SIREN vs SIRET: what is the difference?
SIREN is the nine-digit French identifier for a legal unit, such as a company or association. SIRET is the 14-digit identifier for a specific establishment: the same nine-digit SIREN plus a five-digit NIC establishment code. One legal unit can therefore have multiple SIRET numbers across locations.
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- INSEE: SIREN number
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Full name: French SIREN Number Compared with SIRET Number
Short explanation
INSEE's Sirene register assigns SIREN numbers to legal units and SIRET numbers to establishments. The SIRET embeds the SIREN of the legal unit and adds the NIC, an internal classification number for the establishment. For cross-border entity resolution, SIREN identifies the legal entity, while SIRET identifies the operating site or location-level establishment.
Related platform: Entity graph - resolved organization records
How it’s used
- French company lookup: SIREN gives the durable legal-unit identifier, while SIRET identifies each establishment tied to that legal unit.
- Location matching: a business with several offices can share one SIREN but have separate SIRET values for each establishment.
- Fonteum keeps SIREN and SIRET at different identity levels so legal-entity facts do not collapse into establishment-level location facts.
Frequently asked questions
- How many digits are in a SIREN number?
- A SIREN number has nine digits and identifies a French legal unit.
- How many digits are in a SIRET number?
- A SIRET number has 14 digits: the nine-digit SIREN plus a five-digit NIC code for the establishment.
- Can one SIREN have several SIRET numbers?
- Yes. One legal unit can operate several establishments, each with its own SIRET under the same SIREN.
Explore in Fonteum
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