Running a trade business in France: qualifications, the décennale and three VAT rates

France controls entry to the building trades through qualifications, polices quality through a mandatory ten-year insurance, and steers the whole renovation market through VAT and subsidy rules. The 2026 essentials:

Qualification and registration

Building trades are regulated activities: to register as an artisan with the Chambre de Métiers you must hold a relevant diploma (CAP level or higher) or prove three years of professional experience in the trade. Registration produces your SIRET and your listing in the trades register, and applies equally to micro-entrepreneurs, the simplified status many sole traders use. Employing helpers brings URSSAF social charges and the BTP collective agreements into play.

The décennale: not optional, not cheap

Ten-year structural liability insurance (assurance décennale) is mandatory for anyone whose work could affect the solidity or fitness of a structure, and it must be in force before the site opens. Working without it is a criminal offence carrying fines up to 75,000 euro and potential imprisonment, and your attestation must be provided to the client and referenced on quotes and invoices. Alongside it sit the one-year parfait achèvement and two-year bon fonctionnement guarantees. Insurers price on trade, experience and revenue, so budget realistically from year one.

VAT: three rates, real audit risk

Trade invoices carry 20% standard VAT, 10% for improvement work on dwellings more than two years old, and 5.5% for qualifying energy renovation, each supported by client attestations. Misclassification is a routine audit finding. For energy work there is a second gate: customers can only claim MaPrimeRénov and related aid if the business holds RGE certification, which effectively makes RGE a commercial requirement in the renovation market.

Quotes, payment and paperwork

The devis is a legal document with mandatory mentions (insurance details, withdrawal rights on doorstep sales, price breakdowns), and consumer rules are enforced. There is no lien system; late payment interest and recovery procedures plus staged payments in the devis are your protection, so structure deposits and progress payments deliberately.

FAQs for France trade businesses

Can I start a building trade in France without a qualification?

Generally no. Regulated building trades require a CAP-level diploma or three years of professional experience, declared when you register with the Chambre de Métiers. Registration without the qualification is refused.

How serious is the décennale requirement?

Very. Working without ten-year structural liability insurance is a criminal offence with fines up to 75,000 euro and potential imprisonment, and the attestation must be given to the client before work starts and mentioned on quotes and invoices.

Which VAT rate goes on my invoice?

20% standard, 10% for renovation of dwellings more than two years old, and 5.5% for qualifying energy renovation, each with attestation requirements. Getting the rate wrong is a common audit finding, so classify the job before invoicing.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Licensing thresholds, payment statutes, insurance and tax rules change; always confirm current requirements with the regulator, a lawyer or your accountant before relying on them.