Q & A

Subject: Starting a business in France.

Question: I'm sure every American will have their own view of what is important when considering a move to France. My wife and I have been discussing and in the early planning stages for a couple of years now. We were happy to come across your site in a recent search.
Our dilemma is, we have enough money to retire in America. We will need to adjust our lifestyles a bit but overall, should be able to manage. The question is, if necessary, will we be able to generate income in France? You and others report that finding gainful employment in France may take time. We were more considering starting our own business, something that we are very familiar with and have been pretty good at here in the states. It could be anything from service business to selling artwork and crafts (my wife is an accomplished artist).
How does the French government view foreigners who wish to start their own business? Any resource links that you can think of would be appreciated.
Thank you.

Answer: I have heard that starting a business in France can be a real hassle. I was at one time thinking of starting an American store here in Strasbourg but the project never got off the ground. What I did find was this government web site that has a section in English, http://www.apce.com/. The new government is trying to make things easer, for example now you only need one Euro of capital to start a company in France.
I am not sure about someone like yourself, that is someone that does not have the right to work in France, I am not sure if you will be able to start something. One would think that it would be possible, after all you will be helping the economy, but who knows?
You could always work under the table, fairs are big in France and so your wife might be able to sell some of what she creates.

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