Doing business in France

Untangling legal, accounting, payroll and taxation regulations for companies considering doing business in France.

International companies choose France because of its strategic position at the heart of Europe, the largest market in the world with 500 million consumers, and because of its membership of the euro zone, which offers the advantages of a single currency in 13 different countries. 
France is one of the leading recipient of foreign direct investment in the world in 2011, according to the UNCTAD, receiving EUR 26.5 billion in foreign investment flows, ranking 11th : 23,463 foreign companies currently have a base in France, employing over 2.3 million people. 
With 32 of the 500 biggest companies of the world in 2012, France ranks 5th in the Fortune Global 500 at the same level as Germany, behind the USA, Japan and China. 

This practical guide, prepared for international groups who would like to invest in France, explains the main legal, accounting, payroll and taxation regulations for companies considering doing business in France.