{"id":2113413,"date":"2026-08-29T20:03:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T18:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/2026\/08\/29\/foreign-owned-french-company-cse-11-employees-election-deadlines\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T20:03:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T18:03:45","slug":"foreign-owned-french-company-cse-11-employees-election-deadlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/08\/29\/foreign-owned-french-company-cse-11-employees-election-deadlines\/","title":{"rendered":"When Must a Foreign-Owned French Company Set Up a CSE? The 11-Employee Threshold, Election Deadlines and Employer Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

A foreign-owned company can reach the French employee-representation threshold long before its overseas founders realise that a formal election process has become mandatory. The decisive question is not whether the parent company has a large international workforce, nor whether the managing director works from London, New York or Singapore. The starting point is the headcount of the French employer, calculated under the French Labour Code and monitored over time. Once the relevant threshold has been reached for the required period, the French company must organise a Comit\u00e9 social et \u00e9conomique<\/em> (CSE), usually translated as the Social and Economic Committee.<\/p>\n

This guide focuses on a French subsidiary, branch or other French employer operated by foreign founders and groups. It explains how to count employees, when the 11-employee threshold becomes operative, what changes at 50 employees, how to conduct the election from abroad, and what evidence should be kept if an employee, trade union or labour inspector challenges the process. It does not address an individual\u2019s immigration or relocation project, and it does not replace advice on the company\u2019s articles of association, tax residence or regulated activity.<\/p>\n

The practical risk is easy to underestimate. A French company may have its incorporation formalities in order, an up-to-date Kbis<\/em> (official extract from the commercial register), a French bank account and a payroll provider, yet still expose itself by failing to start the CSE procedure on time. The company should therefore treat headcount monitoring as a recurring compliance control, not as an administrative task to be discovered after a dispute.<\/p>\n

I. When must a foreign-owned French company set up a CSE after reaching 11 employees?<\/h2>\n

A. Which employees count, and when does the 12-month period begin?<\/h3>\n

The basic rule appears in Article L. 2311-2 of the French Labour Code<\/a>. Its official wording is: Un comit\u00e9 social et \u00e9conomique est mis en place dans les entreprises d’au moins onze salari\u00e9s. Sa mise en place n’est obligatoire que si l’effectif d’au moins onze salari\u00e9s est atteint pendant douze mois cons\u00e9cutifs.<\/q> In English, a CSE must be established in businesses with at least 11 employees, but the obligation arises only when the workforce of at least 11 has been reached for 12 consecutive months. The same provision sends the reader to the statutory headcount rules rather than allowing the employer to choose a convenient internal definition of \u201cemployee\u201d.<\/p>\n

For a foreign-owned company, the first control should identify the French legal employer shown on employment contracts and payroll records. A French Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 par actions simplifi\u00e9e<\/em> (SAS, a simplified joint-stock company) normally counts its own workforce. A French Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e0 responsabilit\u00e9 limit\u00e9e<\/em> (SARL, a private limited company) does the same. A branch must be analysed according to the employer structure and the contracts actually performed in France. The parent\u2019s total global headcount is not automatically added to the French entity simply because the parent owns all of its shares. Conversely, several French entities cannot be kept artificially separate if the facts support a legally recognised unit\u00e9 \u00e9conomique et sociale<\/em> (UES, an economic and social unit) or another rule requiring a broader analysis.<\/p>\n

Article L. 1111-2 of the French Labour Code<\/a> is the starting point for the calculation. The introductory sentence provides: Pour la mise en oeuvre des dispositions du pr\u00e9sent code, les effectifs de l’entreprise sont calcul\u00e9s conform\u00e9ment aux dispositions suivantes :<\/q> Full-time employees on open-ended employment contracts are generally counted in full. Fixed-term, intermittent, temporary and certain seconded or made-available workers may be counted in proportion to their presence or working time, subject to the statutory exceptions. Part-time employees are counted by reference to their total contractual hours. The calculation is therefore not a simple list of people who received a payslip in one month.<\/p>\n

The contract and reporting file should be read together. The company should reconcile employment contracts, payroll journals, the monthly d\u00e9claration sociale nominative<\/em> (DSN, the mandatory monthly social-security data filing), absences, temporary assignments and any employee made available by another group company. The URSSAF network, whose name refers to the French system for collecting social-security contributions, may receive payroll data, but a payroll transmission does not by itself prove that the CSE threshold analysis was correctly performed. The company needs a dated headcount schedule that explains inclusion and exclusion decisions month by month.<\/p>\n

A foreign parent\u2019s directors and executives deserve particular care. In Cass. soc., 27 May 2021, no. 20-10.638<\/a>, the Cour de cassation held, in the context of professional elections: Ne sont pas comptabilis\u00e9s dans les effectifs de l’entreprise, dans le cadre des \u00e9lections professionnelles, l’employeur, les mandataires sociaux, ou les cadres dirigeants mis \u00e0 disposition d’une filiale par la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 m\u00e8re pour y exercer les fonctions de direction et qui ne se trouvent pas sous un lien de subordination.<\/q> The point is not that every person sent by a foreign parent disappears from the calculation. The decisive facts include the person\u2019s legal role, the absence or existence of a relationship of subordination, the work actually performed and the entity that directs the employment relationship.<\/p>\n

That distinction is particularly important where a foreign founder is registered as president of an SAS but also performs operational work in France. Corporate office, employment status and social-security treatment are different questions. A managing director who is not an employee is not counted merely because the company uses the person\u2019s time. An executive who has a genuine employment contract and works under the French company\u2019s authority may require a different analysis. The file should document the contract, the corporate appointment, the reporting line, the remuneration and the practical instructions received.<\/p>\n

The 12-month period should be tracked continuously, rather than reconstructed after an employee asks for elections. The internal calendar should show the first month in which the statutory headcount reached 11, every subsequent month, any reduction that could interrupt the sequence, and the date on which the company considered the threshold confirmed. If the company uses a payroll provider in another country, the French director or authorised representative remains responsible for asking the questions and preserving the underlying data. A spreadsheet with no source documents is weak evidence; a monthly pack with contracts, payroll extracts and explanations is much easier to defend.<\/p>\n

Finally, do not confuse corporate registration with employee representation. The INPI (Institut national de la propri\u00e9t\u00e9 industrielle<\/em>, the French intellectual-property and business-formalities institute) and the French one-stop shop for business formalities<\/a> help process incorporation and changes. The greffe<\/em> is the registry of the relevant commercial court, and a BODACC notice is a publication in the official bulletin for civil and commercial notices. A Kbis, a BODACC notice or a tax account on impots.gouv.fr<\/a> does not replace the CSE election records. These documents prove different things and should not be treated as substitutes.<\/p>\n

B. What changes between 11\u201349 and 50+ employees?<\/h3>\n

From 11 employees, the CSE is not optional merely because the workforce is small or the business is managed in English. For a workforce between 11 and 49 employees, the elected delegation carries the employee-representation functions set out in the Labour Code. It presents individual and collective claims concerning pay, application of the Labour Code, social-protection rules and collective agreements. It also contributes to health, safety and working conditions and can alert the employer or contact the labour inspectorate. These functions are described in Article L. 2312-5 of the French Labour Code<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The employer must make it possible for elected representatives to perform the role. Article L. 2315-7<\/a> provides, in the official text: Le temps pass\u00e9 en d\u00e9l\u00e9gation est de plein droit consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme temps de travail et pay\u00e9 \u00e0 l’\u00e9ch\u00e9ance normale.<\/q> The representatives\u2019 statutory delegation hours cannot be treated as unpaid personal time. The article sets minimum monthly hours of 10 hours in companies with fewer than 50 employees and 16 hours in companies with at least 50 employees. The French company should therefore budget the time, provide a usable channel for claims and avoid requiring overseas approval for every ordinary representative activity.<\/p>\n

Meetings also need a working rhythm. The official Service-Public.fr guide on CSE meetings<\/a> explains that the frequency depends on the workforce and the applicable arrangement. In the 11\u201349 range, the employer must be able to receive and answer questions from the delegation within the statutory framework. Written questions and answers should be kept in French, with an English internal translation where the foreign parent needs to understand the issue. A remote meeting can be practical, but it should not make attendance, confidentiality or the preservation of minutes impossible.<\/p>\n

At 50 employees and above, the CSE\u2019s role becomes wider. The company enters the regime of recurring economic, financial, social, employment and health-and-safety consultations, subject to the precise statutory timetable and any valid collective agreement. The CSE may have additional operating resources, access to the economic and social database, and a role in significant changes affecting the business. A foreign group\u2019s board meeting abroad does not eliminate the French company\u2019s consultation duties. The French entity must plan the consultation at the point when a project is sufficiently developed for employee representatives to give a useful opinion, not after a decision has already been executed.<\/p>\n

Use the 50-employee boundary as an escalation trigger, not as the first moment when the company begins compliance. The headcount file should automatically flag a move from 10 to 11, and separately from 49 to 50. For a growing technology, logistics or professional-services company, the difference between a contractor, an employee, an employee of a staffing provider and a group secondee can change the date. The legal calendar should therefore be reviewed when a person joins, leaves, changes contract, moves from a foreign entity to the French entity or starts working under a different reporting line.<\/p>\n

The election itself has a defined composition. The number of seats and the number of candidates depend on the workforce range and the relevant electoral rules. The employer should not copy a template from a 200-person French company into an 11-person start-up, nor should it assume that a single founder can select a \u201cstaff representative\u201d. The representatives must be elected through the statutory process. A written note should identify the applicable workforce bracket, the number of titular and substitute seats, the electorate, the eligibility rules and the planned first and second rounds.<\/p>\n

For a foreign-owned company, the operational solution is often a French election lead supported by the overseas legal or HR team. The lead can prepare notices, keep the headcount calendar, organise a secure voting method and draft minutes. The foreign parent can receive an English management summary, but the process must remain anchored in the French employer, French employees and the French Labour Code. A language barrier is a reason to improve the process and translations; it is not a reason to postpone it.<\/p>\n

II. How should the foreign founder run the CSE election and prove compliance?<\/h2>\n

A. What notice, 30-day, 90-day and voting steps apply?<\/h3>\n

Once the company concludes that the threshold has been met for 12 consecutive months, it should start with a dated information notice to the workforce. Article L. 2314-4 of the French Labour Code<\/a> states: Le document diffus\u00e9 pr\u00e9cise la date envisag\u00e9e pour le premier tour. Celui-ci doit se tenir, au plus tard, le quatre-vingt-dixi\u00e8me jour suivant la diffusion.<\/q> The practical translation is that the first round cannot be left open-ended: the notice must identify the intended date and the first round must take place no later than the 90th day after the notice is circulated.<\/p>\n

The notice should be demonstrably accessible to all employees. For a distributed team, that can mean posting it at the French workplace, sending it through the company\u2019s employee channel, retaining the e-mail log and recording the date on which the information became available. A message sent only to the parent\u2019s directors is not a reliable notice to employees. The file should identify who circulated the notice, the method, the recipients or location, the headcount on that date and the proposed election calendar.<\/p>\n

The negotiation stage is the protocole d\u2019accord pr\u00e9\u00e9lectoral<\/em> (PAP, the pre-election agreement). The employer must apply the union-invitation rules in Article L. 2314-5 of the French Labour Code<\/a> and the other provisions that correspond to the workforce range. The 11\u201320 employee bracket has a specific candidate condition: an invitation to trade unions to negotiate is generally triggered if at least one employee candidate comes forward within the statutory 30-day period after the workforce has been informed. For companies with 21 employees or more, the union invitation and negotiation process must be organised in accordance with the ordinary statutory procedure. The company should use the official Labour Code text, rather than an overseas group election template, to verify each step.<\/p>\n

In practice, the 30-day checkpoint should be recorded separately from the 90-day election deadline. The file should show the date of the workforce notice, the end of the 30-day candidate window where the 11\u201320 rule applies, the dates on which unions were invited, any returned or unanswered invitations, the negotiations, the signed PAP or the employer\u2019s lawful unilateral decision where permitted, and the first-round date. If a union does not respond, keep the invitation and proof of delivery. If an employee asks a question about eligibility, answer it consistently and preserve the answer.<\/p>\n

The election rules include safeguards for the vote. Article L. 2314-17<\/a> states: L’\u00e9lection a lieu au scrutin secret sous enveloppe.<\/q> It also permits electronic voting within the statutory framework. A remote foreign-owned business may use electronic voting only after checking the applicable agreement or employer decision, the identity and eligibility controls, ballot secrecy, accessibility, the audit trail and the ability to preserve the results. A platform chosen because it is convenient for the parent company is not automatically compliant with French election requirements.<\/p>\n

The employer should separate the roles of organiser, voter and observer. The voter list should be checked against the French employer\u2019s workforce. Candidate lists should be checked against the applicable eligibility and gender-representation rules. The ballot process should identify the first and second rounds, the seats, the lists, the quorum or absence of quorum, the count, the elected representatives and any challenge. Where the team works in several time zones, voting access windows and the closing time should be stated in a way that does not disadvantage French employees.<\/p>\n

The election result must be documented even when the process is uneventful. Keep the notices, PAP, invitations, e-mails, delivery evidence, employee information, candidate declarations, voting instructions, attendance records, count sheets, election minutes and any transmission receipt. The business should maintain a French master file and can maintain an English management copy. Translating the file for the parent is sensible, but the French documents should not be replaced by an English summary that omits the dates or statutory wording.<\/p>\n

A useful timetable looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Control point<\/th>\nWhat the French company should record<\/th>\nTypical foreign-founder question<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Headcount month 1<\/td>\nThe first month at 11 employees under the statutory calculation<\/td>\nDoes a parent-company director count, and who is the actual employer?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Months 1\u201312<\/td>\nMonthly workforce evidence and any event that may interrupt continuity<\/td>\nAre contractors, temporary staff or secondees being classified correctly?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Threshold confirmed<\/td>\nThe date on which 12 consecutive months are complete<\/td>\nWho in France has authority to start the election process?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Information notice<\/td>\nPublication method, recipients, proposed first-round date<\/td>\nCan an overseas HR platform prove that French employees received it?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30-day checkpoint<\/td>\nCandidate activity and, where relevant, the union-invitation trigger<\/td>\nWhat is the correct next step if no employee stands?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
By day 90<\/td>\nFirst-round result, second-round documents if needed, and election minutes<\/td>\nCan the company show a complete, dated audit trail?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This timeline is a compliance framework, not a substitute for calculating the exact dates from the company\u2019s records. Holidays, a change of employer, a collective agreement, a UES finding or a dispute over an employee\u2019s status can alter the analysis. If the company is close to a deadline, it should obtain a French employment-law review before sending the notice or choosing a voting platform.<\/p>\n

B. What if nobody stands, an employee requests elections, or management gets it wrong?<\/h3>\n

A lack of candidates does not turn the employer\u2019s obligation into an informal arrangement. Article L. 2314-9<\/a> provides: Lorsque le comit\u00e9 social et \u00e9conomique n’a pas \u00e9t\u00e9 mis en place ou renouvel\u00e9, un proc\u00e8s-verbal de carence est \u00e9tabli par l’employeur.<\/q> In English, when the CSE has not been established or renewed, the employer must draw up a formal record of failure. The article also requires the employer to inform employees and transmit the record to the labour inspector within 15 days. A short internal note saying \u201cno one volunteered\u201d is not the same document.<\/p>\n

The proc\u00e8s-verbal de carence<\/em> (PV de carence, the formal report recording that the election produced no elected representatives or no valid candidates) must match what actually happened. It should not be prepared in advance to avoid organising a vote. The company should retain the notice, the candidate period, the evidence of invitations and the result supporting the report. If a candidate later comes forward, the company should not simply ignore the new information because an earlier template has already been signed.<\/p>\n

An employee request is another important trigger. Where no CSE exists, the employer must begin the election process within the statutory period after a valid request. The rules also protect the employer from an endless repeat process immediately after a properly recorded PV de carence: a further employee request is subject to the statutory waiting period. The practical lesson is to respond to a request with a dated legal analysis, not with silence or an informal promise to \u201cdeal with it after the next funding round\u201d. The response, the requested documents and the resulting procedure belong in the compliance file.<\/p>\n

Failure to organise the election can become a criminal and employment-law issue. Article L. 2317-1 of the French Labour Code<\/a> states: Le fait d’apporter une entrave soit \u00e0 la constitution d’un comit\u00e9 social et \u00e9conomique, soit \u00e0 la libre d\u00e9signation de ses membres, notamment par la m\u00e9connaissance des articles L. 2314-1 \u00e0 L. 2314-9 est puni d’un emprisonnement d’un an et d’une amende de 7 500 \u20ac.<\/q> The offence is commonly described as d\u00e9lit d’entrave<\/em>, obstruction of employee representation. The risk is not limited to a bad filing: preventing the constitution or free designation of the CSE can expose the employer and responsible decision-makers.<\/p>\n

The consequences can also arise in a dismissal dispute. Article L. 1235-15<\/a> provides that an economic dismissal procedure is irregular when the CSE was not established and no PV de carence exists, and it provides a minimum compensation rule in that situation. The employer should not assume that a dismissal decision taken by the foreign parent is outside the French process. If the French employer implements the decision, it must assess the French consultation and representation rules before the decision is announced or executed.<\/p>\n

Retaliation concerns require an additional safeguard. In Cass. soc., 28 June 2023, no. 22-11.699<\/a>, the Cour de cassation stated: lorsque les faits invoqu\u00e9s … ne caract\u00e9risent pas une cause r\u00e9elle et s\u00e9rieuse de licenciement, il appartient \u00e0 l’employeur de d\u00e9montrer que la rupture du contrat de travail ne constitue pas une mesure de r\u00e9torsion \u00e0 la demande ant\u00e9rieure du salari\u00e9 d’organiser des \u00e9lections professionnelles au sein de l’entreprise.<\/q> If an employee asks for elections and is then dismissed, the company should assume that the chronology may be examined closely. Keep the legitimate business reason, decision record, selection criteria and timing evidence; do not create a retrospective explanation after the dispute has begun.<\/p>\n

Foreign groups should also be careful when they describe the French site as a \u201csmall office\u201d with no autonomous establishment. The CSE perimeter and the question of distinct establishments depend on facts and statutory rules, not on the labels used in an investor presentation. In Cass. soc., 17 April 2019, no. 18-22.948<\/a>, the Cour de cassation held: ce n’est que lorsque, \u00e0 l’issue d’une tentative loyale de n\u00e9gociation, un accord collectif n’a pu \u00eatre conclu que l’employeur peut fixer par d\u00e9cision unilat\u00e9rale le nombre et le p\u00e9rim\u00e8tre des \u00e9tablissements distincts.<\/q> The decision reinforces the importance of a loyal negotiation before a unilateral determination of the number and scope of distinct establishments.<\/p>\n

Centralised foreign management does not automatically eliminate local autonomy. In Cass. soc., 11 December 2019, no. 19-17.298<\/a>, the Cour de cassation stated: La centralisation de fonctions support et l’existence de proc\u00e9dures de gestion d\u00e9finies au niveau du si\u00e8ge ne sont pas de nature \u00e0 exclure l’autonomie de gestion des responsables d’\u00e9tablissement.<\/q> A group can centralise finance, HR technology or legal approvals and still need to examine whether the French establishment has sufficient management autonomy for the relevant CSE analysis. The exact perimeter should be documented rather than assumed from the group chart.<\/p>\n

When the company believes it has completed the process, it should run a close-out review. Confirm that the workforce calculation is signed off, the 12-month period is evidenced, the notice was circulated, the 30-day and 90-day dates were respected, the PAP and union invitations are present, the voting method was authorised and secure, the minutes are complete, and any PV de carence was transmitted within 15 days. If the CSE exists, confirm the first meeting date, the representative contact channel, the delegation hours and the meeting calendar. If the headcount is now 50 or more, add the recurring consultation and database review to the annual legal calendar.<\/p>\n

The company should also make the file usable during an inspection or transaction. Name the French employer consistently across the employment contracts, payroll, DSN records, notices and minutes. Store the documents in a controlled folder with access rights and a change log. Keep the French originals and any English translations together. Record the person responsible for the CSE, the replacement contact and the external employment lawyer\u2019s details. A future purchaser or lender may ask for evidence that the workforce was properly represented; a clean file can prevent a minor question from becoming a warranty or indemnity dispute.<\/p>\n

Several common shortcuts should be rejected. The first is counting only employees physically present in the Paris office while ignoring remote employees employed by the French entity. The second is counting every person in the multinational group without checking the legal employer and subordination relationship. The third is holding a meeting with volunteers and calling it an election. The fourth is asking an overseas provider to generate a template without checking the French statutory dates. The fifth is preparing a PV de carence before giving employees a real opportunity to stand. Each shortcut creates an evidential weakness that is harder to repair after a complaint.<\/p>\n

The safest operating model is a quarterly review with event-driven updates. Review the headcount after every hire, departure, contract change, secondment, acquisition or restructuring. Ask whether a UES analysis is needed when several French companies share premises, management or staff. At 10 employees, prepare the documentation needed to calculate the next month. At 11 employees, start the 12-month tracker. Before month 12 ends, identify the French election lead and obtain a review of the notice and PAP. At 50 employees, escalate the calendar to a full CSE consultation programme.<\/p>\n

For a foreign founder, this process has a commercial advantage as well as a legal one. It gives the parent a reliable view of French employee relations, reduces surprises during financing or due diligence<\/a>, and establishes a documented route for workplace questions. It also helps distinguish a genuine French employment issue from a group-level decision that needs local implementation. The CSE should be treated as a structured channel for dialogue, not as an obstacle to the parent\u2019s growth plan.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

A foreign-owned French company must focus on the French employer\u2019s statutory headcount, not on the parent\u2019s nationality or global organisation chart. The CSE obligation starts when at least 11 employees have been reached for 12 consecutive months under the French calculation rules. The company must then give proper information, respect the 30-day and 90-day milestones where they apply, organise the election, preserve the result and prepare a PV de carence if the process genuinely produces no elected representatives. At 50 employees, the CSE regime expands and the company\u2019s consultation calendar must become more comprehensive.<\/p>\n

The practical priority is evidence: a monthly headcount file, a dated election timetable, French notices and minutes, proof of union invitations, voting records, transmission receipts and a clear allocation of responsibility between the French entity and its foreign parent. A Kbis, payroll account or parent-company policy cannot replace that file. If the company is close to 11 or 50 employees, or if an employee has already requested an election, a prompt review under the French Labour Code can prevent a preventable compliance failure.<\/p>\n

For a broader map of the French company-law and operating topics that affect foreign founders, see the French company law and international business hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Need a quick opinion on your case<\/h2>\n

Book a telephone consultation within 48 hours with a lawyer from our firm.<\/p>\n

We can review your French headcount, election deadline, foreign-parent structure and compliance evidence.<\/p>\n

+33 6 46 60 58 22<\/a><\/p>\n

Contact the firm through the online form<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A practical legal guide for foreign founders: how France counts employees, when the 11-employee CSE threshold is reached, how to run the election, and how to document compliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251031309,"featured_media":16528,"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-2113413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-decryptage","category-doing-business-in-france"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Must a Foreign-Owned French Company Set Up a CSE? The 11-Employee Threshold, Election Deadlines and Employer Risk - Ma\u00eetre Reda Kohen, Real Estate and Business Law Attorney in Paris<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/08\/29\/foreign-owned-french-company-cse-11-employees-election-deadlines\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Must a Foreign-Owned French Company Set Up a CSE? 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