How can i get a siret number in france?

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ALL COMPANIES THAT OPERATE IN FRANCE MUST HAVE ONE TO ISSUE INVOICES Reader question: How do I obtain a Siret number for my business? A Siret - short for Système d’identification du


répertoire des établissements - is a 14 digit number that is mandatory for businesses - including micro-entreprises - to operate in France. The first part of the Siret number is called the 


Siren (Système d’identification du répertoire des entreprise), which is a nine digit number that identifies the business. The full Siret number identifies the business and its locality. If


you have several businesses, each of them requires its own Siret. Micro-entrepreneurs can register several activities under one number. So if you have several offices in your business, they


will share the Siren, but have different endings for the Siret. EXPLAINER: WHO PAYS FRANCE’S CFE BUSINESS TAX AND WHAT EXEMPTIONS? You are assigned a Siret number for free when you register


your business online through the Guichet des formalités des entreprises on the INPI website here.  The form is largely self-explanatory, although requires close attention to detail, as


errors are difficult to correct once you have submitted it. It takes on average two weeks to receive a Siret once you have submitted your application, according to INPI. CAN YOU RUN A


BUSINESS WITHOUT A SIRET NUMBER? All companies that operate in France must have a Siret number to issue invoices. However, in the case of self-employed workers who have only recently


registered their micro-entreprise,  they can continue operating while they await their Siret number.  Once they have received a Siret, they can issue invoices for this period. It is an


offence to issue an invoice without a valid Siret number. The penalty for this is fine of €15 per missing or inaccurate Siret for each invoice, up to a quarter of the invoice total. It can


also result in a fine of €75,000 for individuals, or €375,000 for companies.  The fine can be doubled in the case of missing or inaccurate or fictitious invoices.