Registration conditions for companies

Last updated: 3 November 2026.

1. What Passerelle France-Asie does

Passerelle France-Asie is an independent project of Patrick Celli, publisher of this website (see the legal notice).

It helps small businesses from France and the other countries of the European Union, China, Thailand and Vietnam to find each other.

We do three things:

we check that a company exists in the official register of its country;
we present its profile on the website, in several languages;
we put two companies in touch, if both agree.

We do NOT: buy or sell goods, ship goods, handle payments between companies, hold money, take a commission on deals concluded, translate contracts, or give legal or tax advice. There is no forum and no messaging between companies on the website.

Passerelle France-Asie is not a broker, a business introducer paid on deals, a commercial agent or a payment intermediary. It receives no commission on deals concluded.

2. Who can register

A company that is registered and active in the official register of its country (France or another country of the European Union, China, Thailand or Vietnam), represented by a person who has the right to act on its behalf.

3. How to register

a) Fill in the "Register my company" form. Your number is first checked automatically (official register for France; the European Commission's VIES service for the other countries of the European Union, with the intra-community VAT number; format of the number for China, Thailand and Vietnam), then checked by hand.

b) Give: the full official name (in the script of the country), the registration number, the website if there is one, the business sector, the languages spoken, a short presentation written by you, and your logo if you want it displayed (giving us permission to display it).

c) We check your company in the official register. We may ask you questions.

d) We prepare your profile and send it to you. It is only published after your written agreement.

We never ask for: an identity document, your turnover, a password. We never ask for your bank details by e-mail or by phone. For a refund, you request it yourself in My space. Credits and options are paid only by the means shown on the invoice.

If anyone asks you for them in our name, it is an attempted fraud: let us know.

Prices: see point 3 bis.

3 bis. Prices and payment

Free registration. The check in the register, the company profile (name, sector, presentation in five languages, 3 photos) and receiving introduction requests are free.

Introduction credits. To send an introduction request, you need a credit. Packs: 1 credit €9, 5 credits €42, 10 credits €80, 25 credits €190. A credit is reserved when a request is sent. It is only used if the company contacted accepts the introduction; without its agreement within 15 days, it is given back. Only the company that makes contact uses a credit: the company contacted pays nothing. Each credit (purchased, free, from the launch offer or given back) is valid for 12 months from the day you receive it; purchased credits are used first. We will remind you by e-mail 15 days before the expiry date; a credit not used by that date is lost. The legal limitation periods still apply. To protect the companies contacted, at most 10 requests may be sent per day.

Levels. As your business grows, we offer you the next level; you always choose. Level 2 "Growth" (medium card in the listings, detailed statistics, messaging and map passed on after agreement, 1 introduction included per month): €29 per month or €290 per year. Level 3 "Expansion" (large card, showcase page, Google listing reviewed by us, 2 per month): €49 per month or €490 per year. Level 4 "Anchoring" (catalogue and past work, 3 per month): €69 per month or €690 per year. Level 5 "Outreach" (also presented on the Gardien website, with links, 4 per month): €89 per month or €890 per year. Level 6 "Home" (your own website built by the Gardien, paid once according to the quote, with everything in level 5 and Essential maintenance, 5 per month): €139 per month or €1,390 per year, from delivery of the website. One level at a time: moving to another one replaces the previous one. Included introductions are counted each month from the day the level starts and are not carried over from one month to the next; an included introduction left without agreement for 15 days is given back as a credit, valid for 12 months.

Options. Highlighted frame: €12 per month. Boost in search results: €25 per month. Top spot on a country or sector page: €39 per month (at most 3 spots per page, reserved for levels 1 and 2). All paid visibility (levels and options) is marked "Sponsored" on the website.

I do not charge VAT — VAT not applicable, article 293 B of the French General Tax Code (Code général des impôts): the prices shown are the prices to pay.

Free introduction. Each verified company receives 1 free introduction credit. Launch offer: the first 20 verified companies receive 2 instead of 1.

Referral. When a company you recommend registers with your referral code (shown in your member space), is verified in the official register of its country and has its first introduction accepted, your company receives 2 free introduction credits (valid for 12 months) and 7 days at the top of its display area, kept in reserve: you use them whenever you want from your member space (if several ambassadors are at the top, they take turns). At most 20 recommended companies are rewarded per calendar year. Depending on the number of companies recommended, your profile carries a badge: Scout (1), Pioneer (3), Bridge Builder (10), Grand Ambassador (25); you can hide it. This top position is not paid for and is not marked "Sponsored". A referral does not count for a company that is already registered, nor between two companies that have the same manager or the same registration number. We may refuse a clearly abusive referral, explaining why.

Partners found. The number of your accepted introductions (never the names of your partners) is shown on your profile and in the listings. You can hide it at any time in your member space.

What payment does not change. Paying changes nothing in the check in the register: every company is checked in the same way.

Duration of options. A monthly option has no commitment: you can stop it at any time, and it ends at the end of the month paid for.

Payment and invoice. An invoice is sent to you for each payment. It is payable on receipt, without discount; the service ordered starts when payment is received. In the event of late payment of a sum due, late-payment penalties are due at the rate of the European Central Bank (most recent refinancing operation) plus 10 percentage points, together with a fixed indemnity of €40 for recovery costs (articles L441-10 and D441-5 of the French Commercial Code). You pay only by the means shown on the invoice. We will never ask you, by e-mail or by phone, to pay into another account: if this happens, it is an attempted fraud, let us know.

Right to change your mind (14 days). If you bought away from our premises (for example during a visit to your company), your company employs 5 people at most and the purchase is not part of your main activity, you have 14 days to change your mind, without giving a reason (article L221-3 of the French Consumer Code). A withdrawal form is given to you with the contract. The refund covers the unused credits, free of charge, and is made within 14 days.

Refund of credits. If we stop the Passerelle, or if we remove a profile through no fault of the company: 100% of the purchased credits that are still valid. At your request, for all packs: purchased credits that are unused and still valid, at the unit price of the pack (price of the pack divided by the number of credits), refunded in full, free of charge. No refund for expired credits, free credits, or a profile removed for serious misconduct or false information. The refund is made within 14 days: to the card used for payment, if the request arrives within 30 days of the payment; otherwise by bank transfer, to the account you give yourself in My area.

4. What we check… and what we do not check

We only check that the company exists and is active in the official register, on the date shown on its profile ("Verified in the register on …"). We repeat this check every year.

For French companies, we also regularly check their status in the official register (active or closed) and the notices published about them in the BODACC (Bulletin officiel des annonces civiles et commerciales, the French official journal of civil and commercial notices: insolvency proceedings, removal from the register, sale). If something changes, the profile is suspended while we check, nothing is deleted, and the company is informed. An outage of these services never leads to a suspension.

Dated record. Each check produces a record: date, time, register consulted and what that register showed at that moment. When an introduction is accepted, each company receives the record concerning the other company, with a link to the official register. These records are part of the company's evidence file (point 4 bis).

A record is not a guarantee. It describes the situation on its date, and only on its date: a company may later close, go into receivership or liquidation, change its manager or its activity. Before any order, any payment or any commitment, each company must check its partner's situation again, using the link provided or by any other means. Passerelle France-Asie cannot be held liable for a change of situation that occurred after the date of the record.

We do NOT check and do NOT guarantee: the quality of products or services, prices, lead times, the ability to pay, or a person's honesty. Before any deal, carry out your own checks (see our guide "Checking that a foreign company really exists") and sign a written contract.

4 bis. Evidence file

For each company, we keep an evidence file: the information given, the documents and supporting evidence, each check (at registration, every year, and before each introduction) with its date, its time and its result, and each box ticked with its date and its time.

This file is kept for the whole duration of the registration, then for 5 years after the profile is removed (limitation period for commercial matters, article L110-4 of the French Commercial Code). It is never published. It is passed on only to the authorities or the courts that request it, or used to defend our rights.

Before each introduction, we reread the file of both companies (second check): status in the register, profile, photos, supporting documents, reports. If something is wrong, the introduction is suspended, the credit is not used, and we ask the company what is missing.

4 ter. Authorisations, licences, diplomas and taxes

Each company is solely responsible for obtaining and keeping up to date the authorisations, licences, diplomas, approvals and tax registrations required in its country for its activity, and for paying the related taxes.

At registration, it states whether its activity requires an official authorisation and, if so: the name of the document, its number, who issued it, its expiry date and the activity written on it. It also states whether it is registered with the tax authorities of its country, and its VAT number if it has one.

When an official service makes it possible, we compare these answers with the official register (for example: business register, VAT number, register of health establishments). Each check is dated and kept in the evidence file (point 4 bis). Everything that is not marked "verified" on the profile, with the date of the check, is declared by the company itself, under its sole responsibility.

A check describes the situation on its date only (point 4). Information on the rules of the different countries is given for information only, with its date and its source; it does not engage the liability of Passerelle France-Asie and does not replace the opinion of the country's authority.

Passerelle France-Asie cannot be held liable for an authorisation, a licence, a diploma or a tax registration that is missing, false, expired or withdrawn. A company that operates without the required authorisation, or that has given false information, has its profile refused or removed (point 8).

Before any deal, each company checks its partner's authorisations itself with the authorities of its country.

4 quater. False declarations and refused registrations

Any false declaration (number, document, authorisation, information about the company) leads to the registration being refused, or to the profile being removed if it is already published, and may be reported to the competent authorities, in France or in the company's country.

When a registration is refused because it does not match the official registers or documents, we keep a record of the facts found: the name and number given, the e-mail address, the IP address, the date and the reason found (for example "number not found in the register on …"). This record is used only to prevent a new misleading registration and to defend our rights. It is never published. It is kept for 5 years.

A registration that cannot be checked remains recorded, but its profile is not published: this is not a refusal for fraud. We write to the company to tell it what could not be checked.

Each new registration is automatically compared with refused or unpublished registrations (number, name, e-mail address, phone, website). A similarity never leads to an automatic refusal: it is flagged, and a person rereads both files before deciding.

4 quinquies. What we check, in full transparency

Passerelle France-Asie seeks quality, not numbers: we only welcome real and serious companies that want to find partners in other countries. Here, before you register, we tell you everything we check:

its existence and its status in the official register of its country (point 4);
its mandatory authorisations and its tax registration, when an official service makes it possible (point 4 ter);
its existence at the address given: online map, street view, the company's public listing on the internet, consulted by hand;
its official contact details: an e-mail sent to the address of its website, a call to the phone number found in the register or on its official website (never only the one given in the form);
if we ask you: a "photo of the day" of the shop front or of the displayed licence, with a handwritten sheet showing the code we give you and the date;
the IP address from which the form was sent, kept as evidence (point 4 bis). It is only used as a clue: on its own, it is never a reason for refusal.

If a point cannot be checked, or if a piece of information contradicts an official register or document (for example: address not found, name or activity different from the register, document that does not match), we write to tell you exactly which one and what needs to be sent. The following are never, on their own, a reason for refusal: having no listing on the internet, or an IP address located elsewhere.

As long as the point has not been justified, your registration remains recorded but your profile is not published. A company that has given false information has its registration refused (point 4 quater).

5. Refused activities and products (a cautious list: when in doubt, we refuse)

Refused in all cases:

tobacco, vaping products (electronic cigarettes) and their accessories;
alcoholic drinks;
weapons, ammunition, explosives and their parts;
"dual-use" goods and technologies (usable for civilian and military purposes: some drones, electronic components, encryption software…), whose export requires an authorisation;
narcotics, cannabis and CBD, and products dangerous to health;
medicines, medical devices and food supplements;
dangerous chemicals, pesticides and waste;
live animals, protected animals and plants, and products made from them;
gold, precious stones and precious metals;
financial services: investments, loans, currency exchange, cryptocurrencies, money transfers;
gambling;
recruitment or employment abroad, visas and immigration;
counterfeits, replicas and copies of brands, designs or works;
pornography and sexual services (escort, prostitution) — adult products sold legally are accepted with the "18+" box (reserved for adults, without explicit images, never shown in countries that prohibit them);
for massage and well-being: any provision of services. Only exchanges of products are accepted (massage tables, oils, linen, equipment…), without photos of people in suggestive clothing;
any company or person listed in the French national register of asset freezes (financial sanctions);
any activity prohibited by French law or by the law of the company's country.

Accepted with vigilance (the company remains solely responsible for complying with European Union rules):

food and non-alcoholic drinks (health and labelling rules);
cosmetics (a "responsible person" established in the European Union is mandatory);
toys and children's articles, electrical and electronic equipment, machinery (CE marking);
textiles and footwear (labelling);
furniture and wood products (legal origin of the wood).

5 bis. Photos and texts

All photos and all texts are checked before publication. A photo or a text that is sexual, racist, insulting, violent, unhealthy or prohibited by law leads to the profile being refused, or permanently removed if it is already published.

Your contact person (optional). The company may add the photo, first name and job title of the person who answers the other companies. Nothing is mandatory. The photo is shown only with the agreement of the person photographed, who can have it removed at any time. It is checked like all photos and is never automatically compared with another face.

5 ter. Services

A company that offers a service states, for each service: whether it is carried out with or without a diploma (and which one), and the number of years of experience. This information is given by the company and is not guaranteed by Passerelle France-Asie, unless a supporting document has been checked and is shown as such.

6. Your commitments

By registering, you undertake to:

give accurate information and tell us about any change (name, address, activity, closure);
comply with the laws of your country and those of the countries you work with;
not send mass advertising messages to the other registered companies;
not resell or publish the contact details received during an introduction;
not present yourself as "recommended" or "certified" by Passerelle France-Asie: we only check existence in the register (claiming otherwise would be a misleading commercial practice, article L121-2 of the French Consumer Code).
only request an introduction or a quote if you have a real project (not to find out a competitor's prices, nor to waste anyone's time);
make no racist, insulting, discriminatory or threatening remarks, either on the website or during an introduction;
answer in good faith if we ask for your version in a disagreement file (point 7 bis).

7. Introductions

We pass the name and e-mail address of one company to another ONLY if both have given their written agreement. These contact details are sent only to the registered e-mail address of each company, together with the verification record of the other company (point 4).

After that, the business relationship takes place directly between you: we do not take part in it and we are not responsible for the agreements concluded, the payments or the deliveries.

Before receiving the contact details, each of the two companies ticks a box: it acknowledges that Passerelle France-Asie has not seen, tested or checked the products or services of the other company, does not take part in their exchanges, orders, purchases, sales, payments or deliveries, and is not responsible for what will be said, written or recorded between them. Before any order or payment, each company checks the other company, its products and its documents itself, and signs a written contract. This acceptance is recorded with its date and its time.

Supporting documents (nothing is mandatory). During the introduction, each company may ask to receive the other's supporting documents (licence, authorisation, tax certificate, certificates), as that other company sent them to us. We pass them on only if the company concerned has given its agreement by ticking the box provided. It may refuse: that is its right. It may also withdraw its agreement at any time in My space; it then no longer applies to transmissions not yet made. Without this agreement, each company carries out its own checks directly with the other. We pass on only the documents received, without changing them, with the date of our check; this transmission is not a guarantee (point 4). The company that receives these documents uses them only for its own check: it does not publish them and does not pass them on to anyone.

7 bis. Disagreement between companies and request to block

Passerelle France-Asie wants sincere and honest exchanges. Requesting a quote without a real project, to find out a competitor's prices, giving false information or insisting with a company that does not wish it has no place here.

A company may ask us to stop receiving introduction requests from another company. In that case:

we immediately suspend introduction requests between the two companies, in both directions; this is not a sanction;
we ask both companies for their version of the facts, through a form, with exactly the same questions; neither sees the other's answers; each has 21 days to reply;
we compare the facts (dates, quotes, orders) and we may ask for proof by e-mail, for example a quote; do not send any file unless we ask you to;
we decide: lift the block, or keep it (3 years at most); if a company has breached these conditions (false information, request without a real project, insistence or harassment), we may also send it a warning, or remove its profile (point 8).

Each company receives in writing the decision that concerns it, with its reasons. A person always reads both versions and takes the decision: never the machine alone.

We do not settle commercial disputes (payment, delivery, quality). A company that considers itself harmed by a false request, untruthful information or dishonest behaviour keeps the right to take action against its author, before the authorities or the courts of its country. We keep disagreement files for 3 years and pass them on to the authorities only if the law requires us to.

8. Refusal, suspension and removal of a profile

We may refuse, suspend or remove a profile if:

the company no longer exists or is no longer active in the register;
a piece of information is false;
the activity is on the list in point 5;
the company does not comply with these conditions or the code of conduct;
we receive a serious report, while we check;
a disagreement file shows that the company has breached these conditions (point 7 bis).

We explain our decision to you in writing, with its reasons (European Regulation 2022/2065, article 17).

Moderation: each report and each decision to refuse, suspend or remove is examined by a person; no automatic tool decides. How to report content and what happens to reports are explained on the Report content page (European Regulation 2022/2065, articles 14 and 16).

The reason is never published on the website.

If a profile is removed, the unused credits and the part of an option already paid for the unused period are refunded, unless the removal is due to false information or a serious breach of these conditions.

A company that has deceived or defrauded another company, or that has seriously breached these conditions, loses everything it has paid: credits, levels and options, without refund.

You may ask for your profile to be removed at any time: it is then deleted from the website; the evidence file is kept as explained in point 4 bis.

9. Liability

The information in each profile comes from the company itself and from the official register, on the date of the check.

We are careful about its accuracy but we cannot guarantee that it remains true after that date.

We are not responsible for exchanges, contracts or disputes between companies. In the event of a dispute, we remain neutral.

Passerelle France-Asie has no access to the products or services of the registered companies: it therefore cannot answer for them.

10. Personal data

People's data (name, e-mail address, messages) are processed as explained on our "Privacy" page: retention periods, rights of access and erasure, transfers outside the European Union.

11. Reporting a profile or content

Do you think that a profile, an advert or other content on the Passerelle is illegal (fake company, scam, impersonation, counterfeit, prohibited product, personal data published without consent, hateful remarks)? Use the Report content page, giving the exact address of the page, what the problem is and why, your name and your e-mail, and confirming your good faith.

Each report receives an acknowledgement of receipt. It is examined by a person, without any automatic decision tool, objectively. The company concerned may give its version. During the examination, we may hide the profile or suspend introductions if the risk justifies it. We inform the author of the report of our decision and of the possible remedies. If content is removed or a profile is suspended, the company concerned receives the reasons for the decision and may ask for a new examination (European Regulation 2022/2065, articles 16 and 17; French law on confidence in the digital economy, article 6).

Presenting content as illegal while knowing this to be false, in order to have it removed, is punishable by one year's imprisonment and a fine of €15,000 (French law on confidence in the digital economy, article 6). Reports judged manifestly unfounded are kept; a person who sends them repeatedly may, after a warning, see their reports no longer handled as a priority. If content suggests an offence threatening a person's life or safety, we inform the authorities.

12. Changes to the conditions, applicable law

We may change these conditions; the date of the update is shown at the top. Registered companies are informed by e-mail in the event of an important change.

These conditions are governed by French law. The French version is authoritative; the translations are provided to help.

Any dispute between a company and Passerelle France-Asie falls within the jurisdiction of the courts of Bobigny (France).

Code of good conduct

1. I tell the truth about my company, my products and my prices.

2. I respect people, their language, their culture and their time.

3. I do not put on pressure: no invented urgency, no deposit demanded before a written contract.

4. I keep to myself the information received during an introduction.

5. I do not send mass advertising to the other companies.

6. I always confirm a change of bank details by another means (call, video) before paying.

7. I put important agreements in writing: price, quantities, lead times, delivery, payment.

8. I respect the laws of my country and those of my partner.

9. I report any suspicious behaviour to Passerelle France-Asie.

10. I let you know if my company changes or closes.

11. I make no racist, insulting or discriminatory remarks, and I publish no sexual images.