France is the starting or arrival point of every introduction: selling a French product in Asia, or bringing an Asian product to France.
CapitalParis
Business languageFrench; English is common in export
CurrencyEuro (EUR)
TimeUTC+1 in winter, UTC+2 in summer
Official numberSIREN (9 digits) or SIRET (14 digits)
Checking a French company before you pay
The French State publishes the official details of every company free of charge (SIREN number, address, activity, active or closed) on the Annuaire des entreprises. This is the register we check for every French profile.
Step by step
- Ask your partner for its SIREN or SIRET number.
- Type it into the official Annuaire des entreprises.
- Compare the name, address and activity with what the company told you.
- Check that it is “active”, not “closed”.
If something does not match: a name that differs by a few letters, another address, a company marked “closed”… Pay nothing until the difference has been explained in writing. An almost identical name can hide another company.
Selling in France: what to know
- A product sold in France must follow European Union rules: for example the CE marking for many devices and toys.
- Instructions and labels for consumers must be in French.
- Paris trade fairs attract buyers from all over the world: a good time to meet your future partners.
Trade fairs in France
Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris 2027Première Vision ParisParis Packaging Week 2027VivaTech 2027MakeUp in Paris 2027
Our useful guides
CE marking in 5 questionsSelling in France: instructions and labels in FrenchOrders and deliveries: protecting yourselfChecking that a foreign company really exists
Useful organisations
- Business France: the public agency that supports French companies abroad.
- French Treasury (Direction générale du Trésor): official trade figures, country by country.
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