French Wellness Coaching Contract Template

Yes. Under Article L221-18 of the Consumer Code, any contract concluded remotely (online or by phone) or off-premises entitles the client to withdraw within 14 calendar days of the conclusion of the contract, without giving any reason or incurring any penalty. If sessions begin within that period at the client's express written request, the client must pay for sessions already delivered on a pro-rata basis (Art. L221-25). Without that written request, any service performed during the cooling-off period must be fully refunded.

Article L111-1 of the Consumer Code requires: the coach's full identity (name, SIRET business-registration number, address, email), a precise description of services (number of sessions, duration, objectives, methods), all-inclusive prices and payment terms, contract duration and cancellation conditions, and the statutory cooling-off notice with the standard withdrawal form attached. Omitting any of these exposes the coach to an administrative fine of up to €3,000 for a sole trader or €15,000 for a company (Art. L242-5, Consumer Code).

As wellness coaching is not a regulated healthcare profession, services are generally subject to 20% VAT. However, coaches whose previous year's revenue falls below €37,500 — the 2026 threshold for service providers under CGI Art. 293 B (the French General Tax Code) — qualify for the VAT exemption regime (franchise en base de TVA) and do not charge VAT, provided all commercial documents state: 'TVA non applicable, art. 293 B du CGI.' Above this threshold, VAT must be charged and itemised in the contract.

Yes. Article L221-8 of the Consumer Code requires the coach to provide a standard withdrawal form (formulaire-type de rétractation) whose template appears in Annex II of the Consumer Code (Decree No. 2014-344 of 17 March 2014). It can be attached to the contract or sent by email. If missing, the 14-day cooling-off period is automatically extended to 12 months (Art. L221-20), exposing the coach to full-refund claims for over a year after the contract is signed.

GDPR (EU Regulation 2016/679, Art. 13) requires the coach to inform the client at the point of data collection about: the purposes of processing, the legal basis (performance of the contract, Art. 6.1.b GDPR), data retention periods (the CNIL — France's data protection authority — recommends the contractual period plus three years), and the client's rights (access, rectification, erasure, portability). Non-compliance can result in CNIL fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual worldwide turnover (Art. 83 GDPR).

The confidentiality clause should state: the coach's commitment not to disclose information shared by the client, the duration of this obligation (at minimum the contract period plus five years), legal exceptions (court orders, mandatory reporting of imminent danger), and secure storage arrangements for session notes. Grounded in Article 1103 of the Civil Code (binding force of contracts), the clause is enforceable, and any breach entitles the client to damages under Article 1231-1 of the Civil Code.