OpenCorporates has combined two datasets for France companies - the INSEE SIRENE Open Data database, supplemented with dissolved companies for 2012-2017 sourced from Infogreffe (the central company registration agency). Based on our research, where a company is found in both datasets, we have found that the INSEE data is of better quality, and therefore takes precedence.
The datasets are combined because the initial SIRENE dataset that was published from January 2017 onwards did not contain any historic dissolved companies. OpenCorporates flags dissolved companies as they occur, using the daily update files published by INSEE.
Some additional notes regarding the dataset
Dissolution Date – in France, a company legally ceases to exist as an entity when it decides to do so via a company resolution, accompanied with a dissolution filing made to the company register. It also takes place on the sale of business, by court order, or on the death or retirement of a sole trader. After dissolution, the company is then “struck off” (radiée) from the company register, which can take place several months after legal dissolution. Due to the slight difference in the data files offered, the INSEE-sourced companies show the legal dissolution date, whereas the Infogreffe-sourced companies show the striking-off date. The latter can be clearly identified via the Company Source information and Registry URL.
Jurisdiction of Origin – unfortunately the French data wrongly places Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom, and the data does not easily distinguish between Great Britain and its offshore territories of Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man except by using the company address which is not provided in a consistent format. Where we are unable to determine the country by the address, these companies will be tagged as “GB” which may therefore prevent matching of some French branches to their home companies in these offshore jurisdictions.
The main company identifier is the "SIREN" - a 9 digit number (consisting of 8 digits + 1 check-digit). This uniquely identifies registered companies, sole traders and state-bodies. This number is issued by INSEE at the point of registration of the entity. The number is never re-used. For sole-traders / individuals, the same number is kept for life.
| Metric | Score | Max Points |
|---|---|---|
| Freely Searchable | 20 | 20 |
| Licensing | 30 | 30 |
| Data Freely Available | 20 | 20 |
| Directors | 0 | 10 |
| Accounts | 10 | 10 |
| Shareholders | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 80 | 100 |
