France - Foreign Trader's Card - Carte de Commerçant Étranger
Anyone who wants to be a Gérant in a French company needs a Carte de Commerçant Étranger if they are not in any of the following :
- French citizens.
- Citizens of an EU country (there are some exceptions for new member state citizens).
- Those with long-term or permanent residency in France. With a visa de long séjour.
- Those from a country which is a member of the OECD.
Carte de commerçant étranger are compulsory for those who hold the positions of president or general manager of a Société Anonyme (joint-stock companies) or Société à résponsabilité limitée (limited liability companies) regardless of whether they reside in France or not.
The carte de commerçant étranger requirement also applies to non-EU commercial agents and representatives of liaison offices. If such an individual wishes to reside in France, he must apply for a long-term visa (visa de long séjour) to be issued by the French consulate nearest his residence abroad. The application must be made simultaneously with the application for the carte de commerçant étranger. The procedure takes three to six months from the date of filing with the French authorities.
It is possible to obtain temporary authorisation within two or three weeks after receipt of the application. If the applicant intends to reside in France, the application is filed with the French consulate nearest the applicant's place of residence abroad. If the applicant does not intend to reside in France, the application is filed directly with the relevant prefecture in France. A carte de commerçant étranger is valid initially for one year and may be renewed indefinitely.