French CPA in Marseille for foreign companies and subsidiaries
A Paris-based chartered accountancy firm working with foreign groups that set up or operate in the Marseille area. Fully remote, in English or French.
Looking for our main English-speaking practice in Paris? See our dedicated hub for international businesses, foreign-headquartered groups and French subsidiaries.
English-speaking accountant in ParisWhy choose Hayot Expertise for Marseille?
If you run a foreign company with a site around Marseille, you need an accountant who works to French standards and reports to your head office in its own language. We handle the full cycle: choosing between a subsidiary, a branch and a permanent establishment, registration, bookkeeping under the French chart of accounts, VAT returns, local payroll, statutory accounts and the tax return, then monthly reporting in your group format, IFRS or US GAAP. It all runs remotely: our Paris French CPA service, applied to the Marseille area.
- Dedicated team, response guaranteed within 24 working hours
- Digital interface, paperless, 24/7 access
- Transparent pricing, no hidden fees
- Firm registered with the Order of Chartered Accountants
Our expertise tailored to your business
Subsidiary, branch or permanent establishment
A French subsidiary, SAS or SARL, ring-fences risk and makes hiring and banking straightforward. A branch stays part of the parent company, with no share capital of its own. A permanent establishment can arise from recurring activity on the ground with no registered entity, and trigger French corporate income tax. We settle this with your head office, then handle the articles, the capital deposit, the legal notice and the one-stop-shop filing through to the Kbis.
French statutory accounts and group reporting
A foreign group serves two sets of rules: the French one, which drives the tax return and the filing of accounts, and the group's own, for consolidation. We keep the books under the French chart of accounts, file VAT and prepare the statutory accounts, then deliver a monthly restated trial balance in IFRS or US GAAP on your group close calendar.
Our services in Marseille
A comprehensive offering designed for entrepreneurs, executives and investors.
Accounting & financial statements
Bookkeeping, tax returns, monthly dashboards.
Tax optimisation
Corporate tax, income tax, VAT, R&D credits.
Payroll & HR
Payslips, employment contracts, HR management.
Business structuring
Entity choice, incorporation, fundraising, shareholder agreements.
Wealth & real estate
Real estate companies, wealth planning, inheritance.
International & expats
Expats, transfer pricing, foreign accounts, double taxation.
The economic ecosystem of Marseille
Seen from a foreign head office, Marseille is first a logistics and digital gateway. Around Marseille-Fos, France's main Mediterranean port, sits a dense cluster of shipping lines, freight forwarders, customs brokers and marine insurers. Euroméditerranée, a national-interest scheme launched in 1995, has produced the metropolitan area's main office district. The city is also a major submarine cable landing point, which draws data centres and software firms.
Areas served
How to work with us
Free audit
We analyse your situation in 10 minutes, with no commitment.
Tailored proposal
Clear and transparent quote, tailored to your activity and budget.
Ongoing support
Your dedicated accountant responds within 24h, available year-round.
Setting up in Marseille: four things to get right
Everything you need to know about doing business in Marseille
Registration and the local court registry
The incorporation file goes through the INPI one-stop shop, but it is the Marseille registry, a tribunal des activités économiques since January 2025 under a pilot scheme, that reviews it and issues the Kbis. Parent-company documents (articles, a recent registration extract, the representative's ID) need translating and, depending on the country, apostilling. Proof of French premises is also required.
VAT, customs and cross-border flows
A Marseille site often carries import and re-export flows. The intra-EU VAT number does not come with the Kbis extract: it is requested from the local business tax office. Import VAT has been reverse-charged automatically since 2022 for any business VAT-registered in France, provided the EORI and French VAT numbers are correctly quoted on import declarations.
First local hire and French payroll
The first local employee triggers a chain of obligations: a DPAE filing before the start date, a contract drafted in French, enrolment with a pension fund, death and disability cover, a health plan and the branch training body, then monthly DSN filings. The collective agreement follows the actual business carried on, not the activity code picked at registration.
Local taxes and customs regimes
Suspensive customs regimes, customs warehousing or inward processing, often fit storage and re-export outside the European Union: they require authorisation and stock accounting. On local taxes, CFE follows the rental value of the premises and locally voted rates, and property tax, passed on by most leases, differs by municipality.
Frequently asked questions — Chartered accountant in Marseille
Answers to questions entrepreneurs in Marseille ask most
Subsidiary or branch for a presence in the Marseille area?
A branch is not a separate legal entity: the parent stays liable for French debts and files its own accounts in France. A subsidiary ring-fences risk and makes hiring and banking easier, but needs share capital and governance. The decision turns on the risk your group accepts and how long the presence should last.
How long does it take to register a French company?
We do not commit to a fixed timeline: it depends on the file and on the registry. Two steps are structurally slow on a foreign file: translating and apostilling the parent-company documents, and the capital deposit when the bank wants to identify the legal representative.
How do we get a French intra-EU VAT number?
It is requested from the business tax office covering the French address; it does not come with the Kbis extract. Filing frequency then depends on turnover and the type of flows. If you import, check that your EORI and French VAT numbers are correctly quoted at customs.
Who runs payroll for our first employee in France?
We do, end to end: DPAE filing, employment contract, enrolment with pension, insurance and health bodies, monthly payslips, DSN filings and the payroll entries. Your head office sends us the monthly variables, and the collective agreement follows the actual activity.
Can you produce the reporting our parent company expects?
Yes. Statutory books stay under the French chart of accounts, the only basis that counts for the tax return and the filing of accounts. We also deliver a restated trial balance in IFRS or US GAAP, differences reconciled and commented, on your group close calendar.
Can you support us remotely from Paris?
Yes. The firm is based in Paris and has no office in Marseille: the work is done remotely, with video calls, electronic signature for the engagement letter and corporate documents, and electronic filing of returns. We can travel down occasionally when a file calls for it.
Let's meet
Whether by video (100% remote) or at the office, we are available to audit your accounting.