The SIRET (Système d’Identification du Répertoire des Entreprises et de leurs Etablissements) number is a 14 digits code issued by the French INSEE, it serves as a geo identifier for companies.
If you need to have construction, fixing or any kind of work done on your French property it is often advised before going forward with an artisan, to check the validity of the SIRET number of the artisan.
A valid SIRET number ensures that the artisan is properly registered and licensed to work in France. There are several ways to verify if the artisan you have selected has a valid SIRET number, one of them is to use a website such as Manageo , Societe or Score3 and search on either the name of the
company or its SIRET number.
Some online resources also enable searching on the shorter version of the SIRET number called the SIREN number. The SIREN number is made of 9 digits, to find the SIREN number from the SIRET simply use the nine first digits of the SIRET.
If you want to make sure that the artisan not only possesses a valid SIRET/SIREN but is also financially healthy you can also check the “bilan de l’entreprise” (balance sheet of the company) to make sure that the artisan is not about to file for bankruptcy or has not done so already.
If the artisan is very recently registered or the INSEE database has not been updated it is possible for the SIRET number to read “SIRET en cours”, which means that the SIRET number creation is underway.
Check SIRET numbers:
http://www.manageo.fr
http://www.societe.com
http://www.score3.fr