Start a US company from France

Yes. US law doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents, and formation, the EIN and the bank applications all happen remotely. The French questions are how the tax office classifies it, where its business is carried on and which accounts you declare.

By comparing it with French company forms. On 12 November 2025, the Conseil d'État held that a California LLC, whose members were liable only up to their contributions and had wide freedom in its operating agreement, was comparable to a SAS and liable to corporate tax by its form. Your operating agreement decides how yours compares.

It can. A company formed abroad pays French corporate tax, at 25%, on business carried on in France: through a fixed place of business, a dependent agent or a complete commercial cycle there. A US company you run from France should have an adviser look at this.

Yes, for accounts you hold. Each account abroad you opened, held, used or closed in the year goes on form 3916 with your return, and so does one you can operate under a power of attorney. The fine is EUR 1,500 for each undeclared account. Ask your adviser whether the company's own account is yours to declare.

Launch starts at $351.40: $249 for the plan plus $102.40 for the Wyoming filing. The plan and Wyoming's minimum yearly charge then total $309 a year. Your expert-comptable's fees, US return preparation and French filings are separate. Wyoming's license tax can be more than its $60 minimum.

A Wyoming LLC suits an owner-run business selling to US customers, once you know how France classifies it. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from US investors. Nonresident aliens can't hold shares in an S-corporation.

Yes. Without an SSN or ITIN, the application goes on Form SS-4 instead of the IRS's online tool. We prepare it after the company is formed, and the IRS issues the number.

Each stage has its own clock. Wyoming's published turnaround is same day once a complete filing is accepted. Our ordinary EIN estimate is six to eight weeks after the application, or two to three weeks with the $199 expedited option. Banks, payment providers and Stripe each set their own review times. These are estimates, not promises.

Usually you can apply. France isn't on Mercury's list of countries it doesn't serve, and the list goes by where you live. Mercury still reviews each company and can decline.

Usually, yes. France is on Wise's list of places where people can hold money, so a US company run from France can get USD account details. Wise reviews each business.

No. Stripe supports businesses in France, and a SAS gets you Stripe too. A US company is for selling as a US vendor, US contracts, US investors or platforms that need one.

Generally not. Pay for work you do in France is generally not US-source income, so a US company with no US office or staff often owes no US income tax on it. A single-owner LLC still files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 when it has reportable transactions with you.

Yes, it's in force, with protocols from 2004 and 2009. It exempts interest and royalties from US withholding, and caps dividends at 15%, or 5% for a qualifying company shareholder.

Yes. A SAS can own a US company as its subsidiary. Under article 209 B, a French company holding more than 50% of a foreign entity taxed at least 40% less than it would be in France can be taxed on that entity's profits, so an LLC paying no US tax is one to check.

On Launch and Operate, we add deadlines and reminders; you or your accountant file the federal returns. Managed annual state compliance is an optional $149 service fee a year, with the state's charge separate. Form 3916 and your French returns are for you and your expert-comptable.

US-created companies are exempt under FinCEN's current BOI rule, effective 14 August 2026. A company formed outside the US and registered to do business there is a different case. Banks still collect ownership details for their own checks.