The producer's guide to filming in France
Everything a foreign producer needs to plan a shoot in France, on one page, in the order it happens. No download, no form. Each step links to the detailed guide. Read it once, then send us the brief and we will run the rest.
01
Before anything else
Three questions that decide the planWhere exactly? Not "Paris and the Riviera" but the list of locations. In France, permits follow ownership, not geography: a street, a road outside town, a beach and a drone shot are four different authorities. The location list is what tells you your lead time.
When exactly? France has a calendar that overrides yours: the Cannes Film Festival in May books out the Riviera, fire risk closes the Esterel and Maures massifs from June to September, several Alpine passes stay shut until June, and the Tour de France route is published in October.
Who carries the French side? Crew contracts, permits, location agreements and the French spend are far simpler, and often cheaper, when a French production service company holds them. It is also a condition for the TRIP tax rebate.
02
The checklist
From 12 weeks out to wrap12 weeks outLock the format, the region and the window. Check the season against the French calendar. Ask whether your project could qualify for TRIP. Brief your production service company.
10 weeks outLocation list and permit map: which authorities, which lead times, what will not clear in your window. Start anything with a long lead: heritage (4 to 10 weeks), courts (6+), defence sites (8+).
8 weeks outFirst budget in euros, with crew at loaded cost. See what drives the cost. Coastal (4 to 8 weeks) and motorway (4 to 6) files go in now.
6 weeks outDrone files with DGAC and the prefecture (3 to 6 weeks). Departmental road and forest files (3 to 5 weeks). Scouting and recce.
4 weeks outMunicipal permits (2 to 4 weeks). Paris public-space request on the city's online platform (about 15 working days), with the Prefecture in parallel for night, uniforms or prop weapons. Heads of department confirmed.
3 weeks outCrew booked region by region, kit reserved, hotels and vehicles locked. Insurance certificate valid for France on file.
1 week outEvery permit chased and in hand, call sheets, transport plan, unit base. In Paris, small light crews can still use the simplified declaration.
Shoot daysPermits printed on set with reference numbers. Line producer and production manager on set. One of us reachable throughout.
WrapCost report, crew payments, location returns, rushes shipped or uploaded. TRIP documentation handed to the accountants where relevant.
The longest lead is rarely the one you expect
Producers plan around the city permit, because that is the one they have heard of. The files that sink schedules are the others: a heritage site at 4 to 10 weeks, a drone at 3 to 6, a coastal stretch at 4 to 8, a motorway at 4 to 6. Start from the slowest authority on your location list and work backwards. That one decision is the difference between a three week process and a two month one.
03
Lead times at a glance
Indicative, confirmed per projectAuthorityCoversLead time
Commune or city film officeParis has its own platformStreets, squares, municipal buildings, parks2 to 4 weeks (Paris: about 15 working days)
DépartementRoads outside town limits, closures, travelling shots3 to 5 weeks
Motorway concessionMotorways (filed with the private operator)4 to 6 weeks
Conservatoire du littoral and DDTMProtected coast, beaches, filming at sea4 to 8 weeks
DGAC and prefectureDrones, always separate3 to 6 weeks
ONFState forests, named referent per massif3 to 5 weeks
SNCF film deskStations, platforms, trackside4 weeks +
Monument operatorsHeritage sites, never the city4 to 10 weeks
Ministry of Justice film missionCourts6 weeks +
Armed forces communication directorateDefence sites8 weeks +
04
Pick your region
Where the rules differ01Paris & Île-de-FranceOne platform, about 15 working days, the Prefecture for night and uniforms. Monuments by their operators.15 days
02French Riviera & MonacoOur second base. Up to six desks on one coastal shoot, and May belongs to Cannes.3 to 8 wks
06Elsewhere in FranceBordeaux and the Atlantic coast, Northern France, the Loire Valley, Monaco.Per project
The most expensive mistake is the order. Filed one after another, a shoot touching four authorities takes two months. Filed in parallel, with documents prepared once, it can clear in three weeks. On a 2026 Riviera shoot across sixteen communes, restructuring the permits took the cost from €29,900 to €12,900.
FixersInParis is a production service company for international productions shooting in France, from Paris and Cannes, since 2013 and across more than 100 productions. Élie maps and files the permits; Zacharie runs crew, kit, transport and the set. You can use this checklist to plan it yourself, or send it to us and let us run it. More practical notes in our field notes.
How far in advance should we plan a shoot in France?
For a standard shoot, about 3 to 4 weeks for permits; for a complex one with several authorities, 6 to 8 weeks; for heritage or defence sites, longer. Twelve weeks out is a comfortable start for a multi-location commercial or series. Urgent requests are handled case by case.
What is the first thing to do when planning a shoot in France?
Write the exact location list and dates. French permits follow ownership, so the list tells you which authorities are involved and which one has the longest lead time. Then plan backwards from the slowest file.
Do foreign productions need a local company to film in France?
Not a company of their own, but a French production service company makes permits, crew contracts and location agreements much simpler, and the TRIP tax rebate is claimed through one. FixersInParis acts as that company from Paris and Cannes.
Which periods should we avoid when filming in France?
May on the Riviera, when the Cannes Film Festival books out accommodation, crew and vehicles; June to September in the Esterel and Maures massifs because of fire risk closures; Alpine passes before June; and big Paris weeks such as Fashion Week or Bastille Day if the event is not your subject.
Is there a downloadable version of this guide?
No, it lives on this page so it stays current. Every step links to a detailed guide: permits, the Paris filing process, drones, cost and the tax rebate. If you would rather not run the checklist yourself, send us your brief and we will.
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.