SASU

The SASU is a French sole proprietorship limited liability simplified joint-stock company – a one-person, single owner-partner SAS. The liability of the sole shareholder is limited to their contributions.

The SASU can be adapted to all types of businesses due to its customizable operation from A to Z. Its articles of incorporation allow you to freely define your own rules: duration, capital modification, types of contributions, etc.

The articles of incorporation also provide flexibility for operation with several partners in the event of an upgrade to a SAS later on. In a SASU, you are the sole shareholder and the only one to contribute to the initial “share capital.”

Like the SAS, the SASU cannot offer financial securities to the public or admit its shares to trading on regulated stock markets. But it may offer private financial securities if these are intended exclusively for qualified investors or portfolio management companies acting for third parties.

While the SARL is France’s traditionally known limited liability company, locally, the SASU is the most popular legal form for startups and new small businesses. In 2020, SASUs represented 67% of new companies created in France.

Among its advantages is the flexibility in the company’s organization and operation, which enables the SASU to adapt to all types of businesses. Unlike the EURL (the other single-owner limited liability entity), which is very complex to change the structure, the SASU is a scalable structure that easily facilitates partnership or conversion into a SAS to take on multiple investors.

The SASU also gives more credibility vis-à-vis partners (bankers, customers, suppliers) versus the EURL. The owner-partner of the SASU can be a natural or legal entity.

Europe Incorporations will guide you through the differences between the different entities – the pros and cons, to ensure that you choose the most suitable legal entity structure for your business.