Becoming a farmer in France
For farmers from abroad, setting up in France presents a real challenge, particularly in terms of administrative procedures, adapting to the local market and the language barrier. This is where API, a subsidiary of Quatuor Transactions, comes in. Our trilingual team (English – French – Dutch) offers tailor-made support to help you fully understand all the steps involved in setting up your business. Putting your trust in us means securing your installation process.
There are many reasons why farmers from other countries choose to set up in France. Whether it’s to take advantage of new opportunities in a dynamic agricultural environment, diversify their practices, forge links with other farmers or take up a challenge in a new country, every motivation is valuable and deserves to be supported.
With this in mind, our mission is clear: to help you realise your agricultural project. With personalised services tailored to your needs, we are committed to providing you with ongoing support at every stage, guaranteeing security and peace of mind throughout the process of setting up your own business.
Thanks to our 20 years’ experience in the agricultural sector in the Great West of France, we have acquired an in-depth understanding of the challenges of local agricultural markets, the specific practices of different types of production and the opportunities available to you.
Our personalised approach enables us to assess your needs and provide you with tailored advice, whether on market opportunities, the possibilities for developing your production or administrative procedures. We do everything we can to help you achieve your ambitions.
It’s crucial to ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the key stages of a property transaction in France. This starts with the careful preparation of an offer to purchase, which must reflect your intentions and conditions clearly and precisely. Then it’s essential to understand the implications of the various legal documents, such as the escrow agreement, which formalises the agreement between buyer and seller, the inventory of the property included in the sale, and finally the deed of final sale, which officially transfers ownership.
Our team is dedicated to guiding you through this complex process. We help you navigate each stage, providing detailed explanations and answering all your questions. Whether it’s understanding the legal terms, preparing the necessary documents, or managing exchanges with the various stakeholders, we’re here to support you. Our aim is to make your plans to set up farming in France as smooth and transparent as possible.
From the meeting with the accountancy agency to the written financing agreement, we are committed to working with you to meet your banking partners to ensure that your application is properly considered.
Starting with what you already have, we work together to plan your production project. We start by helping you carry out an economic study. This stage is crucial for assessing the viability of your project and identifying potential opportunities and challenges. A well-conducted economic study lays a solid foundation for the rest of the process.
Next, we help you to understand and assimilate the business plan. This strategic document is essential for convincing your bank advisers of the soundness and potential of your project. We guide you step by step so that you can present your project with confidence and clarity, highlighting the key elements that will make the difference. We help you structure your business plan so that it is both convincing and realistic, incorporating detailed financial projections and relevant market analyses.
Finally, we bring you our experience in discussing guarantees and the breakdown of your contribution. These aspects are often decisive in obtaining favourable financing. We help you to structure your application in the best possible way, ensuring that all the conditions are in place to maximise your chances of success. We can advise you on the best strategies for presenting your guarantees and optimising the distribution of your contribution, so as to strengthen the confidence of financial institutions in your project.
When you set up your business in France, you need to comply with a number of French regulations (agricultural qualifications, social security, administrative requirements, etc.). API can help you with all these formalities.
Depending on the region and the SDREA in force, it will be essential to obtain professional agricultural qualifications, but don’t worry, our team will also help you to obtain the equivalence of a French agricultural diploma from the relevant authorities.
We will also guide you through the procedure for applying for authorisation to farm under the french « Contrôle des Structures », to ensure that you set up on the land you want.
To optimise your chances of success, Quatuor has an in-house legal department specialising in the agricultural sector. This team is fully conversant with the specific features of the French agricultural environment and can guide you towards the best solutions to ensure your installation is a success.
Helping you to make contacts and understand the situation
We help you to understand the discussions at meetings with the various parties involved in taking over your farm. To ensure that your project is properly understood, we provide translation services during meetings with owners, farm-related organisations for production contracts, and your future partners such as CUMAs and contractors.
Our Quatuor team is fluent in Dutch, English and, of course, French. This linguistic competence is a major asset in facilitating your agricultural set-up in France. It removes language barriers, ensures smooth communication and builds trust with all those involved. Once your project is up and running, we’ll always be at your side to guarantee the continuity of production and advise you on starting up your business.
Becoming a farmer in France is an exciting but complex adventure, especially for farmers from abroad. The administrative challenges, adapting to the local market and language barriers can seem insurmountable. That’s where API, a subsidiary of Quatuor Transactions, comes in. Our multilingual team offers tailor-made support to help you fully understand all the steps involved in setting up your business. By placing your trust in us, you can secure your installation process.
Don’t wait any longer! Start your new life in complete confidence with Quatuor-Transactions!
Yvonne Droogh
Sales assistant – Foreign buyers
Moniek Uijterwaal
Negotiator foreign buyers
Ann-Carine Schaap
Sales coordinator – Negotiator foreign buyers
Quel est le niveau d’autofinancement nécessaire pour mon projet en France?
Le niveau d’apport personnel requis n’est pas uniquement un ratio du prix de reprise. De nombreux facteurs entrent en compte : l’âge des acquéreurs, le niveau économique de l’exploitation, le potentiel de développement de la structure, la localisation, l’expérience des acquéreurs et la trésorerie restante après remboursement des annuités. Ce montant varie, souvent de 20 à 50% du prix d’acquisition.
Quelle est la durée d’un processus d’acquisition en France ?
L’intervention des différents acteurs et les délais administratifs nécessitent 6 à 18 mois après l’acceptation d’une offre par les cédants. La durée moyenne depuis 2019 est de 11 mois. Cela laisse le temps de bien procéder à la levée de toutes les conditions suspensives à l’acquisition et d’organiser le déménagement et toutes les formalités liées.
Pendant combien de temps accompagnez-vous les acquéreurs ?
Il existe plusieurs offres d’accompagnement à l’émigration afin de les adapter au mieux à vos besoins. Nous accompagnons à partir de l’offre d’achat faite au vendeur, jusqu’à la signature des actes de vente chez le notaire, puis pour une durée variant d’un mois à un an après la vente. Nous considérons ces contrats d’accompagnement comme une assurance, afin de pouvoir vous venir en aide dans diverses situations.
Est-il nécessaire d’avoir un diplôme agricole ?
Dans le cadre de l’obtention d’autorisations d’exploiter, avoir un diplôme agricole est un avantage, afin d’avoir un rang de priorité plus important pour l’obtention du foncier.
Pour tous les diplômes étrangers, nous vous proposons un service complémentaire afin de vous obtenir les attestations nécessaires de reconnaissance de diplôme.
