French CPA in Strasbourg for foreign companies
Subsidiary, branch or a new entity: we take on your French accounting, tax and payroll obligations. Paris-based firm, work handled remotely, English-speaking contact for 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 Strasbourg?
Your German, Swiss, UK or US group is opening an entity in the Strasbourg area, and nobody on your side knows the French chart of accounts or the DSN payroll filing. We handle the full chain: branch or subsidiary decision, registration, bookkeeping under French GAAP, VAT returns, payroll for your first local hires, statutory accounts and the annual tax package, then reporting to your parent company in group format. Our French CPA in Paris for foreign companies service is the single point of entry: one chartered accountant registered with the Ordre des Experts-Comptables as your contact, English with your head office, French with the tax authorities. The firm is based in Paris and has no office in Alsace: the work is run remotely, with video meetings, electronic signature and secure document collection.
- 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
Choosing the structure and registering your Alsace entity
Branch, subsidiary or an unintended permanent establishment: the decision shapes your French tax position for years, and it needs settling before you file, not after. We frame the trade-off, then handle the formalities: capital deposit, articles of association, beneficial ownership, INPI one-stop shop, Kbis extract, intra-EU VAT number, and an EORI number where your entity clears goods itself from outside the EU.
French GAAP bookkeeping and reporting to the parent company
Your French entity keeps its books under the plan comptable général; your group consolidates under IFRS or US GAAP. We produce both: the statutory accounts the French tax authorities work from, and the reporting pack your head office expects, on your close calendar, mapped to your group chart of accounts. Intercompany flows (recharges, management fees, loans) are documented as they happen, because that is the first thing a French tax inspector asks for.
Our services in Strasbourg
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 Strasbourg
Seen from a foreign head office, Strasbourg runs on three economies: an institutional one, around the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights; an industrial and logistics one, anchored on the Rhine and its port, where German and Swiss groups run their French operations; and life sciences research, concentrated in Illkirch. Two facts shape any setup: the German border is a few tram stops away, and Alsace-Moselle local law applies to your employment contracts.
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 Strasbourg: four steps to frame early
Everything you need to know about doing business in Strasbourg
Registration and filings
Every incorporation goes through the INPI one-stop shop, but the file is processed locally, with a twist: in Alsace-Moselle the commercial register is kept by the registry of the tribunal judiciaire, not by a commercial court as elsewhere in France. Plan for the parent company documents: a home country register extract with sworn translation, proof of identity and address for the director, a capital deposit certificate for a subsidiary. An incomplete file goes back in the queue.
VAT and filing obligations
A foreign company carrying out taxable transactions in France must register for French VAT. On a Rhine-side operation, cross-border flows are the norm: import VAT reverse charge, the recapitulative statement for goods, the European services declaration, and the EMEBI statistical survey once you pass the thresholds. Since 1 September 2026, every VAT-registered business must be able to receive electronic invoices; the issuing timetable that applies to your entity is checked case by case.
Payroll and Alsace-Moselle local law
Employees based in the Bas-Rhin fall under the local health insurance scheme: an additional employee contribution, set at 1.30% as of 1 January 2026, with no employer share. They also get two extra public holidays, Good Friday in municipalities with a Protestant or mixed church, and 26 December (article L. 3134-13 of the Labour Code). Sick pay continuation is more generous than under general French law. These are employer obligations, not options.
Cross-border staff and regional support
Hiring a German resident, or seconding someone from the parent company, is not an ordinary hire. Social security affiliation comes first (A1 certificate), and homeworking from Germany can move it: a European framework agreement allows it to stay in France, on request, below 50% remote work. The frontier worker rules in the France-Germany treaty can also give taxing rights on the salary to the country of residence. On funding, the Grand Est region and the Eurométropole support some inward investment projects: eligibility and amounts are checked when you file.
Frequently asked questions — Chartered accountant in Strasbourg
Answers to questions entrepreneurs in Strasbourg ask most
Should we set up a subsidiary or open a branch in Strasbourg?
A branch has no separate legal personality: the parent company remains liable, and the French result is taxable once there is a permanent establishment. A subsidiary (SAS or SARL) ring-fences the risk and makes hiring easier, in exchange for statutory accounts, filing and governance of its own. How long you plan to stay and the operational risk usually decide.
When do we need to register for French VAT?
As soon as your company has taxable transactions in France: sales from stock held in France, services falling under French place-of-supply rules, imports. VAT registration does not automatically create a permanent establishment for corporate income tax: the two tests are assessed separately, and treating them as one is expensive on audit.
What does it take to hire our first employee in Strasbourg?
The DPAE hiring declaration within the eight days before the start date, a contract matching the collective agreement, pension, health and death-in-service registrations, then the monthly DSN filing. Two points specific to the Bas-Rhin: the local scheme contribution, set at 1.30% as of 1 January 2026, and two extra public holidays.
Can you produce reporting for our parent company under IFRS or US GAAP?
Yes. The French books stay under the plan comptable général: that is the set the tax authorities rely on and the basis for the tax package. Alongside it, we produce the reporting pack your group expects, mapped to your chart of accounts.
Do you work in English with our head office?
Yes. Day-to-day exchanges, close meetings and reporting packs are in English with your finance team. Documents for the tax authorities, the social security bodies and the court registry stay in French, as the rules require.
Can you support us remotely from Paris?
Yes. The firm is based in Paris and has no office in Strasbourg: meetings by video, engagement letter and corporate documents signed electronically, paperwork through a secure space. Meeting the obligations of an Alsace entity takes no physical presence on site.
Let's meet
Whether by video (100% remote) or at the office, we are available to audit your accounting.