société à responsabilité limitée

{{Short description|Type of company in the Francophone world and Alberta, Canada}}

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{{rough translation|date=August 2022}}

{{Corporate law|other}}

A {{lang|fr|société à responsabilité limitée}} ({{IPA|fr|sɔsjete a ʁɛspɔ̃sabilite limite}}, abbreviated as SARL, S.à r.l. {{IPA|fr|ɛsaɛʁɛl||LL-Q150 (fra)-LoquaxFR-SARL.wav}} and similar; {{literally|society with limited responsibility}}) is a form of private company that exists mainly in French-speaking countries, such as France, Luxembourg, Monaco, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar, Lebanon, Switzerland (where it is also designated by GmbH or Sagl), and Belgium (where, since 1 May 2019, it is also designated in Dutch by {{lang|nl|besloten vennootschap}} or société à responsabilité limitée in French and abbreviated as SRL). The primary purpose of a SARL is to conduct commercial activity.

In the Canadian province of Alberta, a similar corporate entity exists, known as "Société à Responsabilité Limitée" (SRL). This entity is recognized under the Alberta Partnership Act, allowing free trade of SRL shares akin to Canadian LLP shares, without the restrictions of European SRLs.{{cite web |url=https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/regu/alta-reg-105-2009/latest/alta-reg-105-2009.html |title=Alberta Partnership Regulation, Alta. Reg. 105/2009 |publisher=CanLII |access-date=October 14, 2023}}

Proprietary interests in a SARL are represented by shares. They are not freely transferable; unless the intended recipient is a spouse, descendant, or other close relative, transfers require the agreement of half of the shareholders (since Ord. 2 mars 2004).

One of the primary advantages of a SARL is limited liability; an owner or other investor in the company cannot be liable for more than they have contributed to the company's capital. In this respect, a SARL is largely equivalent to a British limited company or American limited liability company.