{"id":2113945,"date":"2026-08-30T17:03:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T15:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/2026\/08\/30\/first-annual-accounts-french-company-after-incorporation-foreign-founder\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T17:03:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T15:03:42","slug":"first-annual-accounts-french-company-after-incorporation-foreign-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.fr\/en\/2026\/08\/30\/first-annual-accounts-french-company-after-incorporation-foreign-founder\/","title":{"rendered":"First Annual Accounts of a French Company After Incorporation: Deadlines, Approval and Filing for Foreign Founders"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first annual accounts of a French company do not necessarily fall due twelve months after incorporation. The decisive date is the closing date of the first accounting year stated in the company\u2019s constitutional documents and registered information. A founder who incorporates a soci\u00e9t\u00e9 par actions simplifi\u00e9e<\/em> (SAS, a simplified joint-stock company), a SASU (a single-shareholder SAS), a soci\u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e0 responsabilit\u00e9 limit\u00e9e<\/em> (SARL, a private limited-liability company) or an EURL (a single-member SARL) must therefore calculate three different moments: the closing of the first financial year, the approval of the accounts, and the filing of the approved documents with the greffe<\/em>. The greffe<\/em> is the registry office attached to the competent commercial court.<\/p>\n

This distinction matters especially for a foreign founder or foreign parent company. A first year can be short, close to twelve months, or longer when the chosen closing date requires it, subject to the applicable limits. The French company must still keep its own statutory accounts even when the group prepares consolidated accounts abroad. It must also preserve a reliable chain of authority for a remote approval, use documents that meet French filing requirements, and leave enough time for the French registry filing after the corporate decision. The familiar Kbis<\/em> is the company extract showing registration information; it is not a substitute for annual accounts.<\/p>\n

The objective is a dated compliance calendar for a French company owned or managed from abroad. This guide excludes immigration, property purchases and French-language company-law drafting. See the firm\u2019s French business law and company formation service page<\/a> for the wider formation framework.<\/p>\n

I. When Are the First Annual Accounts of a French Company Due After Incorporation?<\/h2>\n

A. How Do You Determine the First Accounting Year and Its Closing Date?<\/h3>\n

A French company\u2019s first accounting year is a period, not simply the first calendar year shown on the incorporation certificate. Start with the date on which the company acquired its legal existence through registration, then read the articles of association and the registration information for the selected closing date. The closing date is often 31 December, but it may be another date chosen for the business cycle, the parent company\u2019s reporting timetable, or the availability of the accounting team. Article R. 123-53 of the French Commercial Code requires the company to declare, in its registration application, the closing date of the accounting year when the company is subject to publication of its annual accounts. The provision appears in the official L\u00e9gifrance provisions on corporate registration declarations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first year therefore runs from the company\u2019s effective start point to the first selected closing date. A company registered on 15 January with a 31 December closing date will have a first period of almost twelve months. A company registered on 20 November with the same closing date will have a short first period. A company registered late in a calendar year may instead choose a closing date in the following year, creating a first period longer than twelve months. That choice can be commercially sensible, but it must be recorded consistently in the articles, the registration file, the accounting system, the tax analysis and the board or shareholder information pack.<\/p>\n

The upper limit for the first accounting year is a crucial planning point. Official French administrative guidance on the closing date of a company\u2019s accounting year<\/a> recognises that the first year may be shorter or longer than twelve months, with a maximum of twenty-four months. A foreign parent that assumes that the first accounts are due six months after incorporation can therefore create a false emergency; a parent that assumes that the first accounts can wait two full years without checking the selected closing date can create a missed deadline. The company\u2019s actual closing date controls the next steps.<\/p>\n

The same analysis applies whether the shareholder is an individual abroad or a foreign legal person. A French subsidiary is a separate legal person. Its first French statutory accounts cannot be replaced by the parent\u2019s US GAAP, IFRS or UK statutory accounts. A French branch is different because it is an establishment of the foreign company rather than a separate company, and its filing package follows its own rules. A founder must identify this distinction before asking an accountant to copy the parent\u2019s annual reporting calendar into the French file.<\/p>\n

Article L. 123-12 of the Commercial Code is the starting point for the accounting obligation. The current text states: \u201cElle doit \u00e9tablir des comptes annuels \u00e0 la cl\u00f4ture de l’exercice au vu des enregistrements comptables et de l’inventaire. Ces comptes annuels comprennent le bilan, le compte de r\u00e9sultat et une annexe, qui forment un tout indissociable.<\/em>\u201d In English, the company must prepare annual accounts at the close of the accounting year from its accounting records and inventory; the accounts comprise the balance sheet, income statement and notes as an inseparable whole. The full provision is available on L\u00e9gifrance, Article L. 123-12<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This means that a newly formed company should not wait for substantial turnover before building its accounting evidence. Capital paid into the company, incorporation expenses, bank charges, founder expenses reimbursed by the company, invoices from the foreign parent, payroll, VAT and professional fees all belong in the records when the relevant rules require them. A dormant or nearly dormant company may have a small first set of accounts, but it still needs a reliable ledger, supporting documents and an inventory process. \u201cNo sales\u201d is not the same as \u201cno accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The closing date also affects the apparent length of the following calendar. Assume that a French SAS is registered on 10 November 2026. If its first closing date is 31 December 2026, the first accounts cover a short period and the company will quickly enter its first approval and filing cycle. If the articles use 30 September 2027, the first period is longer and gives more time to establish operations, but it also produces a first reporting package that covers more than a simple launch month. If the company changes its closing date after incorporation, the decision must be checked under the articles, the Commercial Code, accounting standards and tax rules. It should not be treated as an informal administrative correction.<\/p>\n

The accounting records must also respect a language and currency rule that is easy to overlook in an international group. Article L. 123-22 of the Commercial Code provides that \u201cLes documents comptables sont \u00e9tablis en euros et en langue fran\u00e7aise.<\/em>\u201d The obligation concerns the accounting documents, not the language of every internal group conversation. A foreign parent can prepare an English management pack, but the French statutory file must be capable of being read and filed in the required French form. Article L. 123-22 also addresses the retention of accounting documents for ten years. The official text is available through L\u00e9gifrance\u2019s accounting-obligations section<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Four questions should be answered in writing at incorporation:<\/p>\n