Restaurant & Hospitality

This registration is required if you rent out a furnished property (apartment, house, or studio) to short-stay guests in France. It covers holiday cottages (gîtes), vacation rentals, and furnished tourist accommodations rented by the day, week, or month. For primary residences, rentals are limited to 120 days per calendar year, and since the November 2024 law, communes can lower this cap to as few as 90 days per year.You must file a declaration with your local town hall (mairie) before listing the property. In certain cities, especially Paris, you may also need authorization to change the dwelling's use from residential to commercial. Classification with Atout France is optional but gives access to tax advantages. You are responsible for collecting the tourist tax (taxe de séjour) and meeting safety standards.

Issued by: Town Hall

Fast food and takeaway establishments serve meals in disposable or reusable packaging for consumption on-site or to take away. This covers fast-food restaurants, pizzerias with takeaway sales, sandwich shops, chip shops, and similar outlets. Before opening, you must register your establishment with the DDPP (direction départementale de la protection des populations) and file an opening declaration with your mairie.At least one person in the establishment must hold a certificate in food hygiene (formation HACCP, 14 hours). If you serve alcoholic beverages, you also need a permis d'exploitation and the appropriate restaurant or takeaway liquor license (petite or grande licence). All fast-food operators must comply with waste sorting obligations and restrictions on single-use plastic packaging.

Issued by: Town Hall / Prefecture

HACCP training, restaurant licence, town hall declaration: there are many steps to open a restaurant in France. Here are the key steps, documents, and contacts.

Issued by: Town Hall / Prefecture

The boulanger-pâtissier registration is required for anyone who wants to open a bakery-pastry shop in France. It covers professionals who make and sell bread, pastries, and viennoiseries from scratch on their premises. If you knead, ferment, and bake on-site, this registration applies to you.You must register with the Chambre de métiers et de l'artisanat (CMA) and hold a qualifying diploma (CAP, BEP, or equivalent) or have at least three years of professional experience. Alternatively, you can operate under the permanent supervision of a qualified person. Food hygiene training is also required.

Issued by: Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA)

The glacier qualification is required for anyone who wants to open an artisanal ice cream shop in France. It applies to professionals who make ice cream, gelato, sorbets, or frozen desserts from scratch.You must hold a qualifying diploma (CAP glacier fabricant, CAP pâtissier, bac pro boulanger-pâtissier, or equivalent) or prove at least three years of professional experience in the EU/EEA. Registration is done through the Chambre de métiers et de l'artisanat (CMA). EU citizens can also practice under freedom of establishment rules.

Issued by: Chamber of Trades and Crafts

A pâtissier (pastry chef) is a qualified professional who prepares and sells fresh cakes and desserts. This regulated artisanal activity requires either a professional diploma (CAP, BEP or equivalent) or three years of professional experience in the trade.Practicing this profession requires registration in the Registre national des entreprises (RNE) and compliance with strict sanitary standards defined by European and French regulations. Pastry chefs who sell products of animal origin must file a sanitary declaration with the DDPP (Direction départementale de la protection des populations), the departmental food safety authority.

Issued by: Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA)

A tea room (salon de thé) is an establishment open to the public whose activity consists of offering non-alcoholic beverages and potentially food products for on-site consumption. The operator must be registered with the Registre national des entreprises (RNE) managed by INPI or the commercial register (registre du commerce et des sociétés).This activity is subject to strict sanitary standards, food hygiene obligations, and compliance with rules applicable to establishments receiving the public (ERP). No specific diploma is required to open a tea room.

Issued by: Chamber of Crafts (CMA) / Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI)