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Find a company's SIRET number by its name, for free

Shorten the name, search for a single word, then search by address: we tested these three fixes on the Annuaire des entreprises, the free official tool.

By Nicolas Morillot Co-founder of Scalon
Test conducted on October 14, 2026Annuaire des entreprises (French government)Free, no account
The short answer

To find a SIRET number (the French ID of a business location) from a company name, use the Annuaire des entreprises (the French government's free business directory). According to our October 14, 2026 test, the first result is right almost 6 times in 10 with the name seen on Google. After three simple tries, the right SIRET number appears among the first ten results 9 times in 10.

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Published on October 14, 2026 · Test conducted on October 14, 2026

Key figures
almost 6 times in 10
Found on the first try with the name seen on Google
Out of 2,420 businesses for which we knew the correct SIRET number, searched by name and city
9 times in 10
Found in total after the three fixes
Right SIRET number on the first page: shortened name, a single word, then the address
more than 1 in 6 businesses
The right SIRET number is not the headquarters'
Store, branch, workshop: take the SIRET number of the address where you are going

In this article

How do you find a company's SIRET number from its name?#

The 14-digit SIRET number identifies a business location (an "établissement"), meaning a place where the company operates: a store, a branch, a workshop or its headquarters. The headquarters is the company's official address. The Annuaire des entreprises replaced sirene.fr, closed since December 2, 2025, according to Insee (France's national statistics office), which keeps the business register.

Do you have an invoice?

Do you have an invoice or a quote from the company? Look for its 14-digit SIRET number first: it is often there. If you only find a 9-digit SIREN number (the French company ID), which is among the required details on a company invoice (Service-Public), type it alone in the Annuaire des entreprises, then pick the location that matches. If in doubt, ask the company which SIRET number to use. Societe.com, Pappers and other private sites also show the SIRET number without an account (checked on October 14, 2026), but the Annuaire is the official, free source.

The walkthrough takes six steps:

  1. Open the Annuaire des entreprises at annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr.
  2. Type the company name, as it appears on Google or on its storefront. For a chain store (franchise, dealership), search instead for the name of the company that runs it, written on an invoice.
  3. Filter by city. In the advanced search, the "geographic area" filter accepts a city, a département (French county-level area) or a region (Service-Public).
  4. Open the page that matches the activity and the address you are looking for.
  5. Pick the right location, the one at the address where you are going. It is not necessarily the headquarters: see SIREN or SIRET. If the first result does not fit, also look at the other results on the first page.
  6. Copy the 14 digits of the SIRET number.

Nothing comes up, or not the right company? Try these three fixes in order, each one only if the previous one fails.

The three fixes when nothing comes up

1. Shorten the name. Remove what Google adds: the trade, the city, "SARL" (a French company type), a slogan after a dash. Made-up example: "Dupont Auto - Tires and auto repair in Albi" becomes "Dupont Auto".

2. Keep the first word that is neither a trade nor an article: "Dupont", not "Auto" or "Garage" (French for an auto repair shop). Keep the city filter.

3. Search the address: the number and the street, with the city, read from the Google listing. The Annuaire also searches address fields (Annuaire search engine documentation).

In our test, the initial search using the name shown on Google puts the correct SIRET number among the first ten results for 61 businesses in 100. After the three fixes, we find 90 in 100 in total, counting those already found at the start.

Finding a SIRET number by name: how much each fix helps Out of 100 businesses tested on October 14, 2026 on the Annuaire des entreprises (2,420 in all), number whose right SIRET number is on the first results page: 61 with the name seen on Google; 70 after trying the shortened name; 80 with a single word; 90 with the address. Correct SIRET found after each fix Of 100 businesses tested, right SIRET on page 1 (each fix is tried only if the previous one fails) Name seen on Google, with the city 61 1. Shortened name 70 2. A single word, with the city 80 3. The address, with the city 90 Scalon test, October 14, 2026, 2,420 businesses drawn at random from Google listings
Out of 100 businesses in our test, the number whose correct SIRET number appears among the first ten results: with the name seen on Google, then after each fix (total of businesses found so far). Test conducted on October 14, 2026.

This test covers businesses we already knew how to identify; expect a lower success rate for businesses that are harder to identify.

Still can't find it: what should you do?#

Try these three steps in order:

  1. Check the spelling of the name.
  2. Ask the company for its SIREN or SIRET number, on an invoice or a quote it gave you, then type that number alone in the Annuaire.
  3. Compare the address on the page with the one you are looking for.

A name search that returns nothing does not prove the company does not exist. According to the Annuaire's FAQ, a typo, or a "non-disclosable" business whose owner had the data hidden, is enough. A hidden sole proprietorship (an "entreprise individuelle") cannot be found by the search engine. The causes of the first failure are further down.

  • Chain store (franchise, dealership). The store carries the chain's brand, but the company that runs it has another name in the register. Search for the name of the operating company, written on an invoice, then the city.
  • Craftsperson or self-employed professional doing business under their own name. The register holds their last name and first name, while Google shows their trade. Type their last name with the city: the Annuaire can also search by the name of the person who heads the business (Service-Public).
  • Self-employed "auto-entrepreneur" who can't be found. A sole proprietor, auto-entrepreneur included, can ask for "partial disclosure" ("diffusion partielle"): Insee then hides their last name, first name, storefront name, trade name, and exact address. Their name therefore returns nothing, but their SIRET number has been public since 2023 (Insee). Ask them for their SIRET number, then search that number.
  • School, town hall, public service. A public school does not always have its own name in the register. Search for the name of the municipality or the body that runs it, then the address.
  • Nonprofit without a SIRET number. Only nonprofits that have a SIREN and a SIRET number have a page in the Annuaire. Look up the others in the Répertoire national des associations (RNA, the national register of associations).

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Why doesn't the Annuaire find the company on the first try?#

In our test, more than 1 search in 3 made with the name seen on Google returns no result: the name Google shows often contains words missing from the company's official name.

A company can have several names: its official name in the register, its trade name, and the name displayed on the building. These names can differ (Service-Public). Here are the three most frequent causes.

The name is too long. Google adds the trade, the city or a slogan, as in the example of fix 1.

The name shown on Google is not in the register. The storefront name has not been declared in the register, or the business uses an informal name. Hypothetical example: the storefront name "Au Pain Doré" has not been declared; the company is called "Delta Boulange".

Several companies or locations share the same name. The right SIRET number is on the page, but not first, or the right company comes up with another of its locations. Made-up example: two "Dupont Auto" auto repair shops in the same city, and the page that comes up first is the other one's.

The numbers behind these three causes

In almost 9 in 10 searches that returned no results, the name shown on Google contained at least one word missing from the official name. Of the 1,015 searches where the first result is not the right one: name too long, almost 2 failures in 3; name missing from the register, 1 failure in 6; same name or another location, 8 failures in 100. For names shown on Google with more than 30 characters, the correct business is the first result in 17 in 100 searches, compared with 67 in 100 for shorter names. The three fixes find the correct SIRET number in 5 cases in 6 where the name is too long. For a secondary location (store, branch), the Annuaire finds the correct SIRET number on the first try more than 4 times in 10, compared with more than 6 times in 10 for a company's headquarters.

SIREN or SIRET: which one to use when a company has several locations?#

A company has a single SIREN, but as many SIRET numbers as it has locations. The SIREN is the company's 9-digit number. The SIRET has 14: the 9 digits of the SIREN, then 5 digits that identify the location (the NIC). Service-Public gives the example of a company with a registered headquarters and two stores: 1 Siren + 3 Siret.

In our test, the right SIRET number is not the headquarters' for more than 1 in 6 businesses.

Choose the SIRET number of the address that concerns you: the store where you buy, the branch where you go, the workshop that delivers. The SIRET number changes with every change of address (Service-Public): a move creates a new SIRET number, while the SIREN stays the same. For a form, a contract or a file, use the SIRET number of the location concerned by the purchase or the service. If the company has several locations and you are unsure, ask which SIRET number to use. To check the SIRET numbers of a whole file, the Insee Sirene API queries the register for free, without going through the website.

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How do you check that a SIRET number is right?#

Type the 14 digits, alone, in the search bar of the Annuaire des entreprises. With a full number, the tool runs a direct search and ignores the other filters (documentation of the Annuaire's search engine). You can also request the Sirene status notice (the "avis de situation Sirene") at avis-situation-sirene.insee.fr: it is free and reflects the information in the Sirene register as of the day before. What this register says about a business location, and what it does not, is covered in our guide to Insee's Sirene database.

Then check the status associated with the number. A location is "active" or "closed"; the company is "active" or "has ceased operations" (according to the Sirene register, cited by the public service API Entreprise). The two statuses can differ: after a move, the SIRET number of the old address is "closed" even if the company still exists. Then look for the SIRET number of the new address.

Is a number that looks right enough?

Copy the 14 digits of the SIRET number, then search for them in the Annuaire. A number that looks correctly formatted is not enough: check the location's page.

Frequently asked questions#

How do you find a SIRET number from a SIREN?#

Type the 9 digits of the SIREN alone in the Annuaire. Then pick the location at the right address: see SIREN or SIRET.

What is the SIRET number of an auto-entrepreneur?#

If you still cannot find them by name, see your case.

Is the SIRET number public?#

Yes. Insee assigns the SIRET number and the Annuaire des entreprises shows it for free. Since 2023, even when an entrepreneur's name is hidden, their SIREN and SIRET numbers remain public (Insee).

What about a foreign company?#

The Annuaire draws on French registers: the Registre national des entreprises (RNE, the national business register) and the Sirene database. Our test also covers only businesses in France. For a company that is not registered in France, search its home country's register.

How do you get your own SIRET number?#

It is assigned automatically after registration, without a request (Service-Public). This guide is about looking up another company's SIRET number.

Further reading#

Typing "name city" in the bar: is it better than the filter?

Use the "geographic area" filter to specify the city. In our test, it gives the right SIRET number as the first result slightly more often (58%) than the name and the city typed together (56%).

What the other sources say
SourceWhat it publishesHow our test compares
Insee, FAQ (closure of sirene.fr, 12/02/2025)sirene.fr is closed; the Annuaire des entreprises takes over the search and the listssame finding; we measured what the Annuaire returns when you type a name
Service-Public (Annuaire, accessed 10/14/2026)search by company name, business executive or geographic areasame tool; we say what to do when the company name is not enough
Guides from accounting firms and legal sites (read 10/14/2026)definitions, lists of sites, checking a known numberwe cover the name search that returns nothing

Several guides still cite sirene.fr (Legalnest and Keobiz, read on October 14, 2026), even though that site is closed. The 12 guides we read do not cover the name search that returns nothing. Our other studies are in the Scalon Observatory.

Need SIRET numbers for an entire list?

Scalon matches Google listings to Sirene locations and delivers the SIRET number of each. Professionals: get 100 business locations in your area with their SIRET numbers

Method#

On October 14, 2026, we tested the Annuaire des entreprises using 2,420 businesses for which we knew the correct SIRET number, first searching by the name shown on Google and then trying three fixes. We used the Annuaire's search engine and looked at the first ten results.

Method details
  • Unit: businesses identified by their Google listing, each matched to a single location.
  • Population: the Google listings in France that are in our graph (4.1 million) and matched to a single location. We drew 6,000 listings at random, in two draws; 40% were matched to a single SIRET number, and 2,420 were tested. The reference SIRET number comes from validated matching rules of our graph. These rules also use the phone number and the website, not only the name: the "different name" cases are therefore in the test. We individually reviewed 30 randomly selected successful searches: 29 correct, none incorrect. And 30 of the 132 cases where the first result is another company: in 5, our reference was wrong and the Annuaire was right, 9 remain doubtful. These reference errors make our first-try rate slightly conservative, by about 0.9 percentage points; conversely, choosing businesses we already knew how to identify makes it rather optimistic (see the limits). We also reviewed the 82 failures of a first batch: 70 are indeed at the address of the listing.
  • Tool: the Annuaire des entreprises' search engine, through its public API (recherche-entreprises.api.gouv.fr), without an account, below the limit of 7 requests per second in its documentation. We read the first page, that is 10 results.
  • Protocol: first the name displayed by Google with the postal code of the listing; then "name city" typed in the bar, without a filter; then the three fixes, in this order: shortened name (cut at the dash and at the parenthesis, without legal form, without city, without the trade word), a single word (the first distinctive word), then the address. The fixes were coded before they were tested on all the listings (the shortened name and the "single word" fix were added after seeing the first results). Each fix is tried only if the previous one does not give the right SIRET number on the first page. The fixes were defined before the second draw: on its 1,601 businesses, the method finds the right SIRET number on the first page for 90%, as on the first batch (90%).
  • "Found": "on the first try" or "as the first result" means that the first result is the right company and that the expected SIRET number is among its displayed locations. For the fixes, "found" means present on the first page (10 results). Only the first try, with the name seen on Google, is also counted as the first result.
  • Causes: ranked automatically, in this order of priority: closed location, partial disclosure, different place, name sharing no word with the official name, same-name businesses, other. The "name too long" cause was added after reading the results: it is a case of "other" where Google's name shares words with the official name.
  • Limits: the rate holds for the businesses we knew how to match to a SIRET number; it is likely optimistic for other businesses, which are often harder to find. Google sometimes translates a name into English; we kept them, and they lower the rate slightly. 52 reference locations are closed in the register: counting them as failures gives 57% on the first try and 89% with the fixes. 8 locations under partial disclosure are in the test. The website filters by municipality, the API by postal code: in big cities with arrondissements (city districts), the website's municipality filter is wider than the postal code we tested; the rate there is probably a little lower. Partial disclosure is almost absent from the test: a hidden entrepreneur is rarely matched to a Google listing by our rules.

Cite this study#

The full citation, with the sample sizes
Scalon Observatory, "Find a company's SIRET number by its name, for free," October 14, 2026: out of 2,420 businesses tested on October 14, 2026, the Annuaire des entreprises gives the right SIRET number as the first result for 58% of them with the name seen on Google and the city; by trying three fixes (shortened name, a single word, address), the right SIRET number is on the first page for 90%. https://scalon.fr/en/blog/find-siret-number

Sources#

The sources, with their links

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