Can I do guided fishing tours in France from a UK company?

[fishing4roach]

Hello,

I already have experience of being a fishing tour guide in England, with an existing UK company, and I would like to do the same in France.

Can I just take people to fish in France as I would in England, or would that be illegal in some way?    I don't want to organise package holidays.   My idea is that customers make their own way there, and I would organise things locally (for example accommodation, minibus from hotel to river, fishing expertise).

The idea is simple.   I am worried that there is a catch somewhere in doing this from a UK company.

Any advice would be very welcome.

Thank you. 

 

 

[Will]

I don't see there being a basic problem with what you propose, as long as you are careful not to make yourself fiscally resident in France. By that I mean not spending enough time in France to allow the authorities to consider that you are fiscally resident (remember, as discussed in some depth recently in another topic here, unlike UK France doesn't operate a 183-day or 90-day rule as such), and ensuring that your 'centre of economic interest', i.e. your tour business and its banking etc, remains firmly outside France.

Specific areas you would need to investigate are insurance, to which a high priority is given in France, and rules for use of minibuses which I believe are rather more strict than in Britain.

 

[P-D de Rouffignac]

I have some experience of this, about a decade ago, in connexion with someone offering French language learning courses in France by a UK operator. I imagine the same principles apply but at least it may offer some avenues for checking.

On the French side, the advice from the French Commercial attaché in London centred on the difference between doing business with France and doing business in France, and being a UK based operator it was more likely to be the former, without leaving a fiscal imprint in France (tax, social security etc).

More tricky is the UK side and the rules regarding (licensed) tour operators. A 'package tour' might exclude, for example, travel to the French destination (as you propose) but elements such as providing local transport and accomodation could lead to your being classed as a tour operator - hence needing a licence, bond etc. If there is any doubt, you could face problems of insurance cover, which you would surely need for the transport element and the activity itself - though in the above case, participants were expected to find their own way to the language centre.

Perhaps you need to look at these points in relation to your existing operation, and I recall at the time we looked at similar operations and people like 'Cycling for Softies' who were at the time operating in France.

At the local level, one of my French neighbours offers fishing trips (by rod and line) out to the wrecks off the Mediterranean coast where I live, at 40 euros per person per trip, including equipment, bait etc.  He tells me the main cost is fuel.

Hope this helps, Peter-Danton de ROUFFIGNAC MA LLM www.francemedproperty.blogspot.com

[fishing4roach]

Thank you very much for your advice.   Perhaps it will not be as complicated as I feared.