Street shopping: regulations to be respected

Verified 24 September 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

A traveling commercial or craft activity consists in sell services or products in public space : street, road, sidewalk, square, beach, market, etc. Any walking activity requires one of the 3 forms oftemporary occupation of public space (AOT) : either a road permit, a parking permit or an application for a market location. Some of these activities also require walking activity card.

Sell in public space

A craft or commercial activity is to sell of services or products in thepublic space.

Public space includes street, sidewalk, road, square, market, hall, fair, beach, station hall, parking lot, etc.

Examples of activities :

  • Take-away restaurant in public space (food trucktruck, pizza, etc.)
  • Hairdresser in a truck or caravan acting as a hairdresser
  • Market gardener, cheesemaker, florist who sells products in a market, whether it has a fixed or occasional place
  • Fisherman who sells his fishing on a square in a coastal town
  • Baker, butcher, caterer, grocer (etc.) who tours with a truck in towns or villages
  • A fairground with a traveling attraction (carousel, shooting range, magician, etc.)
  • Beekeeper who sells honey and honey products in the lobby of a train station
  • Brewer or winemaker at a trade fair, Christmas market, etc.

This list represents the diversity of walking activities but is not exhaustive.

Have or not have a fixed premises

The traveling professional may or may not have a fixed commercial or craft premises.

Example :

One baker owns a fixed business and makes bread rounds with a truck or van in parallel. Its movements and sales take place on sidewalks, squares, markets.

One pizza truckhe has no fixed business, he sells his pizzas live on a traveling truck. Its movements and sales take place on sidewalks, squares and markets.

Activities not concerned

Crafts or commercial activity on the move should not be confused with other non-sedentary activities that are subject to specific regulations.

This is the case for all lobbyists and home sellers (VDI) : commercial agent, VRP, peddler and press salesman, etc.

Craftsmen traveling to the home of private individuals for installations, works or repairs do not fall within the definition of traveling trade (for example: electrician, painter or hairdresser at home).

The taxis also are not concerned by the traveling trade.

Any form of occupation of the public domain requires authorization.

The domain or public space is composed of all the roads (street, sidewalk, square, public parking, etc.) and all the public places.

Depending on the location occupied by the traveling trade, the trader must request a different type ofauthorization for temporary occupation of public space (AOT)

Tableau - Temporary authorization to occupy the public domain (AOT) according to the location of the traveling trade

Occupied place

Type of authorization

To whom to turn

Hall, market, fair, salon, carnival

Market Location Request

Town hall, municipal placier or event organizer

Public space (street, sidewalk, square): Food truck, pizza truck, pancake truck, mobile stand, sidewalk display, open terrace, etc.

Parking Permit

Town hall in general or prefecture, if it is a national or departmental road or certain arteries of the city

Kiosk fixed to the ground and closed terrace

Permission to road

Town Hall, if it is the communal public domain

The duration of the authorization is always temporary (either for an event or for a fixed duration).

Usually its duration does not exceed one year.

For more details on the formalities and conditions to be completed to obtain a authorization for temporary occupation of the public domain, you can consult our sheet: Occupation of the public domain by a business (AOT).

Most walking activities require the trade and crafts card.

There are, however, some exceptions.

These are the following special cases:

  • Persons whose mobile activity is carried out solely on markets of the municipality of their place of residence
  • Persons whose mobile activity is carried out solely on markets of the municipality where the main establishment of their sedentary activity
  • Farmer or fisherman selling his own production (or occasionally a small share of another producer's), whether in a market or elsewhere on the public highway
  • Craftsman or trader making tours in addition to its premises or establishment fixed, only in neighboring municipalities of it (even if the premises are not open to the public).

Please note

If an employee performs the walking activity, he must have on him a copy the mobile card of his employer during his activity.

Initial application for the walking activity card

To obtain the card, the professional must perform a prior declaration for theexercise of a walking activity.

It must approach either the chamber of commerce and industry (CCI) or the Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA) of its place of attachment.

This is the Chamber (CCI or CMA) competent for the municipality of the declarant's domicile, business address or the registered office of the business.

The CCI processes applications from professionals registered in the RCS: titleContent. The CMA handles requests from professionals that are registered exclusively in the RNE: titleContent, or registered in the SCN and the RNE.

Many CMAs and CCIs use the cerfa form no. 14022 next:

Prior declaration for the exercise of a traveling commercial or craft activity

Some CMAs and CCIs offer a form specific to their region.

FYI  

Some KICs propose a full approach dematerialized to apply for a traveling merchant card. This is the case, for example, with the CCI Bretagne. It is then indicated upstream of the formality, the technical conditions necessary for the smooth running of the process (electronic signature, digitized photographic retouching, format of the identity document, etc.). One detailed instructions for use are available online.

The form must be completed, scanned and forwarded to the CCI or CMA (either by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, or on site, or by email depending on the region).

The cost of the card is €30.

The documents to be provided are listed below and are often also mentioned on the page dedicated to this approach on the CMA or CCI website.

When applying for a merchant or craftsman card, the professional must provide supporting documents, in addition to form 14022.

The documents are different depending on the country of establishment, in France or in a country of the European Union (EU):

France
  • Proof of declaration of activity less than 3 months old:
    • If the registrant is registered in the Trade and businesses Register (RCS): an extract K or Kbis less than 3 months old
    • If the registrant is registered in the National Register of companies (RNE): a proof of registration less than 3 months old with the entries in this register
  • Copy of the identity document valid: copy of passport or national identity card, or double-sided copy of residence permit
  • For the persons hosted : in the case of accommodation with an individual, an original accommodation certificate signed by the host and copy of proof of residence of the host - in the case of accommodation in a social center, a copy of the certificate of domicile of the social organization such as the Center d'Action Sociale (CCAS) or the Center Intercommunal d'Action Sociale (CIAS), to which the municipality of attachment depends
  • 2 recent identity photographs in 35 x 45 mm format
  • Check from €30 made payable to the ICC or the CMA.
State of the European Union
  • Proof of declaration of activity: for natural and legal persons who do not have an establishment in France but who have declared their commercial or craft activity in another State of the European Union, the document must be translated into French and mention the activity (it must allow a non-sedentary commercial activity)
  • Copy of the identity document valid: copy of passport or national identity card, or double-sided copy of residence permit
  • Copy of a proof of address recent in the name of the company's legal representative (e.g. last rent receipt or last gas or electricity bill, voter registration, tax receipts, tax warning, telephone bill)
  • For the persons hosted : in the case of accommodation with an individual, an original accommodation certificate signed by the host and copy of proof of residence of the host - in the case of accommodation in a social center, a copy of the certificate of domicile of the social organization such as the Center d'Action Sociale (CCAS) or the Center Intercommunal d'Action Sociale (CIAS), to which the municipality of attachment depends
  • 1 recent photograph in 35 x 45 mm format
  • Check from €30 made payable to the ICC or the CMA.

If the file is complete, the professional receives a card in the 15 days approximately after the form and supporting documents have been sent, and within a maximum of one month.

He can ask for a provisional certificate valid for one month if he has to start his activity.

The card is valid 4 years, after which it must be renewed at the initiative of the trader.

In case of control, theno declaration prior giving rise to the obtaining of the card, generates a fine of €750. If the professional has forgotten to take his card with him during his business trips or if he has forgotten to carry out his renewal, the fine is €450.

Renewal of the walking activity card

The map is valid for 4 years.

If the professional wishes to renew his card, he must make the request.

This request can be made from1 month before the expiration date of validity and up to 2 months after this date. If this time limit is exceeded, an initial application must be made.

The renewal application is made by filling out the Cerfa form n° 14022, which is downloadable from the website of the CCI or the CMA of the professional's affiliation.

This is the Chamber (CCI or CMA) competent for the municipality of the declarant's domicile, business address or the registered office of the business.

The CCI processes applications from professionals registered in the RCS: titleContent. The CMA handles requests from professionals that are registered exclusively in the RNE: titleContent, or registered in the SCN and the RNE.

This form must be completed and sent either by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt or by email in certain regions.

Prior declaration for the exercise of a traveling commercial or craft activity

Please note

Some KICs propose a full approach dematerialized to apply for a traveling merchant card. This is the case, for example, with the CCI Bretagne. It is then indicated upstream of the formality, the technical conditions necessary for the smooth running of the process (electronic signature, digitized photographic retouching, format of the identity document, etc.).

The time to receive the new card is between 15 days and one month.

It is possible to request a provisional certificate during the waiting period. It is valid during 1 month maximum. For this, the professional must return theold map.