Can a foreign company own the French subsidiary?

Yes. The dossier needs to establish the foreign shareholder’s identity, ownership and authority to act. Register extracts, translations, certification and additional evidence may be required depending on the documents and institutions involved.

Does the parent company need to travel to France?

Many legal steps can be coordinated remotely. Banks and public authorities may require specific checks, certified documents or originals. We identify the expected requirements when scoping the engagement.

Is a subsidiary always preferable to a branch?

No. Separate legal personality is one consideration. Activity, management, parent exposure, costs and the legal and tax context also matter. Compare the routes before assuming that a French company is required.

French business law · Lancier Avocats

Set Up a French Subsidiary

A French subsidiary is a company with its own legal personality, owned by your foreign business. Lancier Avocats helps you examine the structure, prepare the French legal documents and coordinate the agreed establishment steps.

Guillaume Prom Thiounn · Attorney at the Paris Bar · Updated 9 October 2026

Assess Your French Expansion Fees & scope

Foreign parent company
French subsidiary
Contracts · Employees · Operations

01 / Key considerations

Start with the parent company and the project.

We first establish who will own the shares, who can approve the investment and who will represent the French company. Your choice of legal form should reflect how the subsidiary will operate and develop.

Parent-company registration and constitutional documents
Evidence of authority to invest and sign
Ownership and beneficial-owner information
Proposed management powers and shareholder decisions

02 / Key considerations

Prepare the French legal foundations.

Articles of association define the governance of the French entity. Capital, address, signatures and foreign document requirements need to be coordinated alongside the legal drafting.

SAS / SASU or other structure assessed for the project
Articles and incorporation acts prepared by your lawyer
Share capital and banking dossier requirements
Independent registered office provider, where needed

03 / Key considerations

Plan beyond the Kbis.

Registration is the beginning of the subsidiary’s corporate life. Agree how approvals, registers and future changes will be handled, and identify any tax, accounting, employment or regulatory work that needs separate specialist support.

Corporate approvals and annual accounts filing
Changes in management or capital
Commercial and intragroup contracts
Coordination with the parent company’s existing advisers

Practical questions

Before you choose.

General information, not advice on a particular project. For official background, see Business France’s establishment options and company formation steps.

Legal services are provided by Lancier Avocats. View Guillaume Prom Thiounn’s professional profile.

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