Is it possible to have a foreign legal representative in France?

Foreign legal representatives
If you want to have a foreign legal representative in France, it is possible, but this must follow a certain set of rules. As such, here’s what to look out for.

Foreign legal representatives in France

The short answer is: Yes, absolutely!
However, this must follow a certain set of rules. As such, here’s what to look out for if you want to have a foreign legal representative in France.

The obligations to fulfill to create a company in France

If you live in France, or if you plan to settle there, you need to have a residence permit that allows you to create a company. You can find more about the residence permits that allow you to do that here.
Keep in mind, however, that if you come from the EU, you don’t need a residence permit.

But even if you don’t live in the EU, you can still create a company in France! Procedures can be a bit complicated, but nothing prevents you from creating a company in France and leading it from afar, but we’ll get back to this later.

How does taxation work for the legal representative?

In most cases, if you live in another country, the French government will calculate the taxes you would have to pay in your country, and give these taxes back to the government of said State.

Although, if you spend most of your time in France, depending on the situation, you might end up being subject to the French taxation.

Managing the company from afar

As we mentioned earlier, in principle, there’s nothing preventing you from managing a French company from afar. There are a couple of factors that can make this a bit more complicated, though.

For example, in the case of the SARL, the manager is the one who has to present the company’s balance sheet in General Meetings. The manager also has to be present when contracts involving the company are signed.

Thankfully, it is possible to do most of this online. However, a foreign manager has to be especially careful when proceeding.

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