What is a SIREN?
A SIREN is the nine-digit French identifier assigned by INSEE to a legal unit, such as a company, association, entrepreneur, or public body. It stays at the legal-entity level. Establishments operated by that legal unit receive SIRET numbers that begin with the same SIREN.
- Source file
- Not reported
- Published
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- Retrieved
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- Snapshot
- Not retained for this reference page
- Re-check
- INSEE: SIREN number
- Data as of
- Not reported
Full name: French SIREN Number
Short explanation
The SIREN number is the legal-unit identifier in France's Sirene system, maintained by INSEE. It identifies the legal unit rather than a specific establishment or location. In company-register and entity-resolution work, SIREN is the legal-entity key for French organizations, while SIRET is the establishment-level key used when the question is about a physical site, branch, or operating location.
Related platform: Entity graph - resolved organization records
How it’s used
- French legal-unit lookup: SIREN identifies the company, association, entrepreneur, or public body in French public registers.
- SIREN/SIRET hierarchy: each establishment-level SIRET begins with the parent legal unit's nine-digit SIREN.
- Fonteum keeps SIREN at the legal-entity layer so company-level facts do not collapse into location-level establishment facts.
Frequently asked questions
- How many digits are in a SIREN?
- A SIREN has nine digits and identifies a French legal unit.
- Is SIREN the same as SIRET?
- No. SIREN identifies the legal unit. SIRET identifies a specific establishment and starts with the same SIREN.
- Can one SIREN have multiple SIRETs?
- Yes. One French legal unit can operate multiple establishments, each with its own SIRET under the same SIREN.
Explore in Fonteum
How Fonteum sources, resolves, and publishes data tied to this term.