FRANCE KYC, KYB AND AML

Scale Identity Verification and KYC Operations in France

Q: Is the carte nationale d'identité électronique sufficient for LCB-FT onboarding?

In person, yes. Remotely, a CNIe capture needs a second Article R.561-5-2 measure unless the France Identité eID function is used, which suffices alone under Article R.561-5-1. Shufti reads the chip directly.

Q: Can EU nationals onboard with their national ID card?

Yes. EU and EEA national identity cards are recognised for French onboarding under the EU AML framework, and AMLR keeps them valid from July 2027. Shufti verifies them with document, biometric and chip-based checks in one flow.

Q: Does France use goAML?

No. France's Financial Intelligence Unit, Tracfin, operates its own ERMES télédéclaration portal, and the déclaration de soupçon is filed there under Article L.561-15 of the Code monétaire et financier. Shufti structures verification and screening evidence so those reports can be filed without a manual scramble.

Q: What documents are required for KYB in France?

Typically an extrait Kbis or RNE extract, the SIREN and SIRET, the intra-EU VAT number and beneficial ownership details from the Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs. Shufti verifies these in real time and screens the UBOs behind them against sanctions and PEP lists.

Q: How are French name variants handled in screening?

Matching accounts for accents, name particles and hyphenated or compound surnames, so French names resolve correctly and false positives stay low.

Q: How long must AML records be retained?

Five years after the relationship or transaction ends, under Article L.561-12, Code monétaire et financier. From 10 July 2027 AMLR Article 77 keeps five years, extendable case by case.

Q: Is EU-region data hosting available?

Yes. Shufti offers EU-based cloud regions, so French customer data is hosted in-region, with onward access under a lawful transfer mechanism. On-premise deployment is available.

Q: What changes for France under AMLR from July 2027?

AMLR applies directly, with no French transposition law. It sets out two permitted routes, document-based and eIDAS-based, with notified eIDs, the EU Digital Identity Wallet and qualified trust services alongside document and biometric checks. The beneficial ownership test is 25% or more, assessed with control.

Q: Will QES alone satisfy identity verification under AMLR?

A qualified electronic signature is a qualified trust service AMLR recognises for remote verification. Shufti runs QES flows that work under the LCB-FT rules today and carry over when AMLR applies.

Q: How does Shufti support ACPR-supervised businesses in France?

Shufti connects identity verification, KYB, AML screening, QES, account verification and decision evidence in one configurable workflow. This helps businesses within ACPR's supervisory remit reduce manual hand-offs, standardise compliance records and prepare clearer evidence for internal audit and applicable supervisory review.

Verify French customers and businesses through France Identité, NFC, QES, identity documents, biometrics and KYB. Reduce manual review, maintain consistent audit evidence and run one connected workflow designed to support the LCB-FT framework today and AMLR from 10 July 2027.

Trusted by 2000+ businesses that make identity decisions at scale

Operational Performance for France KYC

Our Numbers Speak Volumes

99.50%

First-Pass
Verification Rate

< 10 sec

Median
Verification Time

French ID Methods
Supported

THE FRANCE VERIFICATION GAP

France IDV/KYC Challenges

The eID Gap

France Identité is the notified high-assurance eID, but activation is still ramping against a much larger card base, so firms fall back to manual uploads. Manual capture is slower and easier to spoof.

UBO Visibility Is Restricted

Since 31 July 2024, the Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs is closed to the public. LCB-FT obliged entities keep access in that capacity through an INPI account and access request. That extra step stalls beneficial-ownership checks.

French Names Break Global Matching

Accents such as é, è and ç, name particles and compound surnames trigger false positives and manual review spikes when diacritics are stripped in international databases.

Registry Data Is Not Verification

The Registre national des entreprises and the extrait Kbis confirm a company exists, not who controls it or whether they are sanctioned. KYB needs screening layered on top of registry lookups.

Regulatory Update

What AMLR Changes for Identity Verification in France

The EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 applies directly in France from 10 July 2027, with no transposition period. It sets the due diligence rules the LCB-FT framework in the Code monétaire et financier will operate under, with AMLA supervising from Frankfurt.

Timeline

End of 2026 Member State wallet issuance deadline (eIDAS)
10 July 2027 AMLR applies, no transposition
Dec 2027 eIDAS Art 5f acceptance by in-scope parties
2028 AMLA direct supervision begins

eIDAS Is Expressly Recognised

Article 22(6) gives two routes, an identity document backed by reliable, independent sources, or eIDAS eID at level substantial or high with qualified trust services. Both stay valid. France Identité and QES sit in the eIDAS route, so note which route you use and why.

The Ownership Test Tightens

AMLR sets the beneficial-ownership test at 25% or more, assessed with control, replacing France's more than 25%. RBE and KYB checks must cover holdings and control.

Existing Customers Get Re-Checked

AMLR expects existing customer records to be brought up to standard on a risk basis, not just new onboarding. Continuous monitoring keeps back-book files current between reviews.

Accountability Stays With You

Article 18 keeps customer due diligence accountable with the obliged entity even when verification is outsourced, so vendor evidence and clean audit trails matter more under AMLR.

Book an AMLR Readiness Demo

FOR ACPR-SUPERVISED BUSINESSES

Streamline ACPR-Supervised Onboarding in France

Connect identity verification, QES, Penny Drop and compliance evidence in one configurable workflow for businesses operating within ACPR's supervisory remit. Reduce customer drop-off and manual handovers while giving compliance teams a consistent, review-ready record of every decision.

Verify the Customer

Verify identity via France Identité (Article R.561-5-1) or NFC, document and biometric checks with the R.561-5-2 measures.

Complete Qualified Signing

Apply and validate the QES within the same journey, keeping the signed document, verification result and supporting evidence together. For France the signing identity check runs through France Identité.

Confirm the Payment Account

Use Penny Drop to confirm the account is the customer's, evidencing the first-transfer supplementary measure under Article R.561-5-2.

Book a France Compliance Demo

Shufti's IDV/KYC Solutions for France

KYC Solutions

Clear LCB-FT-aligned onboarding for French customers, with age and address checked in the same flow as identity. Each check completes in seconds.

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Face Verification

Face verification binds the live person to the document with iBeta Level 3 Conformance to ISO/IEC 30107-3 liveness, stopping spoofs, masks and deepfakes.

Age Verification

Selfie-based age estimation with document verification for regulated sectors such as gaming and e-commerce. The operator stays responsible for youth-protection compliance.

Bank Account Verification

Confirms a French bank account (FR IBAN) belongs to the customer, returning the registered account holder name for matching against the verified identity.

Address Verification

Shufti verifies French address-bearing documents, including the justificatif de domicile, utility invoices, telecom bills and bank statements from major French issuers. Proof-of-address checks remain common in regulated onboarding.

Document Verification

Verification of the carte nationale d'identité électronique, titre de séjour residence permits and French ePassports, including NFC chip reading and French-language OCR extraction. Remains a permitted route for remote verification under AMLR.

Identity Verification

Shufti confirms every customer is real and present, not a spoofed or synthetic identity. Biometric face matching and liveness detection run against 10,000+ actively processed document types.

KYB Solutions

Every business you onboard undergoes the same scrutiny as the people behind it. Shufti checks registry records, beneficial ownership and VAT details in real time, then screens UBOs against global watchlists for sanctions and adverse media exposure.

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Business Verification

Automated validation of Registre national des entreprises data, the extrait Kbis, VAT numbers, SIREN and SIRET identifiers, and appointed representatives. Reduces manual registry lookups and onboarding delays.

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)

Structured risk profiling for complex ownership chains, cross-border entities and high-risk sectors, supporting France's risk-based AML obligations under the LCB-FT framework.

AML Screening

Shufti screens customers and transactions in 240+ countries and territories, flagging sanctions, PEP and adverse media matches as they happen. Ongoing monitoring surfaces suspicious activity in time to meet local reporting obligations.

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AI Compliance Copilot

Helps compliance teams review verification and AML data, investigate alerts, and understand the reasoning behind risk signals. It brings relevant case information together to support faster, more consistent compliance decisions.

Transaction Monitoring

Ongoing transaction monitoring calibrated to French financial flows flags anomalies against AML rules, supporting the risk-based controls ACPR, the AMF and Tracfin expect.

Supported Verification Methods for France

Every Verification Route France Uses, in One Platform

Shufti supports the full range of remote verification routes used in France, from the EU Digital Identity Wallet and France Identité to document and biometric checks. Each method below shows what is live today and what is ready for the 2027 rollout.

EU Digital Identity Wallet

Wallet-ready · from 2027

AMLR Article 22(6) recognises eIDAS electronic identification, which includes the EU Digital Identity Wallet. France is building its wallet through the France Identité programme under eIDAS 2.0. Shufti is built to accept wallet verification as the French wallet goes live.

Notified eID

LiveeIDAS High

France Identité, the eID function of the carte nationale d'identité électronique, is France's notified eID at eIDAS level high, used via the France Identité app. Shufti verifies it. L'Identité Numérique La Poste, notified at level substantial, is supported separately.

Docless Database (eIDV)

Live

Database-driven verification confirms identity in seconds for low-risk onboarding with no document upload, using permitted reference data sources. Shufti escalates to stronger checks as risk rises.

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NFC Chip Verification

Live

Shufti reads the secure chip in the carte nationale d'identité électronique, the titre de séjour residence permit and the French ePassport. This is the high-assurance capture route where eID activation is still ramping.

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Document and Face Biometric

Live

Permitted under AMLR Article 22(6)(a). Document authentication of the CNIe, titre de séjour and ePassport, with iBeta Level 3 Conformance to ISO/IEC 30107-3 liveness to confirm a real, present person.

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Qualified Electronic Signature

Live

A qualified electronic signature is a qualified trust service AMLR recognises for remote verification. Shufti runs eIDAS-qualified signing through a qualified trust service provider on the EU Trusted List, producing PAdES-LTV signatures. France is a notified-eID country, so the signing identity check uses France Identité.

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Independent Validation

Shufti's Recognition Across Independent Evaluations

Ranked Exceptional in the Liminal Index 2026 for age estimation

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Differentiated by Gartner on document diversity and country coverage

Certified at iBeta Level 3 PAD with 0% APCER

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Broadest global reach in the 2025 KuppingerCole Extended IDV report

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Ranked Top 5 in the DHS RIVR 2025 for identity validation

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Top Vendor for Product Execution in the Liminal Index for KYC 2026

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Ranked Exceptional for age verification by Liminal Index 2026

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Recognised as a Leader in G2 Fall 2026 reports

Trust signal graphic for Shufti age verification performance ranking

Gartner recognition graphic for Shufti document diversity and country coverage

Analyst recognition graphic for Shufti verification accuracy

Sample Shufti verification report showing trust-signal check results

Shufti trust-signals report graph illustrating identity risk scoring

Liminal Index for KYC 2026 chart placing Shufti as a top vendor for product execution

Shufti trust-signals verification report overview panel

G2 Grid® for Identity Verification Software

Evidence-Ready Checks Across People & Businesses

Verifications with robust evidentiary support

Individual Documents We Verify

Shufti verifies 20+ individual French documents.

View All Supported Documents

Carte nationale d'identité électronique (CNIe)

Primary identity document for French citizens, in the biometric format issued since 2021. ICAO-compliant, with an NFC chip and the France Identité eID function for high assurance.

Titre de séjour (Residence Permit)

Biometric residence permit for non-EU nationals in France, issued by the préfectures. Carries an NFC chip for remote, high-assurance identity verification.

Passeport biométrique (French ePassport)

Machine-readable French passport. Biometric and ICAO-compliant, with an NFC chip that supports chip-based checks for cross-border onboarding.

EU/EEA National ID Cards & Passports

National identity cards from EU and EEA states, accepted for French onboarding. Verified against ICAO standards with document, biometric and chip-based checks.

Permis de conduire (French Driving Licence)

French driving licence, an official photo document. Verified for authenticity. Acceptance for LCB-FT is the obliged entity's decision.

France Identité (eID Function)

Digital identity tied to the carte nationale d'identité électronique, France's eIDAS-notified eID at the highest assurance level. Recognised for verification under AMLR Article 22(6)(b).

Entity Identity

Extrait Kbis / Extrait RNE (Company Register Extract)

Official registration extract from the Registre national des entreprises, held by INPI. Confirms a company's legal existence, registered office, legal form and appointed representatives for KYB.

Avis de situation au répertoire Sirene (INSEE)

INSEE register statement confirming a business is recorded, with its SIREN and SIRET identifiers, activity code and registered address.

Statuts (Articles of Association)

Company statutes evidencing legal form, share structure and governance during KYB onboarding.

Tax Identity

SIREN and SIRET

The 9-digit SIREN identifies the legal entity and the 14-digit SIRET identifies each establishment. Assigned by INSEE and used to confirm a business is registered.

Numéro de TVA intracommunautaire (VAT ID)

French intra-EU VAT number in the form FR plus a two-digit key plus the SIREN. Verified for EU VAT reporting and to confirm a business is trading legitimately.

Ownership & Control (UBO)

Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs (RBE) Extract

Mandatory beneficial ownership record held through INPI. Shufti checks holdings and control against it, as AMLR tests ownership at 25% or more alongside control.

Liste des bénéficiaires effectifs (Beneficial Owner Filing)

The declared beneficial owners behind a French company. Shufti maps holdings and identifies the people who ultimately own or control the entity for UBO checks.

Représentants légaux (Legal Representatives)

Listing of directors and legal representatives, such as the président, gérant or directeur général. Screened against sanctions, PEP and adverse media lists during KYB.

Languages We Cover

French-language document parsing

Native French-language parsing reads names, addresses and document fields with accents intact, so onboarding stays accurate for French customers.

Name matching logic

Name and address matching handles French formatting, accents, particles and compound names, cutting false mismatches when records are checked against official sources.

Cross-document consistency checks

Cross-document consistency checks reconcile names and identifiers across the CNIe, titre de séjour, extrait Kbis and Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs to catch mismatches.

Governance & Controls

Audit-Ready Decisions, Lower Operational Drag

Fewer Avoidable Re-submissions

Optimised capture for French ID formats and the NFC-enabled carte nationale d'identité électronique cuts avoidable re-submissions and manual review.

Cleaner Audit Trails

Structured logs aligned to LCB-FT record retention and Tracfin reporting obligations keep every onboarding decision audit-ready.

Better Name Matching Outcomes

Matching handles accents, name particles and compound surnames common in France, reducing false positives and manual review.

One Workflow, One Back Office

KYC, KYB and AML screening are consolidated in one operational case view, so one back office team works on every customer file.

National ID-First Flow Design

Onboarding built around the CNIe, France Identité and the titre de séjour reflects France's national identity ecosystem and the way customers actually verify.

Continuous Compliance

Compliance that does not stop at onboarding

AMLR treats customer due diligence as a continuing obligation. Perpetual monitoring keeps the customer picture current between reviews, so risk is caught when it appears, not at the next annual check.

Surface Changes as it happens

Detect

Perpetual monitoring flags risk when it appears, not at the next annual review. Behavioural biometrics, background fraud signals, and ongoing sanctions and PEP screening watch every active relationship.

Step up when the signal fires

Verify

When a signal fires, re-verification confirms the person or the ownership change using the same live methods above, so a flag turns into a resolved decision.

Keep the file audit-ready

Comply

Every check and decision is logged to LCB-FT record-keeping standards, so the file is organised and retrievable for internal audit and supervisory review.

Perpetual KYC

pKYC

Keeps individual customer risk current with behavioural biometrics, background fraud signals and ongoing AML screening, so back-book records stay standard-ready.

Perpetual KYB

pKYB

Monitors the Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs and the Registre national des entreprises for shareholding and control changes, so a shift past 25% or a change in control is caught between reviews.

REGULATORY ALIGNMENT

Built To Fit France's Compliance Landscape

ACPR (Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution)

Supervises banks, payment and e-money institutions and insurers for AML/CFT. Shufti supports ACPR expectations with structured identity evidence, risk classification logs and ongoing monitoring controls.

AMF (Autorité des marchés financiers)

Supervises investment firms, asset managers and registered crypto-asset service providers. Shufti supplies verification and screening evidence that supports AMF onboarding and record-keeping expectations.

Tracfin (Financial Intelligence Unit)

Receives the déclaration de soupçon under Article L.561-15 of the Code monétaire et financier through its own ERMES portal, not goAML. Decision audit trails, structured risk indicators and escalation logs support that reporting.

Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances / Direction générale du Trésor

Owns the AML framework and the national asset-freeze regime. Shufti supports risk-based-approach documentation and the five-year record retention set out in the Code monétaire et financier.

Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs (INPI)

Holds beneficial ownership information. Shufti captures UBO data and screens controlling persons against sanctions and PEP lists. Where your findings diverge from the register, Shufti flags the gap so you can report the discrepancy through INPI.

Registre national des entreprises / RCS

Official company registration and disclosure system held by INPI, with extracts available through Infogreffe. KYB workflows verify legal status, representatives and ownership filings against these records.

ANJ (Autorité nationale des jeux)

Regulates licensed online gambling and exclusive-rights operators, and is their AML/CFT supervisor under Article L.561-36 of the Code monétaire et financier. Identity and age checks at sign-up support the controls they must evidence.

AMLA (EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority)

The new EU-level supervisor is established in Frankfurt. Begins direct supervision of selected high-risk cross-border entities from 2028 and shapes technical standards under AMLR.

Deployment Option

Cloud in EU regions, or on-premise. French data is hosted in-region, with any onward access under a lawful transfer mechanism.

Regulatory Alignment

Built to support LCB-FT due diligence obligations, UBO verification and record-keeping duties, GDPR principles and AMLR requirements applying from 10 July 2027.

Retention Controls

Five years after the relationship or transaction ends, under Article L.561-12, Code monétaire et financier. From 10 July 2027 AMLR Article 77 keeps five years, extendable case by case.

Encryption & Security

Encryption in transit and at rest, with access controls and audit logging, supports Article 32 GDPR obligations, under our ISO 27001 certification.

Biometric Processing

The controller sets the lawful basis for processing. Biometric data used to uniquely identify a person engages Article 9 GDPR, and human review is available at every decision point.

AI Act Position

AI Act Article 50 transparency duties apply since 2 August 2026, Annex III high-risk duties from 2 December 2027. Our classification position is available to customers on request.

Scope of Our Role

Shufti is a data processor providing verification technology, not legal advice. Due diligence and the choice of method stay with the obliged entity, documented in its risk assessment.

Data and Privacy Controls in France

BUILT FOR COMPLIANCE TEAMS

France AML Sources That Strengthen Decisions

We screen against 215+ sanction regimes, 4,000+ watchlists, 100,000+ adverse-media sources, and 6M+ PEPs across France and globally. A few of them are:

TRACFIN

ACPR

AMF

Direction générale du Trésor (DG Trésor)

Registre national des gels des avoirs

Banque de France

Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ)

Ministère de l’Économie et des Finances

INPI - RNE (incl. bénéficiaires effectifs)

Infogreffe / RCS

FATF (GAFI)

EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List

UN Security Council Consolidated List

European Banking Authority (EBA)

EU AMLA

SEE SHUFTI IN YOUR FRANCE WORKFLOW

Turn French Verification Requirements into a Smoother Customer Journey

Share your customer types, risk rules and current onboarding process. A Shufti specialist will show you how to connect identity verification, KYB, QES, Penny Drop and ongoing monitoring, reducing operational hand-offs while keeping decision evidence organised for compliance review.

Book a France Compliance Demo Explore AMLR Solutions

INDEPENDENTLY AUDITED AND TESTED

Certified to Global Standards

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the carte nationale d'identité électronique sufficient for LCB-FT onboarding?

In person, yes. Remotely, a CNIe capture needs a second Article R.561-5-2 measure unless the France Identité eID function is used, which suffices alone under Article R.561-5-1. Shufti reads the chip directly.

Can EU nationals onboard with their national ID card?

Yes. EU and EEA national identity cards are recognised for French onboarding under the EU AML framework, and AMLR keeps them valid from July 2027. Shufti verifies them with document, biometric and chip-based checks in one flow.

Does France use goAML?

No. France's Financial Intelligence Unit, Tracfin, operates its own ERMES télédéclaration portal, and the déclaration de soupçon is filed there under Article L.561-15 of the Code monétaire et financier. Shufti structures verification and screening evidence so those reports can be filed without a manual scramble.

What documents are required for KYB in France?

Typically an extrait Kbis or RNE extract, the SIREN and SIRET, the intra-EU VAT number and beneficial ownership details from the Registre des bénéficiaires effectifs. Shufti verifies these in real time and screens the UBOs behind them against sanctions and PEP lists.

How are French name variants handled in screening?

Matching accounts for accents, name particles and hyphenated or compound surnames, so French names resolve correctly and false positives stay low.

How long must AML records be retained?

Five years after the relationship or transaction ends, under Article L.561-12, Code monétaire et financier. From 10 July 2027 AMLR Article 77 keeps five years, extendable case by case.

Is EU-region data hosting available?

Yes. Shufti offers EU-based cloud regions, so French customer data is hosted in-region, with onward access under a lawful transfer mechanism. On-premise deployment is available.

What changes for France under AMLR from July 2027?

AMLR applies directly, with no French transposition law. It sets out two permitted routes, document-based and eIDAS-based, with notified eIDs, the EU Digital Identity Wallet and qualified trust services alongside document and biometric checks. The beneficial ownership test is 25% or more, assessed with control.

Will QES alone satisfy identity verification under AMLR?

A qualified electronic signature is a qualified trust service AMLR recognises for remote verification. Shufti runs QES flows that work under the LCB-FT rules today and carry over when AMLR applies.

How does Shufti support ACPR-supervised businesses in France?

Shufti connects identity verification, KYB, AML screening, QES, account verification and decision evidence in one configurable workflow. This helps businesses within ACPR's supervisory remit reduce manual hand-offs, standardise compliance records and prepare clearer evidence for internal audit and applicable supervisory review.

Let’s Build Trust Into Your Business

1B⁺Verifications Processed

240⁺Regions Actively Processed

99.7^%Accuracy Rate

Samer Al Tamimi

CEO of Safwa Bank

“We take our client’s privacy very seriously and always look for new innovative solutions to ensure a safe banking experience. Working with Shufti feels like a breath of fresh air, as their 100% in-house tech keeps our customer’s data free from vulnerabilities and fully safe and protected.”

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PROVEN PLAYBOOKS

Explore Practical KYC & AML Resources

Explore Content library

10 July, 2026

Identity Verification in Europe: eIDAS 2.0 & EUDI Wallet

A practitioner's guide to verifying identity in Europe, covering eIDAS 2.0, the EUDI Wallet, docless eIDV and how to choose an eID provider for onboarding in the EU.

Product Guide

4 August, 2026

EU AMLR Guide 2027: Requirements, Scope, Deadlines

Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 applies from 10 July 2027. Covers which firms fall in scope, what CDD and ownership checks demand, and how AMLR differs from AMLD6 today.

Product Guide

9 September, 2026

How to Remediate Existing Clients' Files Under EU AMLR

AMLR applies from 10 July 2027 to the files you already hold. Find CDD gaps in existing customers, rank them by risk, and record decisions auditors can follow later.

Product Guide

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