French company searches connect the RNE with the relevant trade register.
Identify French entities by SIREN, distinguish establishments by SIRET and select RNE data, trade-register extracts and filed accounts.
By Matthew Lee
A French company’s SIREN identifies the legal unit; its SIRET identifies an establishment. Keeping that distinction prevents a branch address from being mistaken for a different company. INSEE maintains the Sirene directory, while corporate information and official trade-register documents come from the relevant registration sources.
The Registre national des entreprises, or RNE, is operated by INPI. Commercial court registry offices maintain the Registre du commerce et des sociétés, or RCS, for entities within its scope. Data INPI and Infogreffe serve related searches, but the document you need depends on the entity and the question.
Match the SIREN before the name
Ask for the company’s full legal name and nine-digit SIREN. A trading name can differ from the registered name, and a business group can use one brand across several French companies. The SIREN helps prevent those companies from being combined into a single customer record.
A fourteen-digit SIRET includes an establishment identifier. If the customer supplies a SIRET, identify the associated SIREN and check the establishment as well as the legal unit. A closure or move affecting one establishment should not automatically be read as the dissolution of the whole company.
Retain leading zeroes and avoid storing these identifiers as numeric values that can be reformatted. Compare the name, legal form, registered office and establishment address with the contract. The location receiving goods may be a secondary establishment; establish which legal unit is responsible for the agreement.
Select the registration source
INPI’s RNE brings together registered enterprise information across a broad range of activities and legal forms. It is useful for identifying the registered enterprise and accessing information or documents available through Data INPI. Check the coverage of the selected result instead of assuming every record describes a commercial company.
RCS records are maintained by the competent registry offices. An applicable commercial company’s Kbis extract is an official trade-register document, and the relevant registry location should be retained with its registration details. Other business forms can require a different registration document, so do not request a Kbis solely because a business operates in France.
| Need | Appropriate starting point | Scope to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Identify a legal unit or establishment | Sirene information and the SIREN or SIRET | Identity and establishment information |
| Inspect enterprise registration data | RNE information through INPI | Fields and documents available for the legal form |
| Obtain official trade-register evidence | Competent RCS registry or its service | Correct extract type and issuing registry |
| Review filed accounts | Relevant filing source | Reporting period and disclosure restrictions |
Interpret the extract carefully
Read the legal form, registered office, corporate name, capital information and management or representation entries where shown. Preserve the French terminology in the evidence file and explain it in your review note. A simplified English label can lose an important distinction between a representative’s office and their powers.
The address on an extract is a registered address. It may differ from an establishment or operating location in Sirene. Where the addresses differ, compare their functions and dates before treating the difference as suspicious. A customer’s operational evidence should still support any claimed warehouse, factory or office used in the transaction.
Corporate status describes the registered position. It does not establish financial health or authorisation for every regulated activity. A record of legal existence should therefore sit alongside the relevant licence, tax or credit checks when your transaction requires those conclusions.
Use acts to resolve representation and history
Filed corporate acts can explain formation, articles, changes to management, capital changes or other registered events. Select the act connected to the issue you are checking. Compare its date with the current extract so the review identifies whether it is historical or still relevant.
If a proposed signatory is absent from the current representation entries, obtain the appropriate delegation or mandate and assess it with the company’s signing rules. Conversely, presence on an extract should not be treated as proof that any transaction is authorised without regard to scope, joint signature or contractual requirements.
A name change does not necessarily create a new entity. Link the earlier and current names through the same SIREN and supporting filings. A similarly named entity with another SIREN is a separate legal unit, even if the businesses share a group, address or website.
Separate public accounts from complete financial evidence
Some corporate accounts can be retrieved through the relevant official services. Filing and disclosure depend on the entity and applicable rules, and certain information can be subject to confidentiality. A public search may therefore return a reduced set of financial information or no accessible accounts for a particular period.
Read the period covered by the accounts and whether an audit report accompanies them. Registration information and financial statements answer different questions, so do not describe a company as financially verified merely because a current extract exists. For a credit decision, identify which additional financial records and assurances your policy requires.
An absent filing needs investigation before interpretation. Confirm the legal form, filing obligation, period and correct entity. Document the search limit rather than converting a missing public document into a finding that the company is inactive or has no revenue.
Trace ownership with the applicable access rules
Immediate shareholders, corporate acts and beneficial-owner information can have different disclosure routes. Access to beneficial-owner information is governed by eligibility and current rules. Establish the requester’s entitlement before promising that a public search will deliver the complete beneficial ownership record.
Use filed acts and information supplied by the company to build a dated ownership chain where permitted. Trace corporate holders in their own registries and distinguish direct holdings from ultimate control. Record any reliance on declarations and any restricted or unavailable documents so your conclusion remains assessable.
Request and preserve the French file
Specify the legal name, SIREN, establishment SIRET where relevant, legal form and RCS location if known. State whether you need RNE information, an official extract, particular acts, accounts or an ownership enquiry through the international company registry search. Feasibility and access are confirmed for the requested items.
Save the original French documents, source, retrieval time and document dates with any translation. Price and expected turnaround are confirmed when the order is accepted. Does your French company file identify the legal unit, its establishment and the authority behind each document?