High-risk merchant accounts for businesses in France

Any paid game offering a hope of gain partly due to chance is a prohibited gambling game unless licensed, and casino games cannot be licensed online. Promotional prize draws are allowed unless they are unfair under the Consumer Code. A social casino whose coins can never be cashed out or resold offers no gain, and the trial for games with tradeable digital objects, open since February 2026, excludes casino mechanics.

Internal Security Code, art. L320-1(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Hemp products are lawful when they come from listed varieties with 0.3% THC or less, and extracts and finished products must respect the same cap. The Conseil d'État annulled the ban on selling raw flowers and leaves in December 2022. No CBD food or food supplement is authorized under EU novel food rules, and since May 2026 the authorities have been withdrawing them from sale.

Conseil d'État, decision no. 444887 (December 29, 2022)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Every food supplement sold in France must be declared to the DGAL, the agriculture ministry's food directorate, through its Compl'Alim service: at the latest when it goes on sale, or beforehand for certain ingredients. Nutrition and health claims must comply with the EU claims regulation, and no supplement may be presented as preventing, treating or curing a disease.

Ministry of Agriculture: what is a food supplement(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling vaping products online is lawful, but disposable pre-filled vapes have been banned since February 26, 2025; cartridges for reusable devices are not. Nicotine refills hold at most 20 mg/ml in bottles of 10 ml at most, sale to under-18s is prohibited, and advertising is banned, including website content beyond the required product information. No distance-selling ban was in force in October 2026.

Law no. 2025-175 banning disposable vapes(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Online courses and coaching sold to consumers carry a 14-day withdrawal right. Digital content supplied at once loses it only if the buyer gave express prior consent, acknowledged the loss and received confirmation, and a service fully performed with the same consent loses it too. Since June 19, 2026, online sellers must offer a free withdrawal function on their interface.

Consumer Code, art. L221-28(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Since August 11, 2026, telephone canvassing of consumers requires their prior, specific consent, valid for one year at most, and a contract concluded after an unlawful call is void. Remote IT services sold at a distance keep the 14-day withdrawal right, and work may start within that period only at the customer's express request.

Service-Public.fr: the new rules on telephone canvassing(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling through networks of independent distributors is lawful, but the Consumer Code bans snowball and pyramid schemes that promise gains from recruiting rather than from selling goods or services. A network may not charge recruits entry or training fees that reward other members, and must buy back unsold stock at the purchase price less 10% at most, for one year.

Consumer Code, art. L121-15(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Sites showing pornography must verify users' age with a system meeting the technical standard Arcom adopted in October 2024 under the SREN law. Arcom can issue formal notices, fine non-compliant services and have them blocked or delisted. On July 29, 2026 it targeted 31 more sites, and in October 2026 it opened an investigation into a French creator platform.

Arcom: protecting minors from online pornography(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Dating sites and apps follow general consumer law: clear subscription terms, online cancellation and the 14-day withdrawal right. Matchmaking agencies offering introductions with a view to marriage or a stable relationship face stricter rules: a written contract of one year at most, never renewed tacitly, and no payment or deposit during a seven-day cooling-off period.

Consumer Code, art. L224-90 to L224-95(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Timeshare, long-term holiday product, resale and exchange contracts give the buyer 14 clear days to withdraw, extended to one year and 14 days if the withdrawal form is missing. No advance payment, guarantee, acknowledgment of debt or reserved money may be taken before that period ends, a resale service takes nothing before the sale, and timeshare may not be sold as an investment.

Consumer Code, art. L224-85(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Since July 1, 2026, goods worth €150 or less imported from outside the EU pay a temporary €3 customs duty per item category, whatever the VAT scheme, until July 1, 2028. It replaced France's €2 small-parcel tax, applied from March 1 to June 30, 2026, and a €2 EU handling fee per item category is expected from November 1, 2026.

European Commission: temporary flat fee on low-value imports(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Fixed-term service contracts that renew tacitly require a written reminder one to three months before the deadline to refuse renewal; without it, the customer may cancel free at any time after renewal. Since June 1, 2023, contracts that can be concluded online must be cancellable online through a free function, and since June 19, 2026 withdrawal must be possible online too.

Consumer Code, art. L215-1-1(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Only three online categories can be licensed by the ANJ: sports betting, horse-race betting in pool form only, and poker, each license lasting five years and open to operators established in the EU. Online casino games remain strictly prohibited, and offering an unlicensed game is a criminal offense punishable by three years in prison and a €90,000 fine.

ANJ: applying for a license(opens in a new tab)Sector page

French law bans any paid game offering a prize partly due to chance, and the ban expressly covers games of skill. A 2026 ANJ decision counts fantasy within licensed sports betting. Since February 7, 2026, fantasy sports games with tradeable digital objects and no cash winnings can run after a declaration to the ANJ, under a trial that ends in May 2027.

Internal Security Code, art. L320-1(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Only an authorized investment firm, French or passported from another EU state, may offer CFDs or forex to retail clients. Since August 1, 2019 the AMF caps retail leverage from 30:1 on major currency pairs down to 2:1 on crypto-assets and requires negative balance protection. Binary options are banned for retail clients, and electronic promotion of these contracts to them is prohibited.

AMF: national measures on binary options and CFDs(opens in a new tab)Sector page

The French PSAN regime ended with the MiCA transition: every PSAN without a MiCA license was struck off the register on July 2, 2026, when the national regime was repealed. Crypto-asset services in France now require MiCA authorization from the AMF or another EU regulator, which carries the European passport, and the AMF publishes a white list of authorized providers.

AMF: struck-off PSAN(opens in a new tab)Sector page

In France the regulated activity behind these services is credit brokerage, debt consolidation included. Brokers must be registered with ORIAS, and nobody who helps a consumer obtain a loan may take any fee, commission or file charge before the loan funds are actually paid out. A consumer credit reform takes effect on November 20, 2026 and keeps that rule.

Monetary and Financial Code, art. L519-6(opens in a new tab)Sector page

A teleconsultation company whose salaried doctors' consultations are reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie needs an approval from the health and social security ministers, a regime in force since the end of 2023. Medicines prescribed online are dispensed by a pharmacy, and prescription-only medicines can never be sold online in France.

Public Health Code, art. L4081-1(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Only the pharmacist who holds a pharmacy license may run a website selling medicines, declared beforehand to the regional health agency (ARS), with the Ordre des pharmaciens informed. Only medicines not subject to prescription may be sold online, the site shows the EU common logo, and a pharmacy based in another EU state may sell only non-prescription medicines authorized in France.

Public Health Code, art. L5125-36(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Anyone selling package holidays or linked travel arrangements to travelers must be registered with Atout France, the national tourism agency. Registration requires a financial guarantee reserved for refunding travelers' money, covering repatriation when transport is included and given by an EU or EEA guarantor, bank or insurer, plus professional liability insurance. The register is public.

Tourism Code, art. L211-18(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling, offering or providing the means to sell tickets for a sporting, cultural or commercial event or a live show on a habitual basis, without the authorization of the producer, organizer or rights holder, is an offense punishable by a €15,000 fine, rising to €30,000 for a repeat offense. Resale platforms authorized by organizers are lawful.

Criminal Code, art. 313-6-2(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Trading in weapons, ammunition or their parts requires an approval of good character and professional competence from the administration. Category A is banned save exceptions, B needs an authorization and C a declaration backed by a hunting or shooting license; for mail-order sales the buyer sends copies of ID and license, and the dealer records every sale in a special register.

Internal Security Code, art. L313-2(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Any business carrying goods by road for others must be entered on the register of road transport companies kept by the regional prefect, whatever the vehicle's weight, with a Community license above 3.5 tonnes and a domestic license below. Entry requires good repute, professional competence and financial capacity, and a broker organizing transport for clients must be on the register of transport commissionaires.

Ministry of Ecological Transition: road haulage(opens in a new tab)Sector page

French law treats distance selling of alcohol as take-away sale, so an online seller needs a take-away license declared to the town hall or prefecture, and selling between 10 pm and 8 am requires a specific training permit. Sale to minors is banned and proof of age must be demanded. Under the loi Évin, online advertising is allowed except on youth and sports sites.

Public Health Code, art. L3331-4(opens in a new tab)Sector page