Free business email in France: set up nom@votreentreprise.fr in 2026

An auto-entrepreneur, an artisan or a small SARL in France sends devis and factures that clients act on, and a laposte.net or orange.fr address on them looks like a hobby. This guide sets up nom@votreentreprise.fr with free mailboxes, covering AFNIC rules, DNS and connecting Outlook and your phone.

Quick answer

Register votreentreprise.fr with any AFNIC-accredited registrar (you need an address in the EU), create a free OquMail workspace, add the domain, paste four DNS records, create mailboxes. Up to 15 mailboxes are free with no card, so the domain is the only cost.

Domain choice: .fr or .com

The .fr domain is managed by AFNIC and is open to any individual or company with an address in the European Union or EEA, with no document check at registration. Registrars include OVHcloud, Gandi, Ionos, o2switch and many others. French customers expect .fr from a French business; a .com is common among startups and exporters, and both are accepted.

• .fr: requires an EU/EEA address; the default for French businesses
• .com: fine for international businesses; register the .fr as well
• .eu: occasionally used by companies trading across the EU
• Register in the company or auto-entrepreneur name so the domain stays with the business

Why French clients trust a domain address

The mentions légales on a French website must list a contact, and a client comparing artisans or freelancers reads contact@votreentreprise.fr differently from an orange.fr address. Companies paying invoices check that the sender domain matches the SIRET on the facture, and public bodies using tender platforms expect a company address. A domain mailbox also stays with the business when an employee or associate leaves.

Step by step

1. Register votreentreprise.fr with an AFNIC-accredited registrar such as OVHcloud or Gandi.
2. Create a free OquMail workspace at oqumail.com. No card.
3. Add the domain in the dashboard and copy the four DNS records.
4. In the registrar’s DNS panel (OVHcloud: Web Cloud → Domain names → DNS zone; Gandi: Domain → DNS Records) add the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
5. Click Verify. The live check shows which record is still missing.
6. Create mailboxes: contact@, compta@, devis@ and one per person, up to 15.
7. Send a test from webmail, then add the account to Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail or the phone mail app with the settings below.

The four DNS records OquMail needs

OVHcloud and Gandi both pre-set MX records for their own mail offers. Delete them before adding OquMail's, and keep only one TXT starting with v=spf1 on the root.

• MX — host @, value mail.oqumail.com, priority 10
• SPF (TXT at @) — v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all
• DKIM (TXT at your selector ._domainkey) — v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… (the exact key is shown in your OquMail dashboard)
• DMARC (TXT at _dmarc) — v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com

OquMail connection settings

• Incoming (IMAP): mail.oqumail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS
• Outgoing (SMTP): mail.oqumail.com, port 587, STARTTLS
• Username: your full email address (you@yourdomain.com)
• Password: the same password you use for OquMail webmail

What it costs

A .fr renewal is inexpensive at any French registrar. The email is free: OquMail's free plan has no card step and includes 15 mailboxes, 3 domains, 5 GB per mailbox, webmail, IMAP/SMTP, delivery logs and a send API. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 charge per user per month, which a micro-entrepreneur or a three-person SARL does not need to pay for mailboxes.

Pitfalls common in France

• Using orange.fr, free.fr, sfr.fr or laposte.net for the business. It looks private and disappears if you change provider.
• Bundled registrar mailboxes with no DKIM: devis land in junk at corporate clients.
• Choosing SSL on port 587 in Outlook or Thunderbird. It must be STARTTLS.
• Accented mailbox names. Keep addresses plain ASCII (francois@, not an accented form) and put the accented name in the display name.
• Forgetting to update the mentions légales and your Google Business Profile with the new address.

Common questions

Can an auto-entrepreneur register a .fr?

Yes. Any individual with an EU address can register a .fr; a SIRET is not required, though registering in the business name is sensible.

Does it work with Outlook and my phone?

Yes. Add an IMAP account with the settings above in Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail or the Gmail app.

What are the limits?

15 mailboxes, 3 domains, 5 GB per mailbox, no expiry.