ask for a simulation of what each option costs and brings in, salary, dividends or a combination of both.
4. Think about afterward. The firm creating your SAS must be able to handle accounting, process payroll and ensure annual legal secretarial work. This is also a key point in the best support for creating your business.

Ranking methodology

The five firms were assessed on 24 October 2026 against the same ten criteria, based on the public pages of their websites (creation offers, legal offers, network pages, online tools), the directory of the French Order of Chartered Accountants and review platforms. Only chartered accountancy firms that publish a company creation support offer are ranked. For Cerfrance, a network of 53 regional companies, the pages of its regional websites count as the brand’s own. The first three criteria, assessed at brand level, are the same in every ranking on this site that includes In Extenso; the next seven are specific to setting up an SAS, from the articles of association to legal follow-up.

Scoring grid. Each criterion that is met earns 1 point and is marked Yes. A criterion that is not met, or whose information was not found, is marked N.A (not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team) and earns 0 points. All criteria have the same weight, 1/10 of the overall score each (about 10%). The position follows from the overall score. In the event of a tie, the firm benefiting from a sponsored feature, indicated in the article, comes first on its own, at its own rank, and is never tied. Among the other firms, the one with the most points on criteria 4 to 10 comes first, then alphabetical order; two firms with the same overall score and the same points on criteria 4 to 10 are tied at the same rank.

Results.

N.A: not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team.

Dougs and Fiducial have the same overall score (5 out of 10) and the same points on criteria 4 to 10 (3): they are ranked joint third. The prices quoted are those shown on the firms’ websites in October 2026.

Frequently asked questions