Setting up in Val-d'Oise
Invest in Val-d'Oise: setting up your business in France
A guide for foreign companies and investors: how to establish a presence in France, which rules apply and which public bodies can help you, free of charge. Rules and figures are those published by the French authorities as of Oct. 2, 2026.
This page gives general guidance, not legal or tax advice. Rules change: check the official page linked in each section, or ask the competent authority, before making a decision.
Val-d'Oise at a glance
- 1,281,653inhabitantsINSEE, 2023 census
- 101,746active business establishmentsINSEE, 2024
- 72,039,807passengers at Paris-Charles de GaulleDGAC, 2025
- 40,142higher-education studentsFrench ministry, 2024 intake
Val-d'Oise is a department of the Paris Region (Île-de-France). Roissy-en-France and Épiais-lès-Louvres, both in Val-d'Oise, are among the seven municipalities on which the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport platform is located. In 2023, the 1,360 establishments on the platform employed 94,600 people. The airport handled 1,891,666 tonnes of freight and mail in 2025.
Sources: INSEE, “Dossier complet”, Val-d'Oise department, published on 27 August 2026 (2023 population census; active establishments in 2024); DGAC, commercial air traffic statistics for 2025, May 2026 edition; INSEE Analyses Île-de-France no. 214, published on 16 December 2025 (2023 data); French ministry for higher education, regional atlas, students enrolled at the start of the 2024 academic year (dataset updated on 28 May 2026).
More figures, in French: why Val-d'Oise, access and transport, employment and skills.
Free public support
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Business France
Business France is the national agency that supports the internationalization of the French economy; it attracts and supports foreign investors in France. It offers foreign companies a free, tailor-made service, with teams in France and in 53 countries.
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Choose Paris Region
Choose Paris Region is Paris Region's international attractiveness agency. It attracts and supports investors and facilitates the setting up of companies. Its services are free, confidential and customized, at any stage of your project.
In Val-d'Oise, CEEVO publishes the business premises available in the department on this website. Its contact details are at the bottom of this page.
Sources: Business France, “Who we are” and “Our services for foreign companies”; Choose Paris Region, “About us” and “Scale your business” (pages consulted on Oct. 2, 2026).
Choose how to establish your business
According to Business France, the most common options are opening a branch or creating a subsidiary; a liaison office allows a first presence.
| Form | Legal status | What it can do |
|---|---|---|
| Liaison office | No legal personality of its own. With no commercial activity, it keeps no accounts, is not liable for taxes and is not a permanent establishment. | Make contacts, analyze the market, promote the foreign company. It cannot enter into contracts, invoice clients or conduct any commercial activity. |
| Branch | No legal personality of its own: responsibility lies with the foreign parent company. It is a permanent establishment, taxed in France, keeps accounts and registers with the Trade and Companies Register (RCS). | Carry on the parent company's activity in France. It is not eligible for public subsidies. |
| Subsidiary | A French company separate from the parent company, with its own legal personality (SA, SAS, etc.). | The most structured form of establishment. |
Source: Business France, “Choosing your business establishment method”, verified on 11 May 2026.
Register your company
Company formalities are completed online on the one-stop shop formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr.
For a foreign company with no permanent establishment in France, the French tax administration's competent department is the Foreign Business Tax Department: Service des Impôts des Entreprises Étrangères (SIEE), 10 rue du Centre, TSA 20011, 93465 Noisy-le-Grand Cedex, telephone +33 (0)1 72 95 20 31.
Source: impots.gouv.fr, “Competent department” (international section, page modified on 23 October 2023), consulted on Oct. 2, 2026.
The steps for a company created in France (legal form, registration, premises, hiring) are described, in French, on the page Vos démarches.
Foreign investment screening
A foreign investment requires prior authorisation only if three conditions are all met. They relate to the origin of the investment, the nature of the transaction and the nature of the target company's activity. If one of them is not met, the investment is not subject to authorisation.
The transactions concerned are:
- acquiring control of an entity governed by French law;
- acquiring all or part of a branch of activity of such an entity;
- crossing the threshold of 25% of the voting rights of such an entity, or 10% for a company listed on a regulated market: these two cases apply only to investors from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area.
The administration replies within thirty business days of receiving a complete application; a further review of 45 business days may follow. If no reply is given within these periods, the application is deemed rejected.
Source: French Treasury (Direction générale du Trésor), “Investissements étrangers en France”, page dated 23 February 2026, and “Les conditions d'une opération soumise à autorisation préalable” (in French; guidelines in English can be downloaded from the first page).
Corporate taxes
- Corporate tax: the standard rate is 25%. A reduced rate of 15% applies to the first €42,500 of profit for companies whose turnover does not exceed €10 million and whose fully paid-up share capital is at least 75% owned by individuals.
- VAT: the standard rate is 20%.
- Local taxes: the business property tax (CFE) and the tax on business added value (CVAE).
Sources: Service Public Entreprendre, “Impôt sur les sociétés” (in French), verified on 17 February 2026; Business France, “Corporate tax” and “Other taxes and duties”, verified on 11 May 2026.
Bringing executives and staff to France
The multi-year “talent” residence permit (carte de séjour pluriannuelle « talent ») is intended for, among others, qualified employees, employees on assignment within a group, corporate officers and investors. It is issued for up to 4 years. For a “talent” qualified employee, the employer does not have to apply for a work permit.
| Permit | Main conditions |
|---|---|
| Employee on assignment (intra-group mobility) | At least 3 months' seniority in the group, an employment contract with the company in France, and gross annual pay of at least €39,582. |
| Corporate officer | Legal representative of an establishment or company established in France, at least 3 months' seniority in the group, and gross annual pay of at least 3 times the minimum wage, i.e. €67,212.60. |
| Direct economic investment | An investment of at least €300,000 in tangible or intangible fixed assets in France, made personally or through a company you manage or of which you hold at least 30%, and creating or safeguarding jobs. |
Source: Service Public, “Carte de séjour pluriannuelle « talent »” (in French), verified on 1 June 2026. Visa applications are filed with the French consular authorities in your country of residence.
Employing staff in France
- Working time: the legal working time is 35 hours a week.
- Minimum wage (Smic): €12.31 gross per hour, i.e. €1,867.02 gross per month.
- Foreign employer with no establishment in France: the single point of contact is the Urssaf Foreign Companies Service (Urssaf Service Firmes étrangères), TSA 60003, 38046 Grenoble Cedex, +33 (0)8 06 80 26 33, sfe@urssaf.fr. Its website is available in English.
Sources: Service Public, “Durée légale du travail”, verified on 25 September 2025, and “Smic”, verified on 1 June 2026 (in French); Cleiss, “Employeur étranger sans établissement en France”; Urssaf, Foreign Companies Service website (pages consulted on Oct. 2, 2026).
Schooling for employees' children
In France, education is compulsory from the age of three. Families can choose between public education, private schools under contract and international schools.
Source: Business France, “Facilitating the relocation of employees to France”, verified on 11 May 2026.
Find premises in Val-d'Oise
Offices, light industrial units, warehouses, shops and land: browse the premises published by CEEVO, or explore the municipalities of Val-d'Oise.