The Tax Rebate for International Film Productions (TRIP)

Implemented in 2009, “TRIP” is a tax credit available for foreign film companies carrying out productions in France. It is applied in the form of a tax reduction at the end of the fiscal year or a payment to the executive producer, if the tax credit exceeds the tax due. When the production is completed, approval must be obtained by the CNC – French National Centre for Cinema.

The rebate includes up to 30% of expenditures in France (up to a maximum of 30 million € per project) and applies exclusively for non-French production companies. It is granted to projects that incur 250,000 € or have 50% of their world budgets and at least 5 days of shooting in France. The eligible expenses must also not exceed 80 % of the final production budget.

Eligible expenses include:

Salaries and wages paid to French/EU staff
Renumerations to authors
Technical goods and services associated with the film’s production
Travel, catering and accommodation expenses

Final approval by the CNC is not guaranteed. Projects have to include elements related to French/European culture of heritage and must not be deemed to incite violence or show advertising. Documentaries and news or talk shows are also not eligible.

If you’d like to find out more, or have any other tax or accounting queries, please get in touch, our bilingual team would be more than happy to help.