How do I check a French company (SIRENE)?
Search the company name or its 9-digit SIREN number on the Annuaire des Entreprises, the French government’s free company directory, which brings together the INSEE SIRENE register and the national companies register (RNE) kept by INPI. It shows whether the company is active or closed, its legal form, head office, activity code (APE / NAF), its establishments (SIRET numbers) and its listed executives (dirigeants). For an official status document, download the INSEE avis de situation.
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How to check it manually
- Search the Annuaire des Entreprises by name or SIREN.
- Check the administrative status (active or closed), legal form, creation date, head office (siège) and APE / NAF activity code.
- Review the establishments: each has a 14-digit SIRET number, made of the 9-digit SIREN plus a 5-digit establishment code.
- Review the executives (dirigeants) and, where published, filed documents such as the articles (statuts) and annual accounts, which come from the RNE on data.inpi.fr.
- Download the avis de situation from INSEE as dated proof of the SIRENE registration.
- Search BODACC for legal announcements: registrations, changes, sales of business and collective insolvency proceedings (such as redressement or liquidation judiciaire).
What it tells you
- Whether the legal unit and each establishment are active, from the official SIRENE register.
- Legal form, activity code, addresses and declared executives.
- Published legal events and insolvency proceedings, through BODACC.
What it doesn’t tell you
- Beneficial owners: public access to the French register of beneficial owners is restricted.
- Accounts for every company: some small companies can keep their annual accounts confidential.
- Full details for some individuals: people can ask INSEE to limit the public distribution of their data in SIRENE.
How SONAR automates it
When you screen a company registered in this country, SONAR looks it up in the INSEE SIRENE register and the French government company search and puts the record (legal name, number, status, legal form, registered address and officers) in the report with a link or ID for the source and the date it was retrieved.
The same run screens the company and every director and owner it finds against 8 sanctions lists, the OpenSanctions PEP dataset, the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database and adverse media, and returns PASS, REVIEW, FLAG or NOT RUN for each check. A source that could not be reached is shown as NOT RUN, never as clear.
SONAR is a due-diligence tool for checking vendors, partners, resellers and suppliers. It compiles public-record data. It is not a regulated AML / KYC provider, does not verify identity documents, and is not legal advice.
You can try it on 2 companies a month for free, no card needed; every report includes a receipt for each source it used.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SIREN and SIRET?
SIREN is the 9-digit number of the company (the legal unit). SIRET is the 14-digit number of one establishment: the SIREN followed by a 5-digit code. A company has one SIREN and one SIRET per establishment.
What is an extrait Kbis?
The official extract from the Trade and Companies Register (RCS), issued by the commercial court registries (greffes). Third parties can order one through Infogreffe. The INSEE avis de situation is a separate, free document about the SIRENE registration.
How is a French VAT number related to the SIREN?
A French intra-EU VAT number is FR, followed by a 2-character key, followed by the 9-digit SIREN. You can check it in VIES.
Official sources
Run these checks on a company you’re about to sign
Registry record, owners, sanctions, PEP, ICIJ Offshore Leaks and adverse media in one report, with a receipt for every source. 2 free reports a month, no card.
Screen a company free