Setting up a student association under the French 1901 law
Bylaws, founding meeting, online declaration, bank account: the full path to setting up a student association in France, step by step.
A plan for a student union (BDE), a photography club or a junior-entreprise (student-run consultancy) often starts among friends, with no formal structure. As long as there is no money and no contract, that holds. As soon as you need to open a bank account, sell tickets or ask the school for a grant, you need a legal entity: the declared association, governed by the French law of 1 July 1901 on associations. Here are the steps, in the order in which they are done.
1. Bring together at least two people and a clear project
The law defines an association as an agreement between two or more people who pool their knowledge or their activity for a purpose other than sharing profits. Two founding members are therefore enough in law; in practice, a board of three (president, treasurer, secretary) makes what follows easier.
Before drafting anything, write down in one or two sentences the purpose of the association: what it does and for whom. It is the most important sentence in the bylaws. Too narrow, and it will block an activity next year; too vague, and it will tell the bank and the school nothing.
2. Draft the bylaws
The bylaws are the contract that binds the members. The law requires little; the declaration requires at least:
- the name of the association;
- its purpose;
- the address of its registered office.
Everything else is your choice, but should be included to avoid deadlocks: who can be a member, how membership is gained and lost, the amount or the principle of the membership fee, the composition and election of the board, each person's powers (who signs, who commits expenditure), how the general meeting is held, how the bylaws are amended, and dissolution.
Two pieces of advice specific to student associations:
- Plan for turnover. Terms last one year and boards change entirely. Clear rules for elections and handover prevent an association from dying for want of identified successors (see our article on the board handover).
- A registered office at the school requires its consent. Registering the association at the campus address is common, but you need the institution's written authorisation.
3. Hold the founding meeting
The founders meet to adopt the bylaws and appoint the first officers. Write up the minutes: the préfecture does not always require them, but the bank will ask for them to find out who has the power to sign.
4. Declare the association
The declaration is made online, on the public service dedicated to associations, or at the greffe des associations (the associations registry office) of the département where the registered office is located. It is free. You must provide the signed bylaws and the list of the people in charge of the administration.
The association receives a récépissé (acknowledgement of filing) and an identification number in the national register of associations, the RNA number (a letter W followed by nine digits). The declaration is then published in the Journal officiel des associations (JOAFE), a publication that is now free of charge: it is from that point that the association has legal capacity.
5. Obtain a SIREN number if necessary
The RNA number is not always enough. A SIREN number, issued by Insee, is necessary if the association applies for public grants, employs staff or carries out activities subject to VAT. Many student associations do not need one in the first year; check with your school whether it requires one before paying a grant.
6. Open a bank account and take out insurance
The bank generally asks for: the bylaws, the acknowledgement of filing of the declaration, the minutes naming the people authorised to operate the account, and their identity documents. Compare the offers: several banks have fee-free packages for student associations.
Also take out public liability insurance in the association's name. It is not compulsory for every association, but most schools require it before authorising an event, and it is what protects the volunteers in the event of an accident.
7. Get recognised by the school
A declared association is not automatically an association of the school. Most institutions have their own recognition procedure: filing the bylaws, the list of board members, an insurance certificate, sometimes a charter or an agreement to sign. It is this procedure that opens access to rooms, grants and official communication channels.
What toGaether takes care of
On toGaether, setting up an association follows this same path: the bylaws and the minutes of the founding meeting are generated from the information entered, ready to be signed and filed, and the association is attached to the school on the platform. Once the association is set up, the treasury, the members, the membership fees and the events live in the same place — and stay there from one board to the next.
For what comes next, read how to keep the treasury and how to apply to your school for a grant.
This article gives general guidance; it is no substitute for legal advice suited to your situation.
