A charcutier from Pontarlier called me in January. He wanted a simple website with click & collect — something he'd been postponing for two years. Tight budget, as always. I told him about the Pass Commerce et Artisanat from the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. He frowned. "Never heard of it." He'd been eligible for four years.
Out of my last thirty prospects in Franche-Comté — shopkeepers, craftsmen, restaurants, independent professionals — twenty-six had no idea this subsidy existed. Of the four who'd heard of it, two assumed it was reserved for larger companies.
The result: a regional programme that reimburses 30% of your digital project, capped at EUR 7,500, sitting there mostly unused. Here's how it works.
The Pass Commerce et Artisanat in two sentences
The Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region covers 30% of the pre-tax cost of eligible digitisation expenses. The maximum eligible spend is EUR 25,000 HT, meaning the reimbursement caps at EUR 7,500. It covers website creation, redesign, SEO, business software, and even some IT equipment.
In practice: you commission a website for EUR 5,000 HT. You file the application before signing the quote. If approved, the region transfers EUR 1,500 after delivery. Your website cost EUR 3,500.
Who qualifies
- Small businesses with fewer than 7 employees (FTE), under EUR 1M turnover
- Registered in one of the 8 BFC départements: Côte-d'Or, Doubs, Jura, Nièvre, Haute-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, Yonne, Territoire de Belfort
- Sectors: retail, crafts, personal services, restaurants, tourist accommodation
- The business must be at least 1 year old
The most common blocker is the NAF code (French activity classification). If your registered main activity doesn't match the eligible sectors, even if your actual work qualifies, the application can be rejected.
The critical timing rule
This is the rule that kills most applications: you must file before signing the quote and before work begins. Not before invoicing — before the start of work. Sign on March 10, file on March 12? Too late.
Allow 2 to 3 months between first CCI/CMA contact and the green light. It's slow. It's non-negotiable. But it's 30% of the project that stays in your pocket.
What it does and doesn't cover
Covered: website creation, redesign, SEO audit, business software, first-year hosting, training on your new tools, professional photo shoots (if related to the web project).
Not covered: recurring hosting fees, social media management, Facebook ads, second-hand equipment, expenses under EUR 500.
Conclusion
The Pass Commerce et Artisanat is one of the rare public subsidies that actually works simply — provided you play by the rules: file before starting, provide a detailed quote, keep all payment receipts. If you're a small business owner in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and you've been putting off your website because "it's too expensive": 30% of the cost may already be budgeted by the region.