France Company Registry Data: The Complete Guide to RCS, INPI & SIREN in 2026
France's Company Registry Landscape in 2026
France has one of the most structured corporate registration systems in the EU. Every commercial entity — from a sole trader (auto-entrepreneur) to a listed SA — must register with the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés (RCS). Since January 2023, all registrations feed into a single national portal: the Registre National des Entreprises (RNE), managed by INPI. Every registered entity receives a SIREN number — a unique 9-digit identifier used across all French government and tax systems.
On paper, this makes France one of the more centralised registry jurisdictions in the EU. In practice, the system is split between two official platforms with overlapping but distinct data, has a paid document layer that gatekeeper the most useful compliance documents, and has restricted UBO access since July 2024 following the EU-wide ECJ ruling.
The core tension in French registry data
France has more company data online than most EU jurisdictions — including SIREN, NAF codes, financial filings, and the Kbis extract. But the system is split across INPI and Infogreffe, with different data scopes and access models. UBO data has been restricted to legitimate interest holders since July 2024. And while free APIs exist for basic data, richer compliance-grade data requires paid document retrieval — all in French, with no official English interface.
4M+Active legal entities
31MTotal SIREN records (active + ceased)
2Main official platforms (INPI + Infogreffe)
Jul 2024UBO public access restricted
Two Platforms. One Registry. Different Data.
Unlike Germany's 150-court fragmentation problem, France has a unified national registry. But it is accessed through two official systems with overlapping yet distinct data — and knowing which to use for what is critical for any KYB or compliance workflow.
| Platform | What it contains | Access | API? |
|---|---|---|---|
| INPI / RNE data.inpi.fr · registre.entreprises.gouv.fr |
All entity types (commercial + non-commercial), registration data, annual accounts, articles of association, open data bulk downloads | Free (open data since 2023) | Yes — free open data API |
| Infogreffe infogreffe.fr |
RCS commercial companies only, Kbis extracts, official certified documents, debt status, modification history, UBO declarations | Free (basic search) Paid (documents) | Yes — paid API |
| INSEE / Sirene portail-api.insee.fr |
SIREN/SIRET numbers, legal form, NAF/APE industry codes, registration dates, status, establishment locations | Free (open data) | Yes — free Sirene API |
| BODACC bodacc.fr |
Official legal announcements — company creation, dissolution, financial filings, collective proceedings, sales and transfers | Free (since 2011) | Yes — open data |
| RBE (UBO Register) Via INPI LIA portal |
Ultimate Beneficial Owners — name, date/place of birth, nationality, address, ownership percentage, control type | Restricted since Jul 2024 — legitimate interest required | AML-obliged entities only |
The INPI vs Infogreffe distinction
INPI manages the national register (RNE) and provides open data access — including bulk downloads and a free API. Infogreffe is operated by the clerks of commercial courts (greffiers) and is the gateway to certified documents, Kbis extracts, and the paid API. Since the RNE consolidation in January 2023, INPI is technically the primary national register. Infogreffe remains the source of truth for official court-certified documents that carry legal weight in formal proceedings.
Understanding SIREN, SIRET, and the Kbis
France's company identification system is more layered than most EU jurisdictions. Understanding the difference between SIREN, SIRET, and the Kbis extract is essential before building any French company data workflow.
| Identifier / Document | What it is | Format | Issued by |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIREN | Unique identifier for the legal entity (the company) | 9 digits (e.g. 123 456 789) | INSEE — issued at registration |
| SIRET | Identifier for a specific establishment of the entity | 14 digits (SIREN + 5-digit NIC) | INSEE — issued per location |
| APE / NAF code | Industry classification code (Activité Principale Exercée) | 4 digits + 1 letter (e.g. 6201Z) | INSEE — assigned at registration, updated to NAF 2025 from Jan 2027 |
| RCS number | Registration number in the commercial register — effectively the SIREN with the court city prefix | City + SIREN (e.g. Paris 123 456 789) | Commercial court (Greffe) |
| Kbis extract | Official certificate of company registration — the primary proof of legal existence in France | PDF document | Infogreffe / INPI (free) or Greffe (certified, paid) |
| EUID | European Unique Identifier — cross-border company ID for EU register interconnection | FR + SIREN | INPI (since 2021) |
SIREN vs VAT number — not the same
A French company's VAT number (numéro de TVA intracommunautaire) is derived from the SIREN but is not identical to it. The VAT number adds a 2-character prefix (FR + 2 check digits + SIREN). Validating a French VAT number alone is not sufficient for KYB — it confirms tax registration, not commercial registration status, legal form, or director identity.
What French Registry Data Actually Contains
Here is what is and is not publicly available from the French company registry system in 2026, across all official sources combined.
| Data type | Available? | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company name & legal form | Yes | INPI / Infogreffe / INSEE | Includes trading name (nom commercial) where declared |
| SIREN / SIRET number | Yes | INSEE (free API) | National unique identifier — free open data |
| Registered address | Yes | INPI / Infogreffe | Individuals can request non-dissemination of address |
| Registration date & status | Yes | INPI / INSEE | Active, ceased, or in proceedings |
| Share capital | Yes | Infogreffe / INPI | As declared at registration; may lag actual changes |
| Directors & legal representatives | Yes | Infogreffe / INPI | Current and historical via Infogreffe |
| Shareholders (statuts) | Partial | INPI (articles of association) | Embedded in articles of association PDF — not structured data |
| APE / NAF industry code | Yes | INSEE (free) | Standardised — unique advantage vs Germany. NAF 2025 codes from Jan 2027 |
| Annual financial accounts | Partial | INPI / Infogreffe | Micro and small companies may request confidentiality (expanded threshold Feb 2024) |
| Kbis extract | Yes | INPI (free) / Infogreffe (€2.13) | Legally binding proof of registration |
| UBO / beneficial owners | Restricted | RBE via INPI LIA portal | Legitimate interest required since Jul 2024; formalised Apr 2025 |
| Insolvency / collective proceedings | Yes | BODACC / Infogreffe | Free via BODACC; structured via Infogreffe paid API |
| Employee headcount | Partial | INSEE / API Entreprise | Available from Urssaf/MSA data via government API — not always current |
| VAT / EORI number | Yes | Annuaire des entreprises | Available alongside SIREN in official directory |
How to Access French Company Data
The Free Access Layer
France has made more company data freely accessible than most EU jurisdictions. The core free access stack in 2026 is:
annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr — the government company directory. Search by company name, SIREN, SIRET, executive name, or location. Returns SIREN/SIRET, legal form, NAF code, address, headcount band, and registration status. Free, no registration required.
data.inpi.fr — the INPI open data portal. Access to RNE registration data, annual accounts (where public), articles of association, and modification history. Also the entry point for the UBO register (RBE) with legitimate interest verification. Free account required for downloads.
portail-api.insee.fr — the Sirene API from INSEE. Provides programmatic access to all 31 million SIREN/SIRET records including active and ceased entities. Free with account registration. Updated daily. Rate limits apply on the free tier.
bodacc.fr — official legal announcements. All company creation, dissolution, financial filing, and insolvency notices published here. Free since 2011. Searchable by SIREN or company name.
The Paid Layer — Infogreffe
Infogreffe is the platform of the commercial court clerks (greffiers) and is the source of certified, legally binding documents. Basic company search is free. Document retrieval is paid.
| Document | Cost (Jan 2025) | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Kbis extract (non-certified) | Free (INPI portal) | Proof of registration — name, SIREN, legal form, address, directors, capital |
| Kbis extract (Infogreffe) | €2.13 | Same content, sourced from commercial court — preferred for formal compliance packs |
| Debt status (basic) | €2.13 | Confirms whether company has registered debts or proceedings |
| Debt status (detailed) | Up to €51.12 | Full creditor detail, amounts, and priority ranking |
| Modification history (Historique des Modifications) | €5.31 | Chronological log of all changes to registration data with legal references |
| Proceedings certificate | €2.16 | Confirms receivership, liquidation, or safeguard proceedings |
| Full KYB document pack | €73.44 | Kbis, debt status, modification history, and supporting documents bundled |
| UBO declaration | Legitimate interest required | Beneficial owner names, DOB, nationality, address, ownership percentage |
The API Landscape
France has a richer official API ecosystem than Germany — but it is fragmented across multiple government providers with different authentication models, rate limits, and data scopes.
| API | Provider | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sirene API | INSEE | Free | SIREN/SIRET lookup, NAF codes, basic entity data at scale |
| API Entreprise | DINUM (government) | Free (public bodies only) | Public sector use — full enriched company data including headcount, tax certs |
| INPI Open Data API | INPI | Free | RNE registration data, accounts, articles of association |
| Infogreffe API | Infogreffe (GIE) | Paid (per document) | Certified documents, Kbis, directors, real-time status — production KYB |
| Third-party normalised API (e.g. Zephira.ai) | — | Paid subscription | Unified French + global data, structured output, no per-document fees, bulk delivery |
How to Search French Company Data: Step-by-Step
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Step 1: Start with the SIREN
Every French company lookup should begin with the SIREN number if you have it. A SIREN search on annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr returns the full entity profile instantly — legal form, address, NAF code, status, and headcount band. If you only have a company name, search here first to get the SIREN before going to Infogreffe for documents.
SIREN vs SIRET — which to use
Use the SIREN for entity-level lookups — directors, financials, legal status. Use the SIRET when you need establishment-level data — specific office locations, payroll submissions, VAT registration by site. A single company may have dozens of SIRETs but only one SIREN.
Step 2: Retrieve the Kbis
The Kbis extract is the French equivalent of a certificate of incorporation. It is the primary document requested in KYB, onboarding, and supplier verification workflows. For informal use, download free from the INPI portal using the SIREN. For formal compliance use — contract signings, regulated onboarding, notarial processes — obtain a certified Kbis from Infogreffe (€2.13). The Kbis includes company name, SIREN, legal form, registered address, share capital, directors, statutory auditors, and EUID.
Step 3: Check financial filings
Annual accounts are published in the INPI open data portal and the BODACC. Search by SIREN. If the company has elected financial confidentiality — available to micro and small companies under the expanded threshold introduced in February 2024 — no financial data will appear publicly. The absence of financial filings is itself a data point: it may indicate a small company exercising its right to confidentiality, a company that has failed to file, or a holding entity with limited activity.
Step 4: Check the BODACC for legal events
The BODACC (Bulletin Officiel des Annonces Civiles et Commerciales) publishes all legal events: company creation, dissolution, transfer of business, filing of accounts, and collective insolvency proceedings. It is free and searchable by SIREN or company name. For a counterparty KYB check, a BODACC search takes under two minutes and can surface insolvency filings that may not yet be reflected in the main registry.
Step 5: Cross-reference directors and shareholders
Directors are listed in the Kbis and in the INPI data. Shareholders are embedded in the articles of association (statuts) filed with the INPI — in PDF format, not as structured data. For SAS companies (the dominant legal form for French startups and tech companies), shareholder information is particularly opaque: SAS articles of association are highly flexible and often do not disclose detailed shareholding percentages in the public filing.
The SAS transparency problem
The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the most popular legal form for French commercial companies. Unlike a SARL, an SAS has no statutory requirement to file a detailed shareholder register publicly. The articles of association may describe share classes and governance rules without disclosing individual ownership percentages. For compliance teams, this means a French SAS can be significantly less transparent than a German GmbH at the first ownership layer — and UBO tracing beyond that layer now requires legitimate interest access to the RBE.
UBO Data and the RBE Restrictions
France's UBO register — the Registre des Bénéficiaires Effectifs (RBE) — was established in 2017 under AMLD4. All companies registered with the RCS must declare their beneficial owners: natural persons holding directly or indirectly more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or exercising control through other means. The declaration must be filed at registration and updated within 30 days of any change.
Non-compliance carries significant consequences: fines of €7,500 for individuals and €37,500 for entities. Criminal sanctions also apply, and notaries can refuse to certify transactions for entities not correctly registered.
Public access restricted since 31 July 2024
Following the November 2022 ECJ ruling, France progressively restricted public access to the RBE. From 31 July 2024, access is limited to competent authorities, AML-obliged entities, and persons demonstrating a legitimate interest. This was formally codified in French law by the DDADUE5 Act of 30 April 2025. Access via the INPI LIA portal requires account creation, passport verification, a national registration number, translated documentation of AML responsibilities, and a signed declaration — a process that is impractical for high-volume KYB workflows.
| Who can access UBO data? | Access level | Method |
|---|---|---|
| French AML-obliged entities (banks, lawyers, notaries, accountants) | Full access | INPI LIA portal / API |
| French competent authorities (TRACFIN, AMF, ACPR, tax, law enforcement) | Full access | Direct system access |
| Journalists and civil society with financial transparency mandate | Legitimate interest — per entity | INPI LIA portal application |
| Persons verifying potential co-contractors | Legitimate interest — per entity | INPI LIA portal application |
| Foreign institutions / non-obliged entities | Severely restricted | Legitimate interest test, manual only |
| General public | No access since Jul 2024 | None |
The Regulatory Timeline
2017
RBE (UBO Register) established
France introduces the Registre des Bénéficiaires Effectifs under AMLD4. 25% ownership threshold set. Public access initially granted.
November 2022
ECJ ruling — public UBO access challenged
European Court of Justice rules mandatory public access to UBO registers violates fundamental privacy rights. France temporarily suspends, then partially restores access in January 2023.
January 2023
RNE launched — single national register
The Registre National des Entreprises (RNE) goes live under INPI. All new registrations feed into this single system. Replaces the fragmented CFE (Centre de Formalités des Entreprises) system.
February 2024
Financial confidentiality threshold expanded
Decree expands the eligibility for micro and small companies to request confidentiality over their annual accounts. More French companies can now opt out of public financial disclosure.
31 July 2024
RBE public access fully restricted
France restricts public access to the UBO register to legitimate interest holders only. General public access ends. AML-obliged entities retain access.
30 April 2025
DDADUE5 Act — UBO restrictions codified in law
French law formally defines the list of entities permitted to access the RBE. Legitimate interest access process codified. Journalists, researchers, and civil society with financial transparency mandate confirmed as eligible.
January 2027
NAF 2025 industry codes take effect
INSEE switches all Sirene records to the new NAF 2025 nomenclature (APE codes). Any system relying on current NAF Rev2 codes will need to migrate its classification logic.
2026–2027
EU AMLA regulation takes effect
The new EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority begins direct supervision. Cross-border UBO register interconnection requirements across EU member states will affect French registry access rules.
Common Mistakes When Working with French Company Data
French company data has its own failure modes. These are the errors that come up repeatedly in compliance and data engineering teams working with the French registry.
1. Using the VAT number as a company identifier
The French VAT number is derived from the SIREN but is not identical to it. Many international teams use the VAT number as their primary French company ID. This creates mismatches: a company can have a valid VAT number but be in dissolution proceedings. Always anchor French entity records to the SIREN, not the VAT number.
2. Treating SAS financial filings as complete
The SAS is France's most flexible legal form — and since the 2024 threshold expansion, many SAS companies exercise their right to financial confidentiality. The absence of a financial filing does not mean the company has no revenue. It means you cannot see it from official sources. Any French credit or risk assessment that relies on official financial filings as a completeness check will systematically undercount the SAS universe.
3. Assuming Infogreffe data is real-time
Infogreffe data comes from commercial court registrars. Updates require notarial submission, and processing times vary by court. A director change or capital restructuring that occurred last month may not yet appear in the Kbis extract. For time-sensitive onboarding decisions, verify the filing date on the Kbis and cross-reference with the BODACC for recent announcements.
4. Confusing the RCS number with the SIREN
The RCS number is the SIREN prefixed with the city of registration (e.g. "Paris 123 456 789"). It is the same underlying number — just formatted differently for the commercial register context. Matching systems that treat these as distinct identifiers will create duplicate records for the same entity.
5. Stopping at first-layer shareholder data
For SAS companies especially, the publicly available articles of association may not disclose individual shareholding percentages. And where shareholders are themselves legal entities, tracing beneficial ownership requires cross-border lookups. A French SAS owned by a Luxembourg holding company owned by a Cayman fund is not traceable from French sources alone.
6. Ignoring the BODACC
Most compliance teams check Infogreffe and INPI but miss the BODACC. This is a mistake. Insolvency proceedings, judicial liquidations, and legal transfers are published in the BODACC — often before they are reflected in the Kbis. A BODACC check adds under two minutes to any French entity review and can surface material risk that the main registry has not yet processed.
The language barrier
All French official documents — Kbis, articles of association, BODACC announcements, modification history — are in French. There is no official English interface for Infogreffe or the INPI data portal. For non-French-speaking compliance teams, interpreting these documents requires either translation overhead or a data provider that delivers structured English-language output from French official sources.
France vs Other EU Registries
| Country | Free access? | Official API? | UBO public? | Single identifier? | Industry code? | Language barrier? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Yes | Yes (Sirene, INPI) | Restricted (Jul 2024) | Yes (SIREN) | Yes (NAF/APE) | French only |
| Germany | Yes (2022) | No official API | Restricted (Nov 2022) | No (150 courts) | No (free text only) | German only |
| UK (Companies House) | Yes | Yes (free REST API) | Yes (PSC register) | Yes (CRN) | No standard code | English |
| Netherlands (KVK) | Partial | Yes (paid) | Restricted | Yes (KVK number) | Yes (SBI code) | Dutch / English |
| Belgium (CBE) | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes (CBE number) | Yes (NACE) | FR/NL/DE/EN |
How Zephira.ai Solves the French Data Problem
Zephira.ai connects directly to the French official data sources — INPI, Infogreffe, INSEE Sirene, and BODACC — normalises the output into a unified entity model, and delivers structured French company data through a single REST API or bulk file delivery, in English, with no per-document fees and no manual French-language processing required.
Government-sourced data
All data sourced directly from INPI, Infogreffe, INSEE, and BODACC. No third-party resale. Updated as filings occur at the source.
English-language output
All French document content delivered as structured English-language fields. No translation overhead. No French legal terminology to interpret.
Kbis + document extraction
Kbis data, articles of association, and modification history extracted into structured fields automatically — including shareholder data embedded in statuts PDFs.
API or bulk delivery
Access French company data via REST API (99.9% uptime SLA, no rate limits) or as a bulk file via S3 or SFTP. Both options include the full data model.
Cross-border corporate linkage
French entities linked to their parent, subsidiaries, and sibling companies across 150+ global jurisdictions. Group structures mapped automatically.
Firmographic enrichment
Revenue estimates, employee bands, credit signals, and NAF-mapped industry classification appended to every French entity profile — even where financial confidentiality applies.
ZEPHIRA.AI · GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE LAYER
Beyond France: Global Registries, Corporate Linkage & Firmographic Enrichment
The French RCS tells you a company is registered and who signs for it. It does not tell you who owns the Luxembourg holding company above it, what the group generates in revenue, or whether the ultimate beneficial owner appears in a sanctioned entity database in another jurisdiction.
Global registry coverage: Zephira connects directly to 150+ government registries worldwide. When a French SAS is owned by a Dutch BV controlled by a Cayman fund, Zephira traces the chain across jurisdictions using official registry data at each layer — not modelled assumptions.
Corporate linkage: Every French entity is linked to its parent, subsidiaries, and sibling companies using a cross-border ownership graph. Group structures are mapped automatically. This is what makes multi-entity KYB, group-level risk assessment, and counterparty screening practical at scale.
Firmographic enrichment: Where French companies exercise financial confidentiality — increasingly common since the 2024 threshold expansion — Zephira appends modelled revenue estimates, employee bands, and financial health signals derived from filing history, group financials, and industry benchmarks. Available via API call or bulk file delivery via S3 or SFTP.
See the full data model →
FAQ: French Company Registry Data
What is the SIREN number and how is it different from SIRET?▾
The SIREN is a unique 9-digit identifier assigned to every French legal entity by INSEE at registration. It identifies the company as a whole. The SIRET is a 14-digit extension of the SIREN that identifies a specific establishment or location of that company — SIRET = SIREN (9 digits) + NIC (5-digit establishment number). A company with offices in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille will have one SIREN and three SIRETs. Use SIREN for entity-level KYB; use SIRET for establishment-level payroll and tax verification.
What is a Kbis extract and do I need the paid version?▾
The Kbis is the official certificate of registration extracted from the RCS — the definitive proof of a French company's legal existence. It is available free of charge from the INPI portal (registre.entreprises.gouv.fr). A certified version from Infogreffe costs €2.13 and is sourced directly from the commercial court. For most internal KYB workflows, the free INPI version is sufficient. For formal compliance submissions, M&A due diligence, or notarial processes where the document carries legal weight, use the certified Infogreffe version.
Can I access UBO data for French companies in 2026?▾
General public access to the French UBO register (RBE) ended on 31 July 2024, following the 2022 ECJ ruling. Access is now restricted to: French AML-obliged entities (banks, lawyers, notaries, accountants), competent authorities, journalists and civil society with a financial transparency mandate, and persons demonstrating a legitimate interest in a specific entity. The process requires account creation, passport verification, and a signed declaration via the INPI LIA portal — impractical for high-volume workflows. UBO chains for French companies must typically be constructed from articles of association data and cross-border corporate linkage analysis.
What is the difference between INPI and Infogreffe?▾
INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle) manages the national company register (RNE) and provides open data access — free APIs, bulk downloads, and an online portal. Infogreffe is the platform of the commercial court clerks (greffiers) and is the source of certified, legally binding documents including the Kbis, debt status reports, and modification history. Since the RNE was consolidated under INPI in January 2023, INPI is the primary national register. Infogreffe remains essential for official court-certified documents that carry legal weight in formal proceedings.
Does France have a free company data API?▾
Yes — France has several free official APIs. The Sirene API from INSEE provides free programmatic access to all 31 million French entity records (SIREN/SIRET, NAF code, legal form, status, address). The INPI open data API provides access to RNE registration data and annual accounts. The BODACC API provides access to all official legal announcements. For richer document data — Kbis extracts, certified filings, real-time status — Infogreffe offers a paid API. For production KYB at scale, Zephira normalises all these sources into a single unified API call — delivering structured, English-language output with no per-document fees and no manual cross-source reconciliation.
Why is shareholder data hard to access for French SAS companies?▾
The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is France's most popular legal form for commercial companies, particularly for startups, tech companies, and subsidiaries. Unlike the SARL, an SAS has no statutory obligation to file a detailed shareholder register publicly. Ownership information is embedded in the articles of association (statuts) filed with INPI — as an unstructured PDF, in French, which may not disclose individual shareholding percentages explicitly. Combined with the July 2024 UBO access restrictions, this makes the first-layer ownership structure of a French SAS significantly less transparent than equivalent entities in the UK or Netherlands.
What is the BODACC and why does it matter for KYB?▾
The BODACC (Bulletin Officiel des Annonces Civiles et Commerciales) is the official French gazette for company legal announcements. It publishes company creation, dissolution, transfer of business, financial filing, and insolvency proceedings — free and searchable by SIREN. For KYB purposes, the BODACC is valuable because insolvency and liquidation proceedings often appear there before they are reflected in the Kbis extract or the main register. A BODACC check adds minimal time to any French entity review and can surface material risk that other sources have not yet processed.
What is the full KYB workflow for a French company?▾
A complete KYB workflow for a French entity typically requires: (1) SIREN lookup via Sirene API or annuaire-entreprises to confirm identity, legal form, and status; (2) Kbis retrieval from INPI or Infogreffe for directors, address, and share capital; (3) articles of association review for shareholder structure (noting SAS opacity limitations); (4) BODACC check for insolvency or legal proceedings; (5) financial filings check via INPI (where available — many companies now elect confidentiality); (6) UBO determination via RBE access (if eligible) or corporate linkage analysis; (7) sanctions and PEP screening for all identified persons and entities. Steps 1–5 can be automated via the Zephira API — which normalises data from INPI, Infogreffe, Sirene, and BODACC into a single call, with OCR extraction on French-language documents included. Steps 6–7 require specialist UBO and screening integrations.
French company data — structured, in English, at scale
Zephira delivers normalised RCS, INPI, and Sirene data with Kbis extraction, cross-border corporate linkage, and enriched firmographics. Pick your delivery method.
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