Information We Need for Your French VAT Registration

Thank you for starting your VAT registration in France with hellotax!

To complete your application accurately and efficiently, our tax team will ask you for some additional information about your business.

Some of these questions may seem detailed, but each one helps the French tax authorities (Service des Impôts des Entreprises – SIE) understand your business activities and ensures your VAT registration is set up correctly from the beginning.

Below you’ll find an explanation of each question and why it is required:

1. Sample of Your Company Headed Paper

This confirms your company’s official details (legal name, registered address, registration number, etc.).

The French tax office may request this as supporting documentation to verify your business identity.

2. Why Do You Need to Register in France?

We need to understand the reason for your French VAT registration. Common reasons include:

• You store goods in France (e.g., Amazon FBA warehouse)

• Your cross-border EU B2C sales exceed the EU-wide threshold, and you are not using OSS

• You are importing goods into France

• You make domestic sales in France

The reason determines the correct VAT registration process and reporting obligations.

3. Have You Previously Had a French VAT Number?

If you were registered in France before, we need your previous French VAT number.

This prevents duplicate registrations and allows the tax office to reconnect your new application with any existing records.

4. Required Registration Date

The tax office must know when your taxable activity in France started (or will start):

• If you are already storing goods in France, please provide the date of your first transaction or stock movement in France (this must be a past date).

• If you are not yet active in France, please provide your intended start date (this should generally be at least one month from today).

This date determines when your French VAT obligations begin.

5. Estimated Turnover for the First and Second Year in France

The French tax authorities require an estimate of your expected turnover in France.

This helps them:

• Assess your business activity level

• Determine your VAT filing frequency (monthly or quarterly)*in France the filing frequency is monthly by default (Only non-EU companies with an appointed fiscal rep can be quarterly, plus quarterly filing may be possible only if the annual VAT due is below €4,000.

• Understand your expected VAT liability

6. EORI Number (If Applicable)

If you are importing goods into France, your EORI number is required.

This allows the tax office to link your VAT registration with customs and import activities.

If the importing entity name differs from your registered company name, please clarify this as well.

7. Where Are You Selling From?

Please Where is your stock stored, for example:

• France (warehouse / FBA)

• Other EU countries

• Non-EU countries (e.g., UK, China, USA)

This is essential for determining how French VAT should be applied.

8. Sales Channels (Amazon, eBay, Website, etc.)

Please list all platforms where you sell your products and provide:

• Store name or link

• Seller ID (if available)

This confirms your commercial activity and ensures your VAT registration aligns with your actual business model.

9. Where Are Your Goods Coming From?

Let us know the main origin countries of your goods (e.g., China, USA, EU countries).

This information is important for:

• Import VAT treatment

• Customs obligations

• Determining place-of-supply rules

10. What Goods Are You Selling?

Please provide a short description of your products.

Certain goods in France may be subject to:

• Reduced VAT rates

• Special reporting requirements

• Regulatory restrictions

The tax office requires this information to classify your activity correctly.

Why all this matters

Providing complete and accurate answers helps us prepare your application without delays.
If the tax office has questions later, we’ll contact you to clarify — quick replies at that stage also help keep things moving.

In summary

These questions make sure your VAT registration is:
✅ Correctly classified
✅ Linked to the right tax office
✅ Matched with your business activity and import setup

By sharing this information quickly, you’re helping us submit your application sooner and avoid unnecessary waiting time.