France (FR)
Overview of French company data coverage, registers, and legal forms
Overview
France maintains the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés (RCS), managed by the clerks of commercial courts (Greffes des Tribunaux de Commerce). Company data is accessible through INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle).
Registers
INPI
INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle) is the primary French data source, providing access to the commercial register (Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés, RCS).
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés (RCS) |
| Managing authority | INPI |
Infogreffe
Infogreffe is the official digital platform of the French commercial courts (Greffes des Tribunaux de Commerce), offering company extracts (Kbis), financial statements, filings and legal acts.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés (RCS) |
| Managing authority | Local Commercial Courts (Greffes) / INPI |
Documents it publishes:
| Document type | Description |
|---|---|
| Kbis | Official company extract |
| Statuts | Articles of association |
| Comptes annuels | Annual financial statements |
| Actes | Legal acts and modifications |
Identifiers
French companies are uniquely identified by their 9-digit SIREN number:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
siren | 9-digit unique company identifier | 542051180 |
siret | 14-digit establishment number (SIREN + NIC) | 54205118000015 |
Note: SIRET (14 digits) identifies establishments, while SIREN identifies the company itself.
Legal Forms
Corporations
| Legal Form | Full Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SAS | Société par actions simplifiée | Simplified joint-stock company (most popular) |
| SASU | SAS unipersonnelle | Single-member SAS |
| SA | Société anonyme | Public limited company |
| SARL | Société à responsabilité limitée | Limited liability company |
| EURL | Entreprise unipersonnelle à responsabilité limitée | Single-member LLC |
Partnerships
| Legal Form | Full Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SNC | Société en nom collectif | General partnership |
| SCS | Société en commandite simple | Limited partnership |
| SCA | Société en commandite par actions | Partnership limited by shares |
Other
| Legal Form | Full Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SCI | Société civile immobilière | Real estate company |
| Association | Association loi 1901 | Non-profit association |
| GIE | Groupement d'intérêt économique | Economic interest grouping |
Other data sources
These further sources also feed Kausate responses for this jurisdiction:
| Source | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Bulletin officiel des annonces civiles et commerciales (BODACC) | Statutory civil and commercial announcements, incl. insolvency |
| Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE) | SIRENE establishment data and NAF activity codes |
Company data in every jurisdiction is also spread across sources outside the commercial register — the central bank, the official gazette, the financial supervisor's authorisation registers, the statistical office and the tax authority among them. Kausate draws only on the sources described on this page; when you need something the API does not carry, those are where to look.
Coverage
- All French departments covered
- DOM-TOM territories included
- All company types registered with RCS
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