Set up a business in France
Streamlined procedure
On the www.guichet-entreprises.fr website, you can set up your business online and find out everything you need to know about the procedure.
Go to the “services en ligne - Guichet création d'entreprise” section. There are versions of the website in several foreign languages.
By contacting a Business Registration Centre (CFE), you can carry out all the administrative procedures for setting up your business in the same place.
> Find the right CFE for your business activity
Selecting the legal structure and tax regime
It is vital to choose the right tax regime.
The Entrepreneur’s Tax Handbook (livret fiscal du créateur d’entreprise) provides essential information on the choice of regimes for VAT and taxation of your business’s profits, the obligation for professionals to file returns online, deadlines and practical details on eligibility for exemptions.
A business’s tax regime is conditional upon its legal structure, the type of business activity carried on and the turnover recorded. If you have a permanent activity and a permanent establishment in France, its income from French sources is liable to all French corporate taxes.
A foreign national may be obliged to complete different procedures to carry on a business activity in France, which will vary according to his/her nationality and place of residence.