French company register extract: what the Kbis is and how to check the company

In short: the French equivalent of the company register extract is the extrait Kbis, which certifies the registration of a company in the Trade and Companies Register (RCS). On Infogreffe it is ordered for a fee (€3.06 in electronic format, according to service-public); on the Annuaire des Entreprises an equivalent document can be downloaded for free. Neither of them tells you whether the company appears on sanctions lists or in negative media: for that there is the Foreign Company Check by Veryfy (€14.90).

What is the extrait Kbis and what is it for?

According to service-public, the extrait K or Kbis is an official document certifying the registration of a commercial business in the registre du commerce et des sociétés (RCS). The information sheet describes it as an up-to-date “carte d’identité” of the business.

• K concerns sole traders, including micro-entrepreneurs;
• Kbis concerns commercial companies, in all their forms.

If a French counterparty sends you a Kbis, remember that in most cases the extract requested must be less than 3 months old, according to the same information sheet. Always ask for a recent copy, or download one yourself.

Where do you get the “visura” of a French company?

The starting point is the SIREN number: 9 digits that identify the company. The SIRET has 14: the 9 of the SIREN plus 5 digits (NIC) that identify the individual establishment. One head office and two shops are 1 SIREN and 3 SIRET. Ask your counterparty for the SIREN, not just the name: names look alike, the number does not.

There are then three channels, all listed by service-public:

Channel	What you get	Cost (service-public)
Annuaire des Entreprises	Proof of registration in the RNE, equivalent to the Kbis but not the same document	Free
Infogreffe	Extrait Kbis of any company registered in the RCS, in electronic or paper format	€3.06 in electronic format; €4 by post
Commercial court registry (greffe du tribunal de commerce)	Extrait Kbis at the counter, in the place where the company has its seat	€2.44 on the spot

There is also the monidenum.fr service, but it is reserved to the director of your own company: you do not need it to check a counterparty.

A useful detail: service-public specifies that for many French administrative procedures the Kbis is no longer required and the SIREN or the RNE proof is enough.

What can be read for free on the Annuaire des Entreprises?

It is the public website of the French State for searching information on entities with a SIREN number. According to francenum.gouv.fr, it allows free consultation of companies’ legal data, including directors, financial statements, collective proceedings, publications in the BODACC and the SIREN number.

Note: service-public reminds that a business owner may ask for some personal data not to be made public. In that case only the company name, legal form, activity and workforce remain visible; the identity of natural persons and the address may be hidden. A missing piece of data is therefore not, in itself, a warning sign.

The national register (RNE) also has a service with INPI at data.inpi.fr: you search by name, company name, SIREN or SIRET and download a page with the legal information. It is free and open to everyone, according to service-public.

How do I check whether the company has ongoing proceedings?

Use the BODACC, the Official Bulletin of Civil and Commercial Notices, published by the Direction de l’information légale et administrative. From the official site: it publishes acts registered with the RCS, collective proceedings, notices of filing of annual financial statements and transfers of commercial businesses.

The site also offers a free notification service for commercial announcements. Search the counterparty’s SIREN before paying a deposit: a published collective proceeding is information that the Kbis alone does not let you read in detail.

Do you have a French contract to sign or a deposit to pay? Before making the bank transfer, also check sanctions, PEPs and negative media: Foreign Company Check, €14.90, single payment, no subscription.

SARL, SAS: which company are you dealing with?

The Kbis shows the legal form. According to the service-public information sheets:

• SARL: members are liable up to the amount of their contributions; from 2 to 100 members; no minimum share capital imposed by law; one or more gérants, natural persons, who may be liable beyond that limit in case of mismanagement.
• SAS: members are liable only up to the amount of their contributions; at least 2 members (with a single member it is called SASU); free share capital, minimum €1; must have a président who represents it to third parties.

A low share capital is not an anomaly in itself, but it shows how little there is as security for a credit: as with an Italian srl, the same logic applies as in new supplier without filed financial statements.

What does the Kbis NOT tell you?

The register shows that the company exists and is registered. It does not say whether it is reliable as a counterparty, nor whether it appears on international sanctions lists or in negative news. It is the same distinction you find in company register extract or solvency report: the register describes, it does not assess.

Signals to look into, none of which is proof in itself:

• SIREN that does not match the name or address on the invoice and contract;
• Collective proceedings published in the BODACC;
• Financial statements not available: if there is nothing to read, adjust advances and payment terms accordingly;
• Outdated Kbis: a document more than 3 months old is not up to date.

To know who really controls the company beyond the declared data, see how to check who really controls a company.

What does Veryfy’s Foreign Company Check add?

The Foreign Company Check (€14.90, single payment, report in Italian) accepts SIREN, SIRET or French VAT number (FR + 11 characters) and returns:

• data from the country’s register: name, identifiers, seat, business status, date of incorporation;
• business sector (NACE classification) and contacts, if registered;
• summary financial statements where available: employees, revenue, net equity, total assets;
• a search by company name on international sanctions lists, politically exposed persons and negative media.

What it does not include: shareholders, beneficial owner and protests. It does not replace the Kbis as an official document, nor the consultation of the BODACC.

Free Kbis or Foreign Company Check: the comparison

What you are looking for	Annuaire / Kbis	Foreign Company Check (€14.90)
Official proof of registration in the register	Yes	No
Name, seat, date of incorporation	Yes	Yes
Business status	Yes, on the register	Yes
Collective proceedings and notices	Yes (Annuaire and BODACC)	No
Summary financial statements (employees, revenue, net equity, total assets)	To be read in the documents	Yes, if available, in summary
Sanctions lists, PEPs, negative media	No	Yes, by name
Language	French	Italian

The two tools do not replace each other: the register gives you the document and the detail on proceedings, while the Veryfy check adds sanctions, PEPs and negative media and summarises financial statements in Italian.

And if you need to check a French director?

The Foreign Person Check (€9.90) searches first name, surname and, if available, date of birth on international sanctions lists and PEP lists. It does not return register data on the person: positions and related companies are read in the French registers. The date of birth helps tell apart people with the same name.

Sources

• Service-public Entreprendre, How to obtain an extrait K or Kbis, read on 31/10/2026.
• Service-public Entreprendre, How to obtain a Siren or Siret number, read on 31/10/2026.
• Service-public Entreprendre, Search for proof of registration of a company, read on 31/10/2026.
• Francenum, How to access companies’ legal information for free and beta.gouv.fr, The Annuaire des Entreprises, read on 31/10/2026.
• BODACC, Official Bulletin of Civil and Commercial Notices, read on 31/10/2026.
• Service-public Entreprendre, SARL and SAS, read on 31/10/2026.

Before paying a supplier or signing with a French company, obtain its Kbis or the RNE proof and then complete it with the Foreign Company Check at €14.90: register, sanctions, PEPs and negative media in a single check, in Italian and with a single payment. For the British sister company, see the guide on Companies House.