When a French company registers with the Registre national des entreprises (RNE), the equivalent of our Business Register, it is assigned an RCS or Siren number, which is the official identification number of the company.

In addition to the Siren, however, French companies may also have a VAT number (TVA) and a Siret code, which indicates the individual establishments where the company operates. Therefore, to verify a company, checking the French VAT number may not be enough. Let’s clarify.

VAT, Siren, and Siret in France

In France, registration with the national business register, which was previously called the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés (RCS), results in the issuance of a business registration certificate (extract Kbis) that contains the so-called RCS number, the unique identifier assigned to each French company by the Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (INSEE).

This RCS number, which can also be called the INSEE number or Siren, consists of 9 digits and remains valid until the company ceases to exist. As mentioned, it can be found in the Kbis extract, the French equivalent of the business registration certificate.

The VAT number (or TVA intracommunautaire) includes the 9 digits of the Siren, which are preceded by the country code (FR) and two additional digits. Let’s take the example of the large French company EssilorLuxottica: its Siren code is 712049618, while its French VAT number, or VAT number, is FR25 712049618.

Siret: What It Is and What It’s Used For

In addition to the Siren, French companies may also have a Siret number (which stands for Système Informatique pour le Répertoire des Entreprises sur le Territoire), which identifies the physical location of the business in France.

There is no equivalent of the Siret number in Italy: it is a 14-digit number that is associated with the legal headquarters but also with each establishment of the company.

This code is divided into two sections: the first consists of the Siren number, while the last 5 digits are called NIC (Numéro Interne de Classement).

To return to the previous example, the Siret of EssilorLuxottica’s main office is 712049618 00739: analyzing the last part of the code, we will see that the first four digits identify the establishment, while the last one serves as a control digit.

While Siren and VAT numbers remain the same throughout the life of the company, Siret and NIC codes are subject to changes and additions whenever a company changes its location or opens a new operating unit in the country.

How to Verify a French Company

As we have seen, the Siren number is the basis for the subsequent identifiers, i.e., the VAT number and the Siret. Therefore, it is very easy to trace a French company’s Siren number from the Siret or VAT number.

On the other hand, to verify the Siret number or the VAT number in France, it is necessary to consult these data in public registers, primarily the Siren register and the national business directory (Annuaire des Entreprises).

The verification can be done via Siren or Siret code, and provides several useful pieces of information, including the company name, legal form, business sector (indicated by the NAF or APE code), and the registration date in the registers.

The search on the Sirene register also allows you to consult what the French Government calls the "identity card" of a company, a kind of synthetic registration document containing information such as the address of each establishment and its intended purpose (e.g., legal or production office), as well as the company’s membership in the ESS category (social and solidarity economy, which benefits from a 25% tax reduction).

How to Check a French VAT Number

Within the EU VAT system, goods and services can only be exchanged between parties who have a valid VAT number in their country. According to EU regulations, intra-community transactions are exempt from VAT in the seller's country: the buyer is responsible for paying VAT. Therefore, when establishing a business relationship with a European party, you need to ensure that they are a VAT-registered entity.

The VIES (VAT Information Exchange System) was created specifically to exchange the necessary information between member states and thus enable the correct tax management of transactions.

The VIES website allows you to verify the validity of a VAT number, meaning you can be sure that a company is registered for trading within the European Union: for a simple check of EU VAT numbers, you can perform a quick search like this.

However, when you need to obtain additional information about a French VAT number with whom you are making first contact (for example, if you want to know the company’s turnover and number of employees), you need to use other tools.

How to Get Information About French Companies via API

Consulting the Siren register allows you to obtain the so-called *avis de situation*, which contains useful information about the business sector of a company and its operational locations in France.

However, if you want more detailed information about the health of a French company, you need to refer to the Kbis extract, which, like the Italian business registration document, lists, among other things, the names of the tax representative and directors, share capital, and any legal proceedings involving the company.

From today, it is possible to automate the process of verifying French companies through APIs: Openapi’s new service allows you to obtain real-time information on all registered companies in France, eliminating billing errors, simplifying onboarding, and KYC operations.

In particular, through the Start, Advanced and Search FR endpoints, it is possible to obtain more than 60 updated data (e.g. Siret, Siren, VAT, Registered Office, Operating Units, Turnover and GPS Coordinates) on all companies registered in France.

 

Do you want to access data on all French companies

via API? You can do it on Openapi.com

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