Answers to the questions companies ask, from registration to the first agreement. Each answer is short and sends you to the page with all the details.
- Before you register
- Registering
- Your profile and “My area”
- Finding a partner and requesting an introduction
- After the introduction
- For everyone
Before you register
What is the Passerelle? Who is behind it?
The Passerelle presents companies from France, the European Union, China, Thailand and Vietnam, all checked in the official register of their country, and introduces them to each other. “Passerelle France-Asie” is the trade name of Patrick Celli, a sole trader. See The project and the Legal notice.
How much does it cost?
Registration is free and your first introduction is free. After that, each request reserves a credit (from €7.60): it is only used if the company accepts; without its agreement within 15 days, it is given back to you. There is no commission and no commitment. To be more visible, you can choose a “level” or an option. See Plans and prices.
Which countries are welcome?
Companies from the European Union (including France), China, Thailand and Vietnam, because we check every company in the official register of its country. If we open other countries, we will announce it on the site. See Countries.
Which activities are refused?
As a precaution, some activities are refused in all cases, for example: tobacco and vaping, alcoholic drinks, weapons, “dual-use” goods, narcotics (including CBD), medicines and medical devices. The full list is in point 5 of the Registration conditions for companies.
Can a micro-business register?
Yes, if it has an official number: in France, the SIREN or SIRET. In another European Union country, a sole trader without a VAT number gives the number from their country's register.
Will my information be sold?
No: your data is never sold or passed on. See Privacy.
Registering
Where do I find my official number?
- France: SIREN (9 digits) or SIRET (14 digits), on your Sirene registration notice, your Kbis extract, or on annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr.
- Another European Union country: intra-EU VAT number; it starts with your country code (for example DE, IT, ES).
- China: unified social credit code (18 characters), on your business licence (营业执照).
- Thailand: 13-digit registration number, on your company registration certificate (DBD).
- Vietnam: 10-digit enterprise code (mã số doanh nghiệp), on your enterprise registration certificate.
The registration form shows this help in your language as soon as you choose your country.
Official name or trade name? Which address?
Write the name and address exactly as they appear in your country's official register (the head office), not a shop name or a warehouse address: we compare them with the register.
Why these tick boxes?
They make you accept the Registration conditions for companies and certify that your information is correct. False information leads to the registration being refused, or to the profile being removed if it is already published.
Will my contact details be shown?
No: the contact person, their phone number and their e-mail address are never shown on the site. They are only passed to a company with which an introduction has been accepted.
“I'm not a robot”: what should I do?
Tick the box and wait a few seconds for the check to finish, then send the form.
Can I fill in the form by speaking, or have someone fill it in for me?
Yes: in the forms, the buttons 🎤 (speak), 🔊 (listen to the question) and 🔁 (read back) help you. If someone fills it in for you, they write exactly what you say, then read it back to you aloud.
How long until I get an answer?
We answer by e-mail, usually within 5 working days.
My request is “on hold” or refused: what should I do?
On hold: a supporting document is missing to finish the check; the e-mail tells you which one and why. Refused: if you think it is a mistake, reply to the e-mail and attach an official registration extract of your company less than 3 months old.
Your profile and “My area”
How do I enter “My area”?
Your username is your e-mail address. You choose your own password with the link received by e-mail (a code is sent to you to confirm it): nobody else knows it, not even us. At your first login, confirm once that you have read the Privacy page. See My area.
How do I present my products?
By “families”: a family is a group of similar products (for example “Ground Arabica coffee”), 10 families at most. For each one: the “Customs chapter” (type a word in the search box, then click the right chapter), a description, keywords your buyers type (also in other languages) and your conditions (price or “on quotation”, lead times…). Your products appear after review.
Correcting or removing a product family?
To correct it, send it again with exactly the same name: it replaces the old one. To remove it, write to us from the Contact page.
What is “My name for buyers” for?
It is a simple first name, shown next to your company name, never instead of it: for example “Call me Bảy”. It is optional and can be changed whenever you like, in My area.
Photos and video: how?
For photos, follow the guide 3 good photos with your phone. The presentation video lasts one minute at most; it is watched before being published.
“Where my company is”: why?
You give your province or region, shown with your country. The town is only shown if you tick the box: be careful, in a small village the name of the town can be enough to find you.
Changing level, taking an option, buying credits?
On the Plans and prices page, the “Choose” button takes you to My area. Each credit is valid for 12 months: we warn you 15 days before the deadline.
Finding a partner and requesting an introduction
How do I find a company?
In the “Companies” menu: by country, by sector (“Find your sector”) or with the search. See the list of companies.
Are the companies really checked?
Yes: a company only appears on the Passerelle after being checked in the official register of its country. See How we verify each company.
Why must I be registered to request an introduction?
To protect everyone: only checked companies can contact others. If your number does not match any registered company, we invite you to register first.
Which number and which e-mail address should I type?
Those of your own registration. Replies only go to your company's registered address: this protects you against people who would pretend to be you.
What happens next?
The company receives your request and accepts with a single click, free of charge and without an account, or does not follow up. It has 15 days. If it accepts, you receive its contact details. Otherwise, your credit is given back to you. See How it works.
Can I ask the same company again?
Not before 30 days: only one request from one company to another every 30 days.
And if the company does not follow up?
The credit is only used if the company accepts: it is given back to you.
After the introduction
How do I order and pay safely?
Before each payment, read Paying without being cheated: 8 checks before every payment, then Orders and deliveries: protecting yourself and Contract with an Asian company: which law applies?. For Vietnam, also see the “Good to know” box on the Vietnam page.
Does the Passerelle guarantee the order or the payment?
No: the Passerelle is neither a seller nor a payment intermediary, and it never handles any payment. You do business directly between companies. See the Registration conditions for companies.
What is the negotiation notebook?
A trial: after an accepted introduction, each company can propose and confirm ready-made sentences (lead times, quantities…), shown in each company's language. A summary in both languages can be printed. It is not a contract.
A disagreement, a company that insists: what should I do?
You can ask for a company to be blocked. A case is then opened: each company gives its version within 21 days, then we decide.
How do I report illegal or misleading content?
Use the Report content page: give the page, the reason and an explanation, then tick the good-faith statement. Each report is examined by a person.
For everyone
How do I change the language?
The buttons at the top of each page (Français, English, 中文, ไทย, Tiếng Việt) open the same page in the other language.
Can I leave a voice message instead of writing?
Yes, on the Contact page: 60 seconds at most; you can listen again before sending, and you say how to contact you.
How do I choose the e-mails I receive?
Each follow-up e-mail contains a link to stop receiving these messages, and My area lets you choose your e-mails box by box.
How do I have my data deleted?
The Privacy page explains which data we keep, for how long, and how to ask for it to be deleted.
How do I recognise a fake message “from the Passerelle”?
We will never ask you for a password or a code received by SMS. In doubt? See Website security.
For information only, up to date on 2 November 2026: these answers summarise the pages of the site, which are authoritative. Can't find your answer? Write to us from the Contact page.