The French tax rebate
France pays back part of what a foreign production spends in France. The scheme is called TRIP, the Tax Rebate for International Production. It is real money, it has rules, and it only works through a French production service company. Here is what a producer needs to know before the budget is locked.
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What TRIP is
In one paragraphThe TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Production), known in French as the crédit d'impôt international, is a French tax credit for foreign productions made wholly or partly in France. It reimburses up to 30% of qualifying French spend, and up to 40% for productions with significant VFX spend in France. It is administered through the CNC, the French national film and moving image centre.
The rebate is not paid to the foreign producer directly. It is claimed by the French production service company that carries the French side of the production. That is the structural point most foreign producers miss: without a French service company holding the French spend, there is no TRIP.
Rules change, and eligibility is confirmed per project. Treat everything on this page as orientation, not as a promise. We check your project against the current rules with specialised accountants before anyone puts the rebate in a finance plan.
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Who it is for
Mainly fiction and animationProject typeTRIPWhat to check
Feature filmInternational fiction shooting in FranceMain use of the schemeFrench cultural elements, scale of French spend, schedule in France
SeriesFiction series for streamers and broadcastersSome series qualifyEpisode structure, French spend per episode, the current criteria
AnimationIncluding VFX-heavy workMain use of the schemeWhere the work is done; VFX-heavy work can reach the higher rate
DocumentaryFeature or seriesCheck per projectEligibility of the genre and the project under current rules
Commercials and branded contentAgency and brand shootsNot the target of the schemeWe cut cost on these in other ways: see cost of filming
The scheme mainly serves fiction and animation. Documentary eligibility has to be checked project by project. If you are producing a feature film or series, or a large TV documentary, it is worth asking the question at the development stage, not after the shoot.
The rebate shapes where you spend, not only how much
Only qualifying spend in France counts. That means the decision to hire French crew, rent French kit, book French post or cast locally is also a decision about the rebate. A production that flies its whole crew in and only rents a van in Paris has very little qualifying spend. One that hires a French unit through its service company and does part of its post or VFX in France may change its numbers substantially. This is why we talk about TRIP before the crew plan is final.
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How it works with us
From first question to claim01Eligibility checkYou send the project: format, synopsis, schedule, where the work is done. We review it with specialised accountants against the current rules and tell you plainly whether TRIP is realistic.01
02Structure the French spendWhat is spent in France, through which entity, on which line. Crew, kit, locations, transport, accommodation, post and VFX where relevant.02
03Run the productionWe carry the French side as your production service company: crew contracts, permits, locations, logistics, cost report kept in a form the claim needs.03
04Document and claimThe accountants prepare the claim through the CNC process from our records. Clean books during the shoot make this step short.04
The trap. A rebate that appears in a finance plan before eligibility is confirmed is a hole in the budget waiting to happen. Confirm first, then count it.
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Who we are
Production service from Paris and CannesFixersInParis is a production service company for international productions shooting in France, with bases in Paris and Cannes. Zacharie runs the line production, crew and cost report; Élie handles permits, access and the institutional side. We are not tax advisers: we work with specialised accountants for the rebate itself, and we run the production in a way that makes the claim possible. Our sister company Prod is Prod takes on full executive production when you want the whole film made in Paris.
If you are still deciding where to shoot, start with the producer's guide to filming in France, then look at the regions: Paris, the French Riviera, Normandy and Brittany or the Loire Valley.
2023Europe: Light & ShadowPan-European seriesFrench chapter of a series aired on Arte, WDR, NDR, SVT and NRK.Wrapped
Is your project eligible?
Send us the format, the schedule and what you plan to spend in France. We come back with a straight answer after checking with our accountants.
What is the French tax rebate for international productions?
It is the TRIP (Tax Rebate for International Production), a French tax credit that reimburses up to 30% of qualifying spend in France, and up to 40% for productions with significant VFX spend. It is administered through the CNC and claimed by the French production service company carrying the French side of the production. Rules change, so eligibility is confirmed per project.
Who can claim TRIP?
Foreign productions, mainly fiction (features and some series) and animation, working with a French production service company. The French company claims the credit on the qualifying French spend. Documentary eligibility has to be checked project by project.
Do I need a French company to get the French tax rebate?
Yes. The rebate is claimed by a French production service company, not by the foreign producer. That company carries the French spend, contracts French crew and suppliers, and keeps the records the claim requires. FixersInParis acts as that production service company and works with specialised accountants on the claim.
Does TRIP apply to commercials?
Commercials and branded content are not what the scheme is designed for. For agency and brand shoots, the savings come from elsewhere: how permits are structured, local crew, season and logistics. On one Riviera shoot, restructuring permits alone took the cost from €29,900 to €12,900.
What spend counts towards the rebate?
Only qualifying spend in France: typically French crew, kit, locations, logistics and, where relevant, post-production and VFX done in France. The exact list and conditions are set by the current rules and confirmed per project with specialised accountants.
When should we ask about TRIP?
At the development or budget stage, before the crew plan and the finance plan are locked. Where you spend decides what qualifies, so the question changes decisions about crew, kit and post. Asking after the shoot is usually too late to change anything.
Tell us what you need to shoot.
Format, dates, locations, crew size. We come back within three hours with what is possible and what is not.