{"id":2095276,"date":"2026-08-17T12:23:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/2026\/08\/17\/set-up-company-france-non-resident-founder-sas-sarl-branch-subsidiary\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:23:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T10:23:39","slug":"set-up-company-france-non-resident-founder-sas-sarl-branch-subsidiary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/08\/17\/set-up-company-france-non-resident-founder-sas-sarl-branch-subsidiary\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Set Up a Company in France as a Non-Resident Founder: SAS, SARL, Branch or Subsidiary?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can a founder living outside France create a French company without moving to France? In principle, yes. The real difficulty is not nationality alone. It is choosing the correct legal vehicle, proving the origin of funds, securing a French registered office, opening the company bank account, filing the right documents through the INPI one-stop shop, and keeping the company compliant after it receives its Kbis. Kbis is the official extract showing the registration of a company with the French Trade and Companies Register, or RCS. INPI means the National Institute of Industrial Property; it operates the electronic business-formality portal. RCS, RNE, SIREN, SIRET and URSSAF are not interchangeable labels, and confusing them can delay a bank, tax or employment process.<\/p>\n

This guide is written for a foreign founder, foreign parent company or international group that wants to trade, hire, invoice or invest in France. It separates a French subsidiary from a French branch, compares a SAS and a SARL, and follows the sequence from the first bank file to the first French employee. It does not turn the incorporation process into immigration advice: the right to form or direct a company is distinct from the right to reside and work in France. The safest project file therefore contains two maps from the beginning: a corporate map showing the company, its shareholders and its contracts, and a personal map showing what each individual will actually do in France.<\/p>\n

For founders who want a tailored incorporation review, the firm\u2019s French company formation service<\/a> can be used as the internal starting point for the corporate file.<\/p>\n

I. Which French structure should a non-resident founder choose?<\/h2>\n

A. Can a foreign founder create a French company without moving to France?<\/h3>\n

A foreign national can create a company in France without becoming a French resident. The official Service Public Entreprendre guidance expressly separates company creation from residence. It also distinguishes European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss nationals from nationals of third countries. Its practical sequence includes the registered office, capital deposit, appointment of the director, articles of association, legal notice and electronic filing. The same guidance states that a third-country national can create a company without residing in France, while the person who wants to settle in France or carry out the activity there on an effective and habitual basis must hold an appropriate residence permit. Read the official guidance for a foreign national creating a business in France<\/a> before treating the corporate file and the individual file as if they were one question.<\/p>\n

For a non-resident founder, the first question is therefore not \u201cMay I own French shares?\u201d It is \u201cWhere will the French activity be carried out, by whom, and under which contract?\u201d A person may be a shareholder of a French SAS or SARL while living abroad. A foreign company may also own a French subsidiary or operate a French branch. A director may be appointed while living abroad, but the legal consequences change if that person regularly comes to France to manage the business, signs contracts from France, supervises employees in France or performs the underlying professional activity. Those facts can trigger separate immigration, social-security, tax and employment questions.<\/p>\n

The company still needs a French registered office, known as the si\u00e8ge social. That address receives official correspondence, determines where corporate records and formal notices are connected, and must be supported by a usable domiciliation arrangement. A mailbox that cannot receive formal documents is not a substitute for a defensible registered office. The file should state who can receive mail, for how long, and whether the premises permit the declared activity. If the company will have a different operating site, the difference between the registered office, a primary establishment and a secondary establishment must be documented.<\/p>\n

The project must also be screened for regulated activities and foreign-investment controls. A software consultancy, a regulated financial activity, a security business, a healthcare activity and a business handling sensitive technologies do not have the same entry conditions. A foreign investor should ask at the start whether the business needs a professional authorisation, a qualification, a notification or a prior approval. It is cheaper to resolve that question before drafting the purpose clause and signing a long lease.<\/p>\n

Finally, map the people who control the project. The beneficial owner, or b\u00e9n\u00e9ficiaire effectif, is the individual who ultimately owns or controls the company, directly or through a chain of entities. The filing must identify the ownership and control chain in a way that a bank, the registry and the tax administration can understand. A foreign holding company does not make the individuals behind it disappear. Prepare the parent-company extract, constitutional documents, ownership chart, passports, proof of address and, where required, certified French translations before the filing date.<\/p>\n

B. Should you choose a SAS, a SARL, a branch or a subsidiary?<\/h3>\n

The choice should follow the commercial plan, not the country of the founder. A French subsidiary is a new legal person. A branch is a French establishment of the foreign parent without a separate legal personality. A SAS and a SARL are two common French subsidiary forms, but they allocate governance, financing and social protection differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Structure<\/th>\nWhat it is<\/th>\nWhen it normally fits<\/th>\nQuestion to resolve<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
SAS<\/td>\nSoci\u00e9t\u00e9 par actions simplifi\u00e9e, a simplified joint-stock company. It may have one shareholder, in which case it is a SASU.<\/td>\nInternational groups, growth companies, joint ventures and projects requiring flexible governance or future investors.<\/td>\nAre the articles detailed enough to control transfers, reserved decisions, exits and the president\u2019s authority?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SARL<\/td>\nSoci\u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e0 responsabilit\u00e9 limit\u00e9e, a limited liability company. A one-member SARL is an EURL.<\/td>\nClosely held businesses where a more prescribed framework and a stable group of members are useful.<\/td>\nDo the manager\u2019s social status, transfer rules and member relationships suit the founders?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Branch<\/td>\nSuccursale: a French establishment of the foreign company, not a new company.<\/td>\nA parent company wants a direct French operating presence and accepts that the parent remains exposed to the branch\u2019s obligations.<\/td>\nDoes the group want one French legal person or a French extension of the parent?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Subsidiary<\/td>\nFiliale: a separate French company controlled by the foreign parent.<\/td>\nLocal contracts, French hiring, ring-fenced operations, local financing, investors or a long-term French platform.<\/td>\nAre the group agreements, transfer pricing, governance and funding arrangements written before operations begin?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

SAS.<\/strong> The current version of article L. 227-1 of the French Commercial Code<\/a> provides that a SAS may be formed by one or more persons whose exposure to losses is limited to their contributions. The form is attractive to international founders because the articles can organise several classes of shares, approval rights, pre-emption, preferred decisions and investor entry. That flexibility is not self-executing. A short template that says little about transfer restrictions, deadlock, leaver events, reserved matters or the relationship with a foreign parent can create a fragile company. The founder should decide whether the French president will be an individual or a corporate entity, how the president is appointed and removed, and which decisions remain with the shareholders.<\/p>\n

The president is the legal gateway to third parties. Under article L. 227-6 of the Commercial Code<\/a>, the company is represented towards third parties by a president appointed under the articles, and the statutory limits on the president\u2019s powers are not opposable to third parties. In practical terms, a parent company cannot rely on an internal approval matrix alone if the French president has signed a contract that binds the company externally. Put the approval matrix, powers of attorney and reporting line in the corporate documents and group agreements, then train the people who sign.<\/p>\n

SARL.<\/strong> The current article L. 223-1 of the Commercial Code<\/a> defines the SARL as a company formed by one or more persons whose losses are limited to their contributions. It is often a good fit for a small, stable group of members that does not need the same level of share engineering as an investment-backed SAS. The manager, or g\u00e9rant, is a natural person and can be chosen outside the membership. Article L. 223-18<\/a> sets out the manager\u2019s authority towards third parties and makes statutory limits on that authority generally ineffective against third parties. The transfer of SARL parts is more structured than the transfer of SAS shares, which can be helpful for a family or founder-led business and inconvenient for a fast-moving investment round.<\/p>\n

Branch.<\/strong> A succursale does not create a legal person separate from the foreign parent. The French government\u2019s economic information service describes it as an establishment with no separate legal personality and no separate assets or capital from the parent. It is still a serious French operating presence: it may have a French address, a representative, French accounts, French tax obligations and RCS registration. The distinction matters in a dispute. A customer, employee, tax authority or lender may look to the foreign parent rather than a ring-fenced French subsidiary. A branch is not a shortcut to avoid French compliance; it is a different allocation of responsibility.<\/p>\n

For registration analysis, article R. 123-40 of the Commercial Code<\/a> defines a secondary establishment as a permanent establishment distinct from the registered office or principal establishment and directed by the person required to register, an employee or a person with power to bind the business towards third parties. The exact formality for a foreign branch depends on the group, the activity and the documents available. A foreign parent should not copy a French subsidiary checklist without adapting the parent-company extract, articles, beneficial-owner information and representative\u2019s documents.<\/p>\n

Subsidiary.<\/strong> A filiale is a French legal person. It can be wholly owned or jointly owned by the foreign parent, and it can be a SAS, SARL or another appropriate form. Its contracts, accounts, employees and tax filings belong to the subsidiary, subject to group transactions and the usual rules on guarantees, cash pooling, management decisions and director liability. The official Bercy guide to implanting a foreign company in France<\/a> draws the same practical line: the branch has no separate legal personality, whereas the subsidiary has its own assets and acts in its own name.<\/p>\n

A simple decision rule is useful. Choose a subsidiary when French customers, French employees, French investors or French liability management justify a local legal person. Choose a branch when the parent wants to carry on the same business directly and accepts direct exposure. Choose a SAS when governance flexibility, investors or a group structure matter. Choose a SARL when the membership is stable and a more prescriptive framework is preferable. None of these choices removes the need to analyse permanent establishment, VAT, corporate tax, social security or immigration facts.<\/p>\n

II. How do you complete the French company formation process?<\/h2>\n

A. What documents, bank steps and Kbis formalities come first?<\/h3>\n

1. Freeze the project before drafting.<\/strong> Write a one-page incorporation instruction before a lawyer or accountant produces the final documents. It should identify the French activity, the customer type, the expected first employee, the registered-office city, the shareholders, the proposed director, the source and amount of capital, the foreign parent, the anticipated contracts and the intended accounting year. The instruction should also say whether the entity will invoice French customers, buy from EU suppliers, import goods, hold stock, use a French warehouse or provide services from abroad. These facts drive the articles, the tax analysis, the bank file and the employment calendar.<\/p>\n

2. Secure the registered office.<\/strong> A French subsidiary cannot be filed with an undefined address. Obtain a domiciliation agreement, lease, hosting arrangement or other document that matches the intended use of the premises. Check whether the activity can legally be carried out there and whether the document authorises receipt of official mail. If the founder is abroad, do not confuse the founder\u2019s residential address with the company\u2019s registered office. If the foreign parent is opening a branch, describe the French establishment and its representative with the same precision.<\/p>\n

3. Draft articles that can survive the first dispute.<\/strong> The articles should cover the name, form, purpose, registered office, term, capital, contributions, shares or parts, governance, decisions, financial year and dissolution. For an international project, add the decisions requiring parent approval, transfer restrictions, deadlock steps, reserved matters, reporting, signing authority and the treatment of related-party agreements. The purpose clause should be broad enough to cover the real business but not so vague that it hides a regulated activity. A translated version may be needed for the bank or foreign parent even when the filed French version is controlling.<\/p>\n

The period before registration is not a harmless \u201cpre-launch.\u201d Under article L. 210-6 of the Commercial Code<\/a>, commercial companies acquire legal personality from registration with the RCS, while persons acting in the name of a company in formation remain jointly and indefinitely liable unless the company later takes over the commitments. The provision is the reason for using a carefully drafted \u201ccompany in formation\u201d formula in leases, supplier contracts, bank documents and purchase orders.<\/p>\n

The Cour de cassation explained the registration effect in its commercial chamber decision of 29 November 2023, no. 22-21.623, published in the Bulletin and the annual report. The verified passage states: \u201cIl r\u00e9sulte des articles L. 210-6 et R. 210-6 du code de commerce que les soci\u00e9t\u00e9s commerciales jouissent de la personnalit\u00e9 morale \u00e0 dater de leur immatriculation au registre du commerce et des soci\u00e9t\u00e9s.\u201d The decision is available on the official Cour de cassation record for no. 22-21.623<\/a>. For an international founder, the operational lesson is simple: state for whom the signer acts, retain the mandate or draft resolution, and obtain a formal takeover of the commitment after registration where the law requires it.<\/p>\n

Do not rely on a vague promise that the company will \u201ctake over everything later.\u201d In the commercial chamber decision of 18 June 2025, no. 24-14.311, the Cour de cassation held: \u201cLa reprise d’un acte accompli au cours de la p\u00e9riode de formation d’une soci\u00e9t\u00e9 ne peut r\u00e9sulter du seul accord ou de la seule volont\u00e9, \u00e0 les supposer \u00e9tablis, des parties de substituer la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e0 la personne qui a souscrit l’engagement, mais doit satisfaire aux conditions requises par les dispositions l\u00e9gislatives et r\u00e9glementaires r\u00e9gissant sp\u00e9cifiquement les modalit\u00e9s de reprise des engagements souscrits au nom ou pour le compte d’une soci\u00e9t\u00e9 en formation.\u201d The verified decision is published on the official Cour de cassation record for no. 24-14.311<\/a>. Use a pre-incorporation contract schedule and a post-registration takeover checklist instead of leaving the legal identity of the contracting party ambiguous.<\/p>\n

4. Prepare the capital and banking file.<\/strong> The capital deposit is normally made into an account opened for the company in formation. The bank will usually want the draft articles, identity documents, ownership chart, beneficial-owner information, business plan, proof of address, source-of-funds evidence and documents for the foreign parent or shareholder. A non-resident founder should expect enhanced know-your-customer checks. A bank may ask why the business needs a French account, who will sign, where the customers are, which countries will be involved and whether any regulated or sanctioned sector is concerned.<\/p>\n

When the bank issues the capital-deposit certificate, keep the exact amount and wording in the incorporation file. After the Kbis is issued, send the registry extract and the final corporate documents to the bank so the account can move from \u201ccompany in formation\u201d to the operating account. If a bank refuses to open a professional account, record the refusal in writing and review the official procedure for a refusal to open a professional bank account<\/a>. A refusal does not automatically prove discrimination or entitle the founder to any particular bank; it does create a procedural question that should be handled with the correct documents and deadlines.<\/p>\n

5. Publish the legal notice and file with the one-stop shop.<\/strong> After the articles are signed and the capital is deposited, the company publishes its creation notice in an authorised legal-notice medium. The French term is annonce l\u00e9gale. The notice identifies the essential corporate information so third parties can be informed. The Bulletin officiel des annonces civiles et commerciales, or BODACC, is a separate official publication channel used for certain corporate and insolvency notices; it is not a replacement for every legal notice.<\/p>\n

The filing is made through the electronic formalities portal operated by INPI. Article L. 123-33 of the Commercial Code<\/a> provides for a single electronic file to declare the creation, modification or cessation of an enterprise, subject to regulated-activity exceptions. Article R. 123-1<\/a> describes the organism unique receiving the single file and transmitting the information to the competent bodies. The INPI creation-formality guidance<\/a> should be checked on the filing day because the portal and document requirements can change.<\/p>\n

For a foreign founder or foreign shareholder, the document set often includes a passport or identity document, a proof of address, a signed declaration of non-conviction where applicable, the foreign company\u2019s registry extract, current articles, evidence of authority to sign, the ownership and control chart, beneficial-owner information, the registered-office document, the signed articles, the capital certificate, the legal-notice certificate and any authorisation required for the activity. A document issued outside the European Union may need legalisation or apostille and a sworn French translation. The bank and the registry may not accept the same translation standard, so confirm the recipient\u2019s requirements before ordering one.<\/p>\n

6. Understand what the Kbis does and does not prove.<\/strong> The Kbis is the registry extract for a company registered with the RCS. It normally displays the legal name, registered office, activity, directors, registration number and certain corporate information. It is a gateway document for banks, customers, landlords and public bodies, but it is not a substitute for the articles, a shareholders\u2019 agreement, a tax registration notice or evidence that the company has the licences required for its activity. The company receives a SIREN number identifying the legal entity and a SIRET number identifying an establishment. The APE code describes the principal activity for statistical classification; it does not by itself authorise a regulated profession.<\/p>\n

For planning purposes, divide the timeline into three gates. Gate one is the document gate: the structure, registered office, ownership chain, director, purpose clause and translated parent documents are ready. Gate two is the banking gate: the account, source-of-funds file and capital certificate are ready. Gate three is the filing gate: legal notice, final articles, beneficial-owner information and INPI submission are consistent. A missing document at gate one normally creates less delay than a contradiction discovered by the bank or registry after submission.<\/p>\n

B. What must the company do after registration: tax, VAT, URSSAF and the first employee?<\/h3>\n

Corporate tax.<\/strong> Registration is the beginning of the compliance calendar, not the end. A French subsidiary will normally need a corporate income tax analysis, often referred to as IS for imp\u00f4t sur les soci\u00e9t\u00e9s. A French branch may be taxed on profits attributable to its French activity, subject to French domestic law and any applicable tax treaty. A foreign company without a French subsidiary can still create French tax and employment obligations if it has a permanent establishment, French staff, French taxable transactions or a sufficiently connected French operation. The official impots.gouv.fr information on registration for corporate income tax<\/a> is a useful starting point, but it cannot replace a permanent-establishment and treaty analysis.<\/p>\n

Article 209 of the French General Tax Code<\/a> states, in its first paragraph, that corporate-income-taxable profits are determined under the Code and include, subject to the statutory rules, profits realised in businesses operated in France and profits allocated to France by an international double-tax treaty. That wording is why a group should document the functions, assets, people and risks of the French business. Intercompany invoices alone do not answer whether a French activity is a branch, a permanent establishment or an independent subsidiary.<\/p>\n

VAT.<\/strong> VAT is the English name for value added tax; France calls it TVA, or taxe sur la valeur ajout\u00e9e. The VAT answer depends on what is sold, where the customer is established, where the service is performed, whether goods cross a border, whether an exemption applies and whether the company has a fixed establishment. A French entity may need a French VAT number and periodic returns. A foreign company may need French VAT registration even without incorporating a subsidiary. Conversely, a French company may invoice a foreign business under a reverse-charge rule for certain services. Do not choose the VAT regime by looking only at the legal form. Start with a transaction matrix: customer country, customer status, goods or services, invoice flow, delivery point, payment flow and evidence of transport.<\/p>\n

Use the official impots.gouv.fr VAT information for businesses<\/a> and obtain a written position from the relevant Service des imp\u00f4ts des entreprises, or SIE, when the facts are unusual. The SIE is the business-tax office. Keep the VAT number, invoice wording, reverse-charge references, customs data and returns in one controlled file. A company that waits until its first large invoice to ask about VAT can face a blocked payment, a rejected customer onboarding file or a return that must be corrected.<\/p>\n

Director status and social security.<\/strong> The social status of the director is separate from the founder\u2019s nationality. A remunerated SAS president is generally treated under the French general social-security system as an assimilated employee, without becoming an employee for every legal purpose and without acquiring unemployment insurance merely because payroll contributions are paid. A majority SARL manager is generally treated as a self-employed worker, while the social classification of a minority or equal manager depends on the actual holding and mandate. Use the official Service Public guidance on company directors\u2019 income<\/a> together with the company\u2019s ownership table and remuneration plan.<\/p>\n

The applicable social rules are technical and change over time. Article L. 311-3 of the Social Security Code<\/a> identifies categories subject to the employee social-insurance obligation, while article L. 131-6<\/a> addresses the contribution base for non-agricultural self-employed workers. The practical file should show the director\u2019s percentage of control, the mandate, the remuneration, the place where the work is performed and any treaty or foreign social-security position. A shareholder who is not a director is not automatically covered by the director\u2019s social regime; a director who receives no salary is not automatically free of every declaration.<\/p>\n

Hiring the first French employee.<\/strong> A French subsidiary, branch or foreign company that employs a person in France must create an employer process before the first payslip. That process includes the employer\u2019s registration, payroll setup, employment contract, applicable collective agreement, occupational-health steps, mandatory information, wage protection, social contributions and the monthly DSN. DSN means d\u00e9claration sociale nominative, the nominative social declaration used to report payroll information to the French authorities. URSSAF is the organisation that collects many social-security contributions; it is not the same body as the tax office or the RCS registry.<\/p>\n

The first non-negotiable action is the DPAE. DPAE means d\u00e9claration pr\u00e9alable \u00e0 l\u2019embauche, the employer\u2019s prior hiring declaration. Under article L. 1221-10 of the Labour Code<\/a>, hiring cannot take place before the employer has made the nominative declaration to the designated social-protection bodies. The employer should also verify the employee\u2019s right to work, prepare a contract in French that matches the actual role, identify the applicable collective agreement and arrange occupational-health formalities. A parent company\u2019s English offer letter is not a complete French employment file.<\/p>\n

A foreign director who plans to spend time in France and a French employee are two different files. The director may need an immigration analysis tied to the actual activity and duration in France. The employee needs an employment and payroll analysis tied to the French work location. A branch may employ staff without becoming a subsidiary, but the branch must still respect French employer rules. Bercy\u2019s guidance expressly covers foreign companies with a French establishment, foreign companies without a French establishment but with employees in France, and companies with no French establishment or employees but French declaration obligations. That distinction should be checked before the first hire, not after a payroll audit.<\/p>\n

The working legal calendar.<\/strong> The following calendar is a practical control list. It does not replace the specific tax, payroll or sector timetable for the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Moment<\/th>\nControl<\/th>\nEvidence to retain<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Before signing<\/td>\nChoose SAS, SARL, branch or subsidiary; test regulated activity, permanent-establishment and foreign-investment issues.<\/td>\nStructure memo, group chart, activity description and risk list.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Before filing<\/td>\nSecure registered office, articles, director appointment, capital deposit, beneficial-owner statement and legal notice.<\/td>\nSigned articles, domiciliation proof, bank certificate, notice certificate and translated parent documents.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
At registration<\/td>\nSubmit the single electronic file through INPI and monitor requests for missing or inconsistent documents.<\/td>\nSubmission receipt, formalities messages, SIREN\/SIRET information and Kbis or registry extract.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Immediately after Kbis<\/td>\nActivate the operating bank account, confirm tax registrations, validate VAT treatment and complete any beneficial-owner or licence updates.<\/td>\nKbis, bank confirmation, tax correspondence, VAT number and compliance calendar.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Every payroll month<\/td>\nRun payroll, file DSN, pay the relevant social contributions and keep employment records current.<\/td>\nPayroll, DPAE, DSN acknowledgement, contribution statement and occupational-health evidence.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Each VAT period<\/td>\nIssue compliant invoices, reconcile output and input VAT, and submit the correct return or exemption evidence.<\/td>\nInvoices, transport evidence, VAT return, reverse-charge analysis and payment proof.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Each financial year<\/td>\nClose accounts, prepare tax filings, approve accounts where required, record decisions and update the group reporting file.<\/td>\nAccounts, tax return, minutes, management report where applicable and intercompany reconciliation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
After any change<\/td>\nUpdate the registered office, director, capital, activity, ownership or beneficial-owner information through the correct formality.<\/td>\nResolution, amended articles, filing receipt, updated extract and internal authority matrix.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

For a Paris or \u00cele-de-France project, the practical issue is often coordination rather than a different company law. The registered office, operating premises, bank, employee location, competent registry and tax office should all be listed. A company that lists a Paris registered office, hires in another department and keeps its real management abroad should document those facts coherently. The same principle applies to a company operating from several French sites: the RCS extract, SIRET identifiers, leases, payroll records and VAT analysis should tell the same story.<\/p>\n

Before the first contract, ask five questions. Is the contracting party the French subsidiary, the branch or the foreign parent? Has the signatory been given authority? Does the contract allocate French tax and VAT correctly? Does the company have the licence and insurance needed for the activity? If a French employee is involved, has the employer file been completed before work begins? These checks are more valuable than a generic statement that the business is \u201cset up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

A non-resident founder can establish and direct a French business without automatically moving to France, but the project must separate ownership, management, residence, work, tax and payroll questions. The best structure depends on the risk the foreign group wants to keep with the parent, the autonomy needed in France, the future investors, the first employees and the contracts that will be signed.<\/p>\n

For most long-term operating projects, the decision is between a French subsidiary and a branch, followed by a SAS-versus-SARL governance choice. The process then runs in a fixed order: registered office, documents and ownership, articles, capital account, legal notice, INPI filing, RCS registration and Kbis, followed by bank activation, tax and VAT setup, director classification, URSSAF and the first employee\u2019s DPAE. The corporate calendar should be built before the first invoice, not after it.<\/p>\n

Besoin d’un avis rapide sur votre dossier.<\/h2>\n

Telephone consultation within 48 hours with a lawyer from the firm.<\/p>\n

Send the structure, banking, Kbis, tax or first-employee issue for a focused review by Ma\u00eetre Reda Kohen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

+33 6 46 60 58 22<\/a> \u00b7 Contact the firm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A practical legal roadmap for foreign founders choosing between a French SAS, SARL, branch or subsidiary, from the registered office and capital account to the Kbis, VAT, URSSAF and first employee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251031309,"featured_media":4181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kj_source_type":"","_kj_official_id":"","_kj_official_url":"","_kj_judilibre_id":"","_kj_jur":"","_kj_lieu":"","_kj_chambre":"","_kj_rg":"","_kj_date":"","activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":""},"categories":[80314,80313],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2095276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-decryptage","category-doing-business-in-france"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Set Up a Company in France as a Non-Resident Founder: SAS, SARL, Branch or Subsidiary? 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