France

Identity Verification & KYC For France

Built for organisations subject to France’s LCB-FT obligations under the Code monétaire et financier, including customer and beneficial owner identification/verification and 5-year record retention. One platform for KYC + KYB + AML screening, aligned to French supervisors and reporting workflows.

Operational performance for France KYC

Our Numbers Speak Volumes

99.50%

Pass rates

> 5 sec

Verification
Time

95%

EIDV
Verification

Evidence-Ready Checks Across People & Businesses

Individual Documents We Verify

Shufti verifies 19 individual documents in France.

View All Supported Documents

Carte nationale d’identité (CNI / CNIe, new format)

Primary identity document for French residents; the new ID-1 “bank card” format has been rolling out since 15 March 2021, with systematic issuance for new applications since 2 August 2021.

CNIe chip consistency checks

Where the CNIe chip is used, coherence between printed data and chip data is a documented control to reduce documentary fraud and identity theft.

Passeport biométrique (French biometric passport)

Accepted travel/identity document with biometric issuance controls (e.g., fingerprints checked on delivery for 12+).

Titre de séjour (cartes de séjour / carte de résident)

Residence documents used to evidence lawful stay for non-EU nationals (multiple categories exist, depending on status).

Visa long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS)

Relevant for onboarding non-EU customers at the start of residency journeys, before longer-duration cards.

Permis de conduire (French driving licence)

Can be used as supporting identity evidence, but does not carry the same status as passport/CNI for identity + nationality and is not universally accepted as sole ID.

France Identité (digital identity, where available)

France Identité is linked to the new CNIe and requires the user to be an adult with a CNIe (bank-card format); it relies on a compatible smartphone (NFC requirements apply).

Business Entity Identity

Extrait K / Kbis (RCS registration proof)

Used to evidence legal existence and core company facts for commercial companies registered at the RCS.

Extrait RNE (Registre national des entreprises)

Used when the entity is not in the RCS (e.g., many artisans/liberal prof essions) and a RNE extract is the practical registration proof.

Avis de situation au répertoire Sirene (INSEE)

A widely used “identity sheet” for a legal entity/establishment (SIREN/SIRET context), even though it carries no legal value as stated by INSEE.

Statuts (articles of association)

Used to evidence legal form, governance rules, and signatory powers (typically paired with registry extracts).

Business Tax Identity

SIREN / SIRET

Identifiers assigned by INSEE (SIREN for the entity; SIRET for each establishment).

Numéro de TVA intracommunautaire

Tax identifier issued by the French tax administration for VAT-subject businesses.

Attestation de régularité fiscale

Evidence the business is up to date with key tax obligations (commonly requested in B2B due diligence contexts).

Languages We Cover

Document text handling

France is a French-first environment (French is the constitutional language of the Republic). Shufti supports French-Latin script extraction that tolerates accents and apostrophes.

Name matching controls

Controls account for diacritics and usage-name patterns. In France, a nom d’usage (e.g., spouse’s name) can be used and shown on identity papers—so matching needs to handle both birth name and usage name paths.

Evidence consistency

Cross-step consistency is enforced across ID document, proof-of-address (where used), and KYB controller evidence—so you can defend “same person / same controller” decisions under LCB-FT programmes.

GOVERNANCE & CONTROLS

Audit-Ready Decisions, Lower Operational Drag

Fewer Avoidable Re-Submissions

Pre-2021 and post-2021 CNI document capture reduces manual review friction and repeat submission requests during customer onboarding for French nationals.

Cleaner Audit Trails

Structured case files with evidence logs retrievable for ACPR and AMF examinations, regulatory audits, compliance inspections and supervisor requests.

Better Name Matching Outcomes

Handles French diacritics, hyphenated surnames and nobiliary particles to reduce false negatives in sanctions and PEP screening workflows and decisions.

One Workflow, One Back Office

KYC, KYB, AML screening and case management consolidated in a single system with a unified evidence repository retrievable on demand to all French regulators and inspectors.

National ID-First Flow Design

CNI and passport-first capture flows aligned with how French nationals verify identity in domestic KYC compliance processes and regulatory frameworks.

Enterprise-grade compliance infrastructure

France IDV/KYC Challenges

Justificatif de domicile friction

Proof-of-address is often required and must be recent; name/address mismatches trigger retries and manual review.

Nom d’usage mismatches

Birth name vs usage name (spouse name) creates screening/record inconsistencies unless matching logic handles both.

UBO access & evidence gaps

Since 31 July 2024, RBE access is restricted—KYB teams need controlled evidence capture and escalation paths.

STR auditability pressure

TRACFIN expects electronic reporting via ERMES; decisions must be reconstructable and retained for 5 years.

Shufti’s IDV Solution for the France

KYC Solutions

Face Verification

Built for France’s remote onboarding reality, where identity fraud and impersonation are explicitly targeted by national ID modernisation. Shufti pairs liveness + face match to evidence “same person” decisions.

Age Verification

Selfie-based age estimation for low-friction checks, with a document verification step when you must evidence age (e.g., regulated or policy-gated journeys). Uses French primary IDs (CNIe/passport) where required.

Address Verification

Shufti verifies any address-bearing document aligned to France’s “justificatif de domicile” reality (recent proof often required). Common examples include utility bills (EDF, Engie), telecom bills (Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free), and bank statements (BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole).

Document Verification

Verification for French CNI/CNIe (including chip-consistency controls where used), biometric passports, and titres de séjour—built for French formats and data fields.

KYB Solutions

Business Verification

Automated KYB using France’s core evidence set: Kbis/K or RNE extract, INSEE identifiers (SIREN/SIRET), and tax identifiers (VAT ID where relevant).

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)

Structured EDD for complex ownership, cross-border structures, and controller risk—supporting the risk-based approach that underpins LCB-FT programmes (and the resulting data capture).

AML Screening

Business AML Screening

Screen businesses and controllers against EU financial sanctions data and France’s national asset-freeze register, with decision reasoning captured for audit.

Transaction Screening

Ongoing monitoring calibrated to French LCB-FT expectations, with operational escalation pathways that support TRACFIN reporting readiness.

REGULATORY ALIGNMENT

Built to Fit France's Compliance Landscape

ACPR

Supervises banks and insurers, including LCB-FT and CDD requirements. Shufti supports structured identity verification and audit-ready decision logs.

AMF

Regulates market participants and the PSAN regime for digital asset providers. Shufti supports KYB/UBO capture, screening, and risk-based decision documentation.

TRACFIN

France’s FIU receiving suspicious activity reports under LCB-FT rules. Shufti maintains structured decision trails to support STR submissions.

Direction générale du Trésor

Oversees national financial sanctions and asset-freeze measures. Shufti supports sanctions screening and match documentation.

CNIL

Supervises data protection and GDPR enforcement. Shufti enables privacy-by-design, lawful processing, and EU hosting support.

France Titres / ANTS – Ministère de l’Intérieur

Manages secure identity titles and France Identité. Shufti supports verification of French ID documents.

Deployment Choice

Available via French/EU cloud regions (AWS eu-west-3, Azure France Central, GCP europe-west9) or on-premise to meet enterprise governance requirements.

Regulatory Alignment

Aligned to French Monetary and Financial Code (Article L561-12 recordkeeping requirements) and GDPR Article 32 encryption mandates strictly enforced by CNIL.

Retention Controls

Configurable retention and purge settings aligned to the French Monetary and Financial Code five-year minimum recordkeeping obligation for customer identification.

Encryption Posture

Strong encryption (AES-256 or equivalent) applied to personal and financial data in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest in line with ANSSI guidance standards.

Data and Privacy Controls in France

BUILT FOR COMPLIANCE TEAMS

France AML Sources That Strengthen Decision

TRACFIN

ACPR

AMF

Direction générale du Trésor

Registre national des gels des avoirs

Ministère de l’Économie

Ministry of Justice

Council of State

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

EU Consolidated Sanctions List

UN Security Council Consolidated List

FATF

TRACFIN

ACPR

AMF

Direction générale du Trésor

Registre national des gels des avoirs

Ministère de l’Économie

Ministry of Justice

Council of State

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

EU Consolidated Sanctions List

UN Security Council Consolidated List

FATF

TRACFIN

ACPR

AMF

Direction générale du Trésor

Registre national des gels des avoirs

Ministère de l’Économie

Ministry of Justice

Council of State

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

EU Consolidated Sanctions List

UN Security Council Consolidated List

FATF

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary ID for onboarding in France?

The CNI/CNIe is the standard primary ID for French residents. The new CNIe format has been rolling out since March 2021 and is now the default for new issuance.

Can we rely on a French passport instead of the CNIe?

Yes. France issues biometric passports with issuance controls, and passports are commonly used where a travel document is preferred or required.

What should we use for non-EU nationals in France?

Residence documentation (titres de séjour) is the normal evidence route for lawful stay, with multiple categories depending on status.

How do we handle “nom d’usage” and spouse-name variants?

France allows a nom d’usage (including spouse name) that can appear on identity documents. Matching should support both birth-name and usage-name paths to reduce false mismatches.

What are the core KYB documents for a French company?

Typically: Kbis/K (RCS entities) or an RNE extract, plus SIREN/SIRET identifiers. For VAT-subject businesses, VAT ID is also relevant.

Is UBO data straightforward to retrieve in France?

UBO information exists via the RBE framework, but since 31 July 2024 access is no longer public and requires authorised/legitimate-interest access via INPI. Plan for escalations and controlled evidence capture.

How are suspicious reports submitted in France?

TRACFIN expects professionals to use ERMES for suspicious reports, with prior registration on the platform.

How long do we need to retain KYC/LCB-FT evidence?

As a baseline, the CMF requires 5-year retention from account closure or end of the business relationship (subject to stricter rules where applicable).

What typically drives onboarding drop-off in France?

Proof-of-address requests (recent justificatif de domicile) and name-format differences (accents/usage name) are common friction points in digital flows.

Build a France-ready KYC, KYB & AML programme with Shufti

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PROVEN WORKFLOWS

Use Cases for Regulated Growth in France

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

Fintech

Forex

Banking

Gaming

Gig Economy

Crypto

Marketplace

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Balance anonymity with compliance. Instantly verify user jurisdiction to meet Travel Rule obligations and help stop abuse without slowing down legitimate trading volume.

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Reduce fraud without blocking growth

Shufti supports marketplace integrity by verifying seller and buyer identities, enabling age-gated journeys where needed, and preserving evidence to support investigations, disputes and risk-led enforcement actions.

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