French Business
Retention
Depending on the document/email type, retention periods in France range from one to 30 years. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, so you must not keep personal identifiable information longer than is absolutely necessary.
Depending on the document/email type, retention periods in France range from one to 30 years. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, so you must not keep personal identifiable information longer than is absolutely necessary.
| Retention Period | Document Type/Related Emails |
|---|---|
| 30 years | Agreements to buy or sell real estate |
| 10 years | Accounting ledgers and supporting documents including order forms, delivery forms, invoices (client and supplier). Keep these for 10 years from the closing of the fiscal year |
| 6 years | Accounting records relevant to tax assessment |
| 5 years | Business agreements, e.g. for a merger • Bank documents • Documents relating to intellectual property including patents and brands (Keep for five years after they are no longer protected) • Attorney file • Articles of incorporation • Register of securities, transfer certificate, register of the minutes of the general meeting and board of directors • Employee-related document including: pay slips; employment contracts and related amendments; pension plan documents; dismissal letters; working accident records; final payment documents |
| 3 years | Customs statements Attendance sheet and proxies: manager’s or board of director’s report, and auditor’s report. Keep for last three fiscal years Employees: Documents relating to social contributions payment or declaration • timesheets for employees under working time arrangement in days per year |
| 2 years | Insurance policies. Keep for 2 years after termination of agreement |
| 1 year | Timesheets for employees under working time arrangement in hours. Best practice is to keep them for a three-year period. |
Sources: armaedfoundation.org cabinet-roche.com fedee.com skslegal.pl