The green receipts, the document that lets a company pay you, and the three decisions taken on registration day.
What the opening of activity really is
Four points to understand the mechanism.
It is a declaration of self-employed activity, not the creation of a company: you remain a private individual.
It is free and done online or in person, in a single step.
It lets you issue the document that makes payment possible for a company.
And it triggers your declaration obligations, which start on the day of registration and not on the day of the first invoice.
Why a brand insists on it
Five reasons, all on the client's side.
A company cannot book an expense without a compliant document.
An agency does not open a supplier account without an activity number.
Paying an unregistered person exposes the company to a risk it refuses to take.
Serious platforms require the same thing before paying out.
And a foreign client needs a document readable by its own accounting.
One simple consequence: without that registration, a large part of the market is closed to you, whatever the quality of your videos.
The three decisions taken on the day
The activity code
It describes what you do and influences your regime. Choose it by describing the real activity, video content production and associated services, rather than an approximate wording. That choice is discussed once with an accountant, because it is simpler to set it correctly than to correct it later.
Charging VAT or not
An exemption regime exists below a certain turnover threshold. Below it, you do not charge the tax. Above it, you charge it, you declare it and you can recover the tax paid on your professional purchases. The exact threshold, how it is calculated and the switching calendar are checked with the competent administration, because they change.
When social security starts
There is generally an initial period during which contributions are not due, then quarterly declarations that determine the amount. The dates, the length of that period and the arrangements are checked at registration, with an accountant, because it is the item that most surprises people in the second year.
What changes once registered
Six obligations to know from day one.
Issuing a document for every service, without exception.
Keeping a register of income and expenses, up to date each week.
Declaring periodically, even with no income in the period.
Keeping the supporting documents for the legal period.
Separating professional flows from personal ones, which makes everything else verifiable.
And setting aside, at each payment, the share destined for contributions and tax.
The mistake that costs most
Four mistakes ranked by real cost.
Not setting money aside: the sums called for arrive with a lag, when the money has already been spent.
Invoicing before being registered, which is not a grey area.
Choosing an approximate activity code, which brings an unsuitable regime and a laborious correction.
And ignoring the threshold switch, which forces you to change your invoices mid-year and sometimes to claim a tax from clients already paid.
The four steps, in order
| Step | What it produces | When |
|---|---|---|
| Tax identification | A number shown on invoices | Before the first invoice |
| The activity declaration | A declared activity code | Before the first payment received |
| A dedicated bank account | Legible bookkeeping | From the start |
| The invoicing tool | Compliant invoices | Before the first order |
What costs money before the first client
Almost nothing. Real costs arrive with the contributions, once the activity is running, which is why declaring early beats waiting for volume.
What is confirmed before declaring
The activity code closest to the trade, the applicable tax regime and the contribution calendar. All three are confirmed with an accountant, they determine everything else.
Stopping is also a declaration
Three situations to handle explicitly.
The definitive stop, which supposes a declaration of cessation.
The temporary interruption, for which you have to check what exists rather than simply ceasing to invoice.
And the move to employed status, which does not automatically cancel the self-employed activity and can be combined with it, with consequences to check.
One last marker: that registration is not an administrative obstacle, it is what makes your work purchasable. It takes a morning, it is prepared with a single consultation, and it decides all the clients you will have access to in the following years.
Sources
Checked on 27 August 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.
