French CPA in Nice and Sophia-Antipolis for foreign companies
We are a Paris-based accounting firm. We handle French bookkeeping, VAT and payroll for a subsidiary or a branch operating between Nice, Sophia-Antipolis and Cannes, working remotely and in English with your head office.
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 Nice?
A foreign company opening a subsidiary or a branch between Nice and Sophia-Antipolis needs one counterpart who can keep the books under French GAAP, file French VAT, run payroll for the first local hires and hand those numbers back to the parent in its own reporting language. That is the scope of our French CPA service for foreign companies: choosing the structure, registering the entity, bookkeeping, tax filings, payroll and DSN returns, statutory accounts and group reporting. The firm is based in Paris and works remotely across the Riviera: video meetings, electronic signature, document collection on a secure platform.
- 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 on the Riviera
The legal form is settled before registration: a subsidiary (SAS or SARL) with its own legal personality, a branch that remains part of the parent company, or a permanent establishment as defined by the applicable tax treaty. That choice drives corporate tax, group exposure and filing duties. We then handle the INPI one-stop-shop filing, the beneficial ownership declaration, the translated parent documents, the intra-EU VAT number and the EORI number.
French GAAP bookkeeping and reporting back to the parent
Your subsidiary keeps its books under French GAAP while the group consolidates under IFRS or US GAAP. We deliver both: French statutory accounts that stand up to the tax authorities and the auditors, plus a monthly or quarterly reporting pack in your head office format and on your closing timetable. Recurring differences (leases, provisions, revenue recognition, holiday accruals) are set out in a bridge schedule to consolidation.
Our services in Nice
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 Nice
Seen from a foreign group, the Riviera is an unusual place to land. Sophia-Antipolis concentrates international R&D centres, software companies and public research institutes. The airport connects the region to North America and the Gulf without routing through Paris. The Monaco border shapes part of the local labour market, under its own social security and tax rules, and office activity spreads across L'Arenas, Nice Méridia and the Cannes area.
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 and running a French entity on the Riviera
Everything you need to know about doing business in Nice
Registration and the local commercial court
The incorporation file goes through the INPI one-stop shop, then it is processed by the commercial court registry covering the registered office: the department has four, in Nice, Antibes, Cannes and Grasse. Expect articles of association, proof of premises, the director's declaration of no criminal conviction, the beneficial ownership declaration and, for the foreign parent, a recent register extract, translated and sometimes apostilled.
VAT and filing obligations
A subsidiary on the standard regime files monthly CA3 returns, or quarterly ones if the VAT due stays under 4,000 euros a year; the annual simplified regime (CA12) ends on 1 January 2027. A foreign company with no permanent establishment but taxable transactions in France follows a different path: check whether a VAT-only registration is enough. Add the EU recapitulative statement for goods, the DES return for services, and mandatory receipt of electronic invoices, in force for all VAT-registered businesses since 1 September 2026.
First hire and French payroll
The DPAE hiring declaration reaches URSSAF before the first day worked, the contract is drafted in French, and the collective bargaining agreement follows the actual activity: Syntec for engineering and consulting, HCR for hotels and restaurants, two sectors strongly represented locally. Then come the supplementary pension, health and provident registrations, and the monthly DSN return. The director's own social security status is settled before the first payslip.
Regional points to settle early
Two local questions are worth settling before you commit. An employee living in France and working in Monaco falls under specific social security and tax rules, to be checked before any cross-border hire. And R&D operations around Sophia-Antipolis look at the research tax credit and the innovative new company status: both need a substantiation file built from year one, never reconstructed at the close.
Frequently asked questions — Chartered accountant in Nice
Answers to questions entrepreneurs in Nice ask most
Subsidiary or branch: which one for setting up in Nice?
A subsidiary is a standalone French company with its own share capital, accounts and corporate tax liability. A branch remains an extension of the parent, whose liability is engaged: it avoids share capital and articles of association, but exposes the group further.
When does our foreign company need a French VAT number?
As soon as it carries out transactions taxable in France, a French VAT number may be required even with no permanent establishment and no local staff: goods sold from local stock, services taxable in France, distance sales above the thresholds. The analysis is done flow by flow.
How do we run payroll for our first hire on the Riviera?
You need an active SIRET number, a DPAE filed before the start date, a French contract, the applicable collective agreement and the pension, health and provident registrations. We then produce the payslips and the monthly DSN return, and give the parent the full employer cost, contributions included.
Can you produce the reporting our parent company requires?
Yes. We keep the statutory books under French GAAP and deliver a parallel reporting pack in your group format, under IFRS or US GAAP, on your closing timetable. Adjustments are set out in a bridge schedule your auditors can follow through to consolidation.
Do you work in English with our finance team?
Yes. Meetings, closing reviews, technical notes and reporting run in English with your head office, while documents filed with the tax and social security authorities stay in French, as the regulations require.
Do you have an office in Nice, or do you work remotely?
The firm is based in Paris and has no office on the Riviera: the engagement runs remotely, through video meetings, electronic signature, document collection on a secure platform and accounts available online. No travel is needed to open the file or to run it.
Let's meet
Whether by video (100% remote) or at the office, we are available to audit your accounting.