INSIGHTS & ANSWERS
Everything you need to navigate your France-US expansion with absolute clarity.
2026 VAT Reform: The Role of Accredited Platforms (PA/PDP) France is preparing for its most significant fiscal transformation with the mandatory rollout of electronic invoicing (e-invoicing). For scale-ups operating between the United States and France, the challenge is no longer just fiscal—it is technological. While the Public Billing Portal (Portail Public de Facturation - [...]
Can we have a single financial reporting system for both France and the United States? The answer is yes, but only at the Group Consolidation level. It is legally impossible to use a single, raw data set as the source for both countries because French law mandates Statutory Accounting (PCG), while US headquarters requires [...]
Data sovereignty and security: Are US cloud accounting tools compliant with French and EU regulations? When integrating US-based cloud ERP or accounting solutions to manage a French subsidiary, a critical non-financial risk emerges: data sovereignty and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The core conflict lies between US government data access laws [...]
Which software architecture should be adopted to manage subsidiaries in both the US and France? Choosing the right software stack is a critical decision for groups operating in both the United States and France. The primary challenge is resolving the inherent conflict between French statutory compliance (PCG - Plan Comptable Général) and the US [...]
Can You Use U.S. Accounting Software for a French Subsidiary? The short answer is no. American and French accounting solutions are generally not compatible out-of-the-box due to fundamental differences in legal, tax, and regulatory requirements. You cannot simply use a US-based accounting platform to manage the mandatory local bookkeeping for a French entity. The [...]
Is it possible to start business activities in France without incorporating immediately? The short answer is yes. It is entirely possible to test the French market or gain a foothold without the immediate requirement of establishing a full French subsidiary. However, the nature of your activities, specifically whether you intend to generate revenue, will [...]
Managing the Gap: US GAAP vs. French Accounting Standards For a U.S. company launching a subsidiary in France or a French "scale-up" entering the U.S. market, financial reporting is rarely a "plug and play" process. The challenge isn’t just translating Euros to Dollars, it’s navigating two fundamentally different accounting philosophies. French accounting is traditionally [...]
Opening a subsidiary in France: the complete guide Establishing a subsidiary in France is one of the most common and reliable ways for U.S. companies to build a meaningful local presence. A subsidiary is a separate legal entity, most often a SAS (Société par actions simplifiée) or a SASU (Société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle). [...]
The hidden cost of dismissal: managing French terminations For a US scale-up, agility is often synonymous with the "at-will employment" doctrine, where a separation can be immediate and without a specific reason. In France, the paradigm is radically different. Every contract termination is governed by strict formalism and strong employee protections. For a US [...]
Financing R&D in France: The CIR Guide for US Firms France has established itself as one of the most attractive technological hubs in Europe, largely due to a highly competitive innovation support policy. For an American company planning on opening a business in France, the research tax credit, known locally as the Crédit d’Impôt [...]
