Yes. A foreign founder can generally fund the cash contribution to a French company from a USD or GBP account, but the operation must be organised around the euro amount stated in the draft articles of association and accepted by the depositary. The practical issue is not the founder’s nationality. It is the chain of proof: who subscribed, how much that person promised to contribute, which exchange operation produced the euro amount, which fees were charged, and whether the blocked account and certificate identify the same company in formation. A payment that leaves a foreign account in dollars or pounds is therefore not, by itself, a complete capital deposit file.

This distinction matters to a founder forming a SAS (société par actions simplifiée, or simplified joint-stock company), a SASU (single-member SAS), a SARL (société à responsabilité limitée, or limited liability company), or an EURL (single-member SARL). It also matters where a foreign parent company is funding a French subsidiary. The procedure below focuses on the narrow cross-border problem: fixing the euro capital, sending the foreign-currency payment, obtaining the certificate of deposit, and filing evidence through the Guichet unique operated for business formalities. It does not replace advice on immigration, tax residence, property acquisition, or a branch that has no separate share capital. The safest file is one in which the bank, the shareholders, the articles, and the INPI filing all tell the same story.

I. Can a foreign founder pay French company capital from a USD or GBP account?

A. What must be fixed in euros before the transfer?

For the wider sequence of French company formation, see the site’s French company-formation hub. This article concentrates on the payment and proof problem created by a non-euro funding account.

The primary texts for this first question are Article L. 111-1 of the Monetary and Financial Code, Article 1842 of the Civil Code, Article 1843-2, Article 1843-3, Article L. 210-6 of the Commercial Code, Article L. 223-7, Article L. 225-3, and Article L. 227-1. They should be read with the actual articles, subscriber list, and depositary instructions for the chosen form.

The first step is to separate the currency of the funding account from the currency of the French company’s capital. The founder may hold USD or GBP, but the share capital is a legal amount attributed to shares or parts and recorded in the articles of association in euros. Article L. 111-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code states: « La monnaie de la France est l’euro. Un euro est divisé en cent centimes. » The practical consequence is straightforward: the articles should state, for example, a capital of EUR 10,000, not “USD 10,000 converted at the bank’s discretion”. A foreign transfer is the means of payment; it does not turn the subscribed capital into a variable dollar or pound obligation.

The founder should therefore freeze four figures before giving transfer instructions: the total capital, the amount subscribed by each shareholder, the fraction to be paid at incorporation, and the balance that may be paid later under the chosen legal form. If the intended capital is EUR 10,000 and one founder subscribes for all shares, the depositary must be able to attribute the paid amount to that founder. If a US parent pays on behalf of its French subsidiary, the file should explain whether the parent is the subscriber, whether the payment is made as agent for the founder, or whether it is a separate intra-group financing. A bank statement showing an unexplained third-party payment can create a compliance question even when the money is legitimate.

The legal rights attached to the capital also follow the contribution recorded in euros. Article 1843-2 of the Civil Code provides: « Les droits de chaque associé dans le capital social sont proportionnels à ses apports lors de la constitution de la société ou au cours de l’existence de celle-ci. » That rule is why the subscriber list, the articles, the payment order, and the certificate must be reconciled. A favourable or unfavourable exchange rate may alter the number of dollars or pounds needed to produce the promised euro amount, but it should not silently alter the ownership split.

The calculation should use a defined operational point: the euro amount actually credited to the blocked account by the depositary. A foreign bank may debit GBP 8,000, an intermediary bank may deduct a fee, and the French bank may convert the balance at its own rate on the day of receipt. The result may be lower than the founder expected. The founder should ask in writing whether the receiving bank converts automatically, whether it accepts USD or GBP directly, which correspondent-bank charges can arise, and whether the transfer must arrive as EUR. The receiving bank’s written instructions are more reliable than a generic online currency calculator.

The legal form then affects the minimum amount that must be paid immediately. For a SARL or EURL, Article L. 223-7 of the Commercial Code states that « Les parts représentant des apports en numéraire doivent être libérées d’au moins un cinquième de leur montant. » In other words, at least 20% of cash contributions must normally be released at formation, with the balance callable within the statutory period. For a SAS or SASU, Article L. 227-1 applies compatible rules of the société anonyme to the simplified joint-stock company. Article L. 225-3 states that « Les actions de numéraire sont libérées, lors de la souscription, de la moitié au moins de leur valeur nominale. » The immediate target is therefore normally at least 50% for a SAS or SASU.

These percentages are not a licence to send an approximate amount. If a SAS has EUR 10,000 of subscribed cash capital, the file should identify at least EUR 5,000 to be paid at incorporation. If the transfer arrives as EUR 4,985 after charges, the shortfall should be corrected before the certificate is issued. A founder should not assume that the missing EUR 15 is an administrative detail that can be fixed after registration. The depositary’s certificate must describe what was actually paid, and the Guichet unique file must remain consistent with that certificate.

The distinction between a capital contribution and a shareholder loan is equally important. Capital gives the contributor shares or parts and participates in the company’s equity. A compte courant d’associé, meaning a shareholder current account, is normally a debt owed by the company under its own documentation; it does not automatically replace the capital contribution. If a foreign parent intends to fund EUR 100,000 but only EUR 10,000 is subscribed capital, the remaining EUR 90,000 should not be mixed into the deposit without a documented reason. A capital contribution, a loan, and an advance for expenses should have separate instructions and accounting treatment.

Article 1843-3 of the Civil Code protects that distinction by stating: « Chaque associé est débiteur envers la société de tout ce qu’il a promis de lui apporter en nature, en numéraire ou en industrie. » The word “debtor” is significant for a founder working across borders. The undertaking to contribute is not erased because the money started in a non-euro account. If the founder promises EUR 10,000 and sends an amount that converts to less, the unpaid balance remains a corporate-law issue in addition to the banking issue.

A branch must be treated separately. A French branch or succursale is an establishment of the foreign company rather than a new French legal person with its own share capital. The article’s capital-deposit workflow is for a French subsidiary or other company being incorporated, not for every French presence of a foreign business. Calling a transfer “branch capital” can create the wrong documents, the wrong account title, and the wrong filing logic. The legal form and the identity of the subscriber should be settled before any money leaves the USD or GBP account.

Finally, the founder should record the exchange assumption without presenting it as a legal valuation of the company. A simple internal schedule can show the intended euro contribution, the indicative foreign-currency amount, the assumed rate, a contingency for fees and rate movement, and the minimum euro amount that must arrive. The bank’s actual conversion confirmation then replaces the estimate in the completion file. This approach keeps the articles stable while giving the founder a practical way to avoid an underpayment.

B. Which foreign-founder documents make the deposit verifiable?

The depositary is not merely checking whether money exists. It must connect the money to a company that is still “in formation”, to identifiable subscribers, and to a lawful transaction. A French company does not acquire legal personality simply because a draft company name has been chosen or because a foreign founder has opened an online banking case. Article 1842 of the Civil Code says that companies covered by the provision « jouissent de la personnalité morale à compter de leur immatriculation ». Before registration, the file must use the language of a company in formation and must identify the people acting for it.

The core corporate pack normally includes the complete draft articles, the list of subscribers, the identity and address of the legal representative, the registered-office evidence, and the deposit application required by the chosen bank or notary. Service Public’s official company-formation guidance also lists the capital deposit among the steps to complete before filing and explains that the deposit certificate is needed for the registration file. The English version of the official guidance is available on the page entitled Incorporating and depositing the share capital of a business. Bank-specific forms may add requirements; the published government list should not be read as a promise that every institution will ask for identical documents.

For a foreign individual founder, the practical identity pack may include a passport, proof of residential address, a description of the business, the source of the contribution, and information about the person who will ultimately control the company. A certified translation, legalisation, or apostille may be requested depending on the document, the issuing country, and the institution. Those requirements should be confirmed before sending originals. A mismatch between the spelling in the passport, the articles, and the transfer order can suspend the file even where the substantive ownership is obvious.

For a foreign corporate subscriber, the pack is usually wider. It may include the parent’s certificate of incorporation or equivalent registry extract, constitutional documents, a current list of directors, a board or shareholder resolution approving the investment, the ownership chain, and documents identifying the ultimate beneficial owner. “Ultimate beneficial owner” means the natural person who ultimately owns or controls the relevant entity. The bank may also request a group chart, a tax identification number, audited accounts, or a short explanation of the commercial purpose. These are compliance and evidence requests, not a new kind of French share capital.

Explain the acronyms in the file so that a foreign decision-maker knows which document does what. INPI is the Institut national de la propriété industrielle, the French National Institute of Industrial Property. Its Guichet unique is the electronic portal used to transmit business formalities. RNE means Registre national des entreprises, the National Register of Enterprises. RCS means Registre du commerce et des sociétés, the Commercial and Companies Register. A SIREN is the nine-digit national company identifier assigned by INSEE, while a SIRET identifies an establishment. A Kbis is the official extract showing a company’s registration details in the RCS. The greffe is the registry office attached to the competent commercial court. BODACC means Bulletin officiel des annonces civiles et commerciales, the official bulletin for certain commercial notices.

Those terms should not be used interchangeably. The Kbis normally comes after registration; it is not the document that proves a pre-registration bank transfer. The certificate of deposit is issued before the company has its Kbis and supports the registration application. The SIREN is an administrative identifier, not a substitute for the certificate. The registered office is the company’s address, not proof that the founder personally lives in France. Precision in vocabulary helps the foreign bank and the French registry understand the stage reached by the project.

The wording of pre-incorporation documents also matters. Article L. 210-6 of the Commercial Code states that commercial companies acquire legal personality on registration and that people acting before that time may remain jointly and indefinitely liable unless the company takes over the commitments after registration. The statutory text refers to acts made for a company in formation and to their subsequent takeover by the registered company. That is why a bank mandate, a deposit application, or another preliminary commitment should use the proposed company name followed by “société en formation”, and should identify the individual or entity signing on its behalf.

The Supreme Court has applied this principle strictly. In Commercial Chamber decision no. 22-16.031 of 17 May 2023, the Court held, in a case concerning acts before registration, that the company could not be liable for conduct « alors qu’à la date des faits litigieux, la société AIGP n’était ni constituée ni immatriculée ». The decision is available on Légifrance, Commercial Chamber, 17 May 2023, no. 22-16.031. The case is not a ruling on exchange rates. It is a warning that the person signing before registration must not pretend that the future company already exists as a legal person.

For an SAS or another company with shares, Article R. 210-6 of the Commercial Code addresses the schedule of acts carried out for the company in formation and the conditions for their takeover. The French text states that, when the acts and their consequences are determined and the mandate is properly specified, « l’immatriculation de la société au registre du commerce et des sociétés emporte reprise de ces engagements par la société ». The source is Article R. 210-6 of the Commercial Code. For a SARL or EURL, the corresponding formation mechanism appears in Article R. 210-5, which should be checked against the exact corporate form and the documents used.

The source-of-funds explanation should be short, coherent, and supported. If the contribution comes from the founder’s own account, the founder can explain the accumulation of funds and provide statements or sale documents when requested. If it comes from a parent, the parent should explain the corporate approval and whether the payment is equity or a loan. If it comes from several shareholders, each payment should be traceable to the relevant subscriber. Avoid sending the entire amount from one unrelated wallet or payment platform merely because it is faster. That shortcut can make the legal subscriber and the payer appear to be different people.

The same care applies to the transfer reference. A useful reference can identify the proposed company, the words “share capital”, and the subscriber name, subject to the depositary’s character limit. The beneficiary should be the blocked account named in the bank’s instructions, not a personal account of the future president or an adviser. Keep the signed instruction, the bank’s acceptance email, the payment confirmation, the conversion record, and the final certificate in one chronological file. The file should allow a third party to answer five questions without guessing: whose money, for which company, for how much in euros, under which legal form, and with which registration outcome?

II. How should the transfer, certificate and INPI filing be secured?

A. How should a USD or GBP transfer and the deposit certificate be managed?

The safest workflow starts before the account is funded. Ask the selected French credit institution or notary to confirm that it will receive the contribution from the relevant country and currency. A USD payment may pass through correspondent banks; a GBP payment may be sent through a domestic or international route depending on the bank. The question is not whether the founder can initiate a transfer, but whether the depositary can identify and credit it to the blocked account in the name of the company in formation. The official Service Public page explains that the deposit is made with a credit institution or a notary and that the funds are blocked until registration. Its current guidance is a useful starting point, while the depositary remains the operational decision-maker.

Obtain the beneficiary details in a written document. They should include the exact account name, the IBAN where applicable, the BIC or SWIFT code, the required payment currency, the reference format, and any intermediary-bank instructions. Do not copy an IBAN from an old email or from a separate operating account. A company in formation may have a dedicated escrow or blocked account with a name that differs from the future trading account. If the bank changes its instructions, preserve both versions and ask which one governs the payment.

Confirm the amount in two columns: “EUR to be credited” and “foreign currency to be debited”. The second number is only an estimate unless the depositary has agreed to convert at a stated rate or has issued a locked quote. Build in a reasonable buffer for charges, but do not describe the buffer as additional share capital. If the articles state EUR 10,000 and the founder sends the equivalent of EUR 10,300, ask the bank and the accountant how the excess will be treated. It should not be left unexplained on the account or casually allocated to a shareholder current account after the event.

When the bank permits a sender to choose charges, “OUR” generally means that the sender asks its bank to bear the transfer charges, while “SHA” shares charges and “BEN” deducts them from the amount received. The labels and outcome depend on the payment route and the banks involved. They are not a substitute for written confirmation. For a capital deposit, the objective is to ensure that the euro amount received is at least the amount required by the articles and the legal form. A founder should request the payment confirmation and the receiving bank’s credit or conversion statement, not rely on the outgoing debit alone.

Use the subscriber’s name consistently. If the subscriber is “Northbridge Holdings Inc.”, do not send the money from a personal account with a reference naming only the future French president. If a director or adviser is authorised to send money as agent, document the authority and say so before the payment. This is particularly useful where a foreign group treasury centre pays for several subsidiaries. The depositary can then distinguish an authorised payment on behalf of a subscriber from a contribution by an unlisted third party.

Prepare the compliance file before the transfer reaches the French bank. A delay is easier to resolve when the bank already has the articles, subscriber list, ownership chart, source-of-funds explanation, and identification documents. A bank may temporarily hold a payment while asking for clarification under anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing procedures, known in French as LCB-FT (lutte contre le blanchiment des capitaux et le financement du terrorisme). Do not answer an LCB-FT question by changing the payer or splitting the payment into unexplained smaller transfers. Clarify the same transaction and keep the evidence linked to it.

For a SAS or SASU, the certificate has a specific corporate role. Article L. 225-13 of the Commercial Code states: « Les versements sont constatés par un certificat du dépositaire établi, au moment du dépôt des fonds, sur présentation de la liste des actionnaires mentionnant les sommes versées par chacun d’eux. » The provision is available at Article L. 225-13 of the Commercial Code. Article L. 227-1 links compatible société anonyme rules to the SAS. The certificate should therefore match the list of shareholders, the number or value of the subscribed shares, and the amount actually paid by each shareholder.

The certificate should be checked line by line when received. Confirm the company name, the “société en formation” wording if used, the registered office, the total paid-up amount, the amount credited for each subscriber, the date and place of deposit, and the identity and signature of the depositary. For a foreign-currency transfer, also check that the certificate records the euro amount rather than the original USD or GBP debit. If the certificate contains an unexplained rounding difference, ask for a corrected certificate before filing. A clean correction at this stage is usually easier than trying to persuade the registry that two inconsistent amounts describe the same contribution.

The depositary’s role is not limited to an SAS. Service Public’s official guidance says that the depositary provides a certificate essential to registration and identifies the practical documents commonly supplied: the deposit request, settlement of the deposit amount, legal-representative identification, subscriber identification, and complete draft articles. The page also explains that the funds are released after registration. For an SARL or EURL, compare the certificate format and the list of contributors with the bank’s requirements and with Article L. 223-7. Do not import an SAS shareholder-list format into an SARL file without checking what the depositary needs.

The legal source for the deposit of funds by a company in formation also matters. Article L. 225-5 of the Commercial Code provides that cash subscriptions and the subscriber list are deposited under the statutory conditions and that, subject to the applicable depositaries, « nul ne peut détenir plus de huit jours les sommes recueillies pour le compte d’une société en formation ». The text is available at Article L. 225-5 of the Commercial Code. The practical message is to use an appropriate depositary and to keep the money in the dedicated process, not in an adviser’s account or a founder’s personal account while waiting for a filing slot.

After registration, give the depositary the evidence it requests to release the funds into the company’s operating account. The Kbis is the familiar document, but the exact evidence may depend on the bank and on the registration result. The operating account should be opened in the registered company’s name, and the released funds should remain traceable to the capital deposit. Keep the outgoing transfer, exchange confirmation, certificate, registration evidence, and bank release together. This continuity helps later accounting, an audit, a bank review, a tax inquiry, or a dispute between shareholders.

A foreign founder should not use a currency movement to disguise a change in the corporate transaction. If the USD or GBP account is held by the parent, but the articles show the individual founder as sole subscriber, correct the documentation before filing. If the original payer must be reimbursed, record the agency or financing arrangement. If the depositary rejects the payment and returns it, preserve the return message and the bank’s reason. A returned payment is not automatically a failed company formation, but it is evidence that should be addressed before a second transfer is sent.

One practical schedule can prevent most errors. Day one: approve the legal form, capital, subscribers, registered office, and draft articles. Day two: obtain the depositary’s written foreign-payment instructions and compliance checklist. Day three: send the exact instructed amount with a fee buffer and a clear reference. Day four onward: obtain the received euro amount and conversion record, reconcile it with the subscriber list, and request the certificate. The dates are illustrative rather than statutory; the point is that the transfer should be controlled as a sequence, not treated as a one-click banking task.

B. What should be done if the deposit or registration is delayed or rejected?

A delay must first be classified. There are at least four different situations: the foreign bank has not released the payment; an intermediary bank is asking questions; the French depositary has received money but has not issued the certificate; or the Guichet unique or greffe has asked for a missing document. Each situation has a different remedy. Sending the same funds again before locating the first payment can create a double contribution, two compliance files, or a confusing refund.

If the French filing is incomplete, the registry process has a defined communication route. Article R. 123-97 of the Commercial Code provides that the greffe informs the applicant through the organisme unique and states that, « lorsque le dossier est incomplet, il réclame dans ce délai, par l’intermédiaire de l’organisme unique », the missing information or documents. The requested items are supplied within fifteen days of the request under the provision. The current text, including the rule on a reasoned refusal and available remedies, is available at Article R. 123-97 of the Commercial Code.

That fifteen-day period should be treated as a case-management deadline, not as an invitation to upload an incomplete explanation. Reply with a short covering letter, a numbered list matching each request, and documents whose names make their purpose obvious. If the issue is the capital certificate, provide the corrected certificate and explain the euro amount received. If the issue is the registered office, provide a document with the full address and the right holder’s authorisation. If the issue is a foreign corporate subscriber, provide the missing registry extract or ownership explanation. Preserve the submission receipt and the final version of every document.

Do not confuse the SIREN, the Kbis, and the registration decision. The SIREN is an identifier, while the Kbis is an extract and the registry decision records acceptance or refusal of the application. The Supreme Court’s Commercial Chamber decision no. 22-16.463 of 29 November 2023 held that the allocation of a SIREN by INSEE does not itself condition the company’s legal personality. The decision is available on the Cour de cassation, Commercial Chamber, 29 November 2023, no. 22-16.463. A foreign founder should therefore ask what status the filing actually has instead of relying on one number displayed in a portal.

If the depositary says that the currency transfer cannot be accepted, request the reason in writing. The issue may be a prohibited route, an unsupported currency, an unidentified sender, a missing source-of-funds document, a shortfall after fees, or an account-name mismatch. Those causes should not be treated alike. A currency-route problem may be solved by converting to euros through the sending bank. An identity problem requires a corrected payer or agency file. A shortfall requires a top-up or a corrected capital plan. A source-of-funds question requires evidence, not a new transfer from a different account.

If the bank refuses to open or maintain the professional account needed for the deposit, the right-to-an-account procedure may be relevant, but it is not an automatic answer to every capital-deposit problem. The official Service Public page on refusal to open a professional bank account explains the Banque de France designation process and the documents involved. A founder should first establish whether the refusal concerns the operating account, the blocked capital account, or the identity and compliance file. The written refusal, the date, and the institution’s stated reason should be kept before any escalation.

Pre-incorporation wording can also determine who is exposed while the application is pending. In Commercial Chamber decision no. 22-12.865 of 29 November 2023, the act described the company as « en cours d’identification au SIREN » and stated that the operation was « au nom et pour le compte de la société en formation ». The Court’s decision is available from the Cour de cassation, Commercial Chamber, 29 November 2023, no. 22-12.865. The case concerned a commercial lease, not a capital deposit, but its drafting lesson is directly useful: identify the company as being formed and identify the people who act for it.

Article L. 210-6 should be read with that case law. Before registration, the future company is not a convenient label that shields every signer. The founder, parent company, or authorised agent may remain liable for an act if the registered company does not take it over under the applicable mechanism. A bank mandate should consequently be specific: the company’s proposed name, legal form, registered office, purpose of the mandate, maximum amount, identity of the signatory, and the event that will allow the registered company to take over the commitment. Vague authority creates avoidable disputes if the capital deposit fails.

If the application is refused, read the decision rather than assuming that the capital itself is defective. Article R. 123-97 requires a reasoned refusal when the request is not regularised or is not compliant with the applicable provisions. The problem may instead be the company name, the registered office, an activity authorisation, the identity of a director, the beneficial-owner filing, a translation, or a mismatch between the articles and the certificate. Correcting the actual ground is more efficient than changing banks or creating a second company name without analysing the first decision.

For an SARL or EURL, the six-month safeguard in Article L. 223-8 should be placed on the calendar. The article states that if the company is not constituted or registered within six months of the first deposit, contributors may individually seek court authorisation to withdraw their contributions, and a representative of all contributors may in certain circumstances request the withdrawal directly from the depositary. The official text is available at Article L. 223-8 of the Commercial Code. If the contributors later decide to form the company, the provision requires a new deposit. A founder should not let the first deposit age without monitoring the registration file.

For a SAS or SASU, Article L. 225-11 contains a comparable six-month mechanism for the relevant share-subscription process. It states that, when the company is not formed or registered within six months of the first deposit, a subscriber may seek the appointment of a representative to withdraw and return the funds, subject to the statutory conditions and costs. The official text is available at Article L. 225-11 of the Commercial Code. Article L. 227-1 must be read alongside the applicable SAS rules. This is a protective route when a formation has genuinely stalled; it is not a reason to abandon a live filing before identifying the missing step.

A returned or withdrawn contribution should be reconciled with the foreign currency. The amount returned may be lower or higher in USD or GBP because the initial conversion and the return conversion occur at different rates. That currency difference is separate from the euro capital obligation and should be documented for the contributor, the company’s accounts, and any parent-company reporting. If the project is restarted, use a new deposit schedule and confirm whether the articles, subscriber list, and source-of-funds documents remain current. Do not reuse a certificate that describes an earlier deposit.

Where the dispute is with the registry, preserve the complete electronic trail: submission number, request for missing documents, upload receipts, refusal decision, certificate, bank emails, and messages from the depositary. Where the dispute is with the bank, preserve the payment instruction, SWIFT or transfer confirmation, intermediary information, conversion rate, received amount, and return reason. These records allow a lawyer to identify whether the issue is contractual, corporate, banking, procedural, or evidential. They also prevent a foreign founder from giving contradictory accounts to several institutions.

The filing should be submitted only after the capital figures are internally reconciled. The official Service Public page on company-registration formalities, verified in 2026, describes the sequence of choosing the legal form, naming and domiciling the company, depositing capital, appointing the director, signing the articles, and filing through the Guichet unique. It also warns that inaccurate or incomplete information can lead to sanctions. The founder should check the exact current portal prompts and the depositary’s instructions at the time of filing, especially when the subscriber is a foreign company.

One final review should ask whether the file would make sense to a French registry officer who has never seen the group before. Can that officer identify the company, the legal form, the registered office, each subscriber, the amount promised, the amount paid in euros, the origin of the transfer, and the reason the payer differs from the subscriber if they are different? Can the bank issue the certificate without inventing an exchange-rate figure? Can the applicant answer a missing-document request within the deadline? If the answer to any question is no, delay the filing long enough to correct the evidence rather than making the transfer trail harder to reconstruct.

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Conclusion

A USD or GBP account is not, by itself, an obstacle to funding a French company. The contribution must be defined in euros, attributed to the correct subscriber, credited to the dedicated account of the company in formation, and evidenced by a certificate that agrees with the articles and the subscriber list. The legal form determines the minimum amount to be paid at formation: normally 50% for a SAS or SASU and 20% for a SARL or EURL, subject to the applicable rules and the company’s documents.

The reliable method is to obtain written deposit instructions, prepare the identity and source-of-funds file, send the payment with sufficient protection against charges, preserve the conversion and receipt evidence, and check the certificate before filing. If a bank or registry raises a problem, classify the problem, answer the actual request, and monitor the statutory time limits. A carefully reconciled evidence trail is the best protection for a foreign founder who wants the French company to begin with a usable Kbis rather than a second transfer and an avoidable dispute.