You type a SIREN into a public directory, and nothing comes back. Or the company appears, but with no name and only a town for its address. The number may be perfectly real. In France, individual entrepreneurs can object to the publication of their personal details in the Sirene directory, and public tools respect that choice. This guide explains the rule, what is hidden and what isn't, and how to check a counterparty who has made that choice.
Every rule below comes from INSEE and the documentation of API Recherche d'entreprises, read on 9 October 2026.
What you'll learn
- What INSEE's diffusion statuses mean
- Which details are hidden, for whom
- Why public APIs and directories leave these companies out
- How to check a counterparty you can't find
- What this means if you build a product on Sirene data
The rule: a right to object
INSEE's Sirene directory records every company and establishment in France. Most of its data is published as open data. But natural persons registered in the directory, meaning individual entrepreneurs, including micro-entrepreneurs, can object to the consultation or use of their Sirene data by third parties other than authorised administrations and bodies.
Each unit in Sirene therefore carries a diffusion status. According to INSEE's description of the Sirene base on data.gouv.fr, units coded P are subject to partial diffusion following a request to object: for a natural person, the entrepreneur's identity (surname, first names…), the address within the town and the geolocation are masked, meaning not published by the Sirene API. You'll still hear people say "non-diffusible", and some tools, including the State's search API, use that word.
What is hidden, and for whom
For an individual entrepreneur (INSEE legal category 1000), INSEE says the right to object covers the publication of their surname, first names, pseudonym, sign and trade name, the exact address within the town, and the geolocation variables. What stays visible includes the SIREN and the activity, according to INSEE; for the address, the town remains.
For a company (a legal person such as an SAS or a SARL), the picture is different. INSEE says legal persons can only ask for their exact address and geolocation not to be published, not their name or SIREN, and that the request goes through a paper form with proof of authority, whereas individual entrepreneurs use an online service with FranceConnect.
So when a "company" vanishes from public searches, it's very often a sole trader, not an SAS.
Why public tools leave them out
Public reuse follows the person's choice. The documentation of API Recherche d'entreprises, which powers the Annuaire des Entreprises, says it plainly: because the API is completely open, non-diffusible companies aren't accessible in it. The same documentation lists companies whose registration in the trade register was refused as also left out.
So a search by SIREN in the public API can return nothing for a real, active business. It doesn't mean the number is false.
How to check a counterparty you can't find
- Check the number's format first. A SIREN's ninth digit is a Luhn check digit, according to INSEE. If the number fails, it's a typing error, not a privacy setting. See SIREN, SIRET and VAT formats.
- Ask the entrepreneur for a proof document. They can download their own Sirene situation notice (avis de situation) or provide an extract from the national company register. See Kbis, Sirene notice and RNE extract.
- Check the VAT number if they have one. VIES says whether the number is registered for VAT; for French numbers it may return a name and address. See checking a VAT number with VIES.
- Keep what you checked, and when. The document date matters: ask for a recent one.
For a contract of €5,000 or more involving subcontracting, the vigilance duty still applies: see how to check a French company before you sign.
Why the rule exists
For a company, the registered name and address describe a legal person. For an individual entrepreneur, the business name is often their own name, and the business address is often their home. Publishing them as open data means publishing a person's identity and home address for anyone to reuse, including for prospecting. The right to object exists to let people run a business without making their home address a public dataset. That's why public tools apply it strictly, and why reusers are asked to follow each person's latest choice.
If you build on Sirene data
- Expect gaps. A lookup that returns nothing isn't proof a business doesn't exist. Tell your users "not found in public data", not "doesn't exist".
- Don't try to rebuild hidden data from other sources. The person objected to its publication: respect that, and data protection law with it.
- Treat the status as data. INSEE's description of the Sirene base reminds reusers that it's their responsibility to take into account each person's latest diffusion status. If your source gives it, keep it up to date and display the record accordingly.
- Explain it in your product. A short line, "some individual entrepreneurs choose not to appear in public data", saves your support team many tickets.
Fuentio will answer from public data. For a SIREN that isn't public, the API will say so plainly: a well-formed number with no public record, not a sign that the business doesn't exist. The API isn't open yet: join the waitlist below to hear the day it opens.
See what we cover in France and Spain.
Limits. The rules described come from INSEE (page updated on 2 December 2025, and its description of the Sirene base) and the documentation of API Recherche d'entreprises, read on 9 October 2026; check them before relying on them. Fuentio only returns public data and never tries to reveal data a person asked not to publish. Not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does "non-diffusible" mean the company doesn't exist?
No. It means the person objected to the publication of some data. The business can be real and active.
Can an SAS or SARL be invisible in public searches?
INSEE says a legal person can only ask to hide its exact address and geolocation, not its name or SIREN.
What does the P diffusion status mean?
Partial diffusion, after a request to object: for an individual entrepreneur, their identity, exact address and geolocation aren't published.
How do I verify a sole trader who doesn't appear?
Ask for their Sirene situation notice or an RNE extract, check the number's format, and keep a dated copy.
Sources
- INSEE, requesting a change of diffusion status (updated on 2 December 2025, read on 9 October 2026): insee.fr
- INSEE, the Sirene base on data.gouv.fr (description, read on 9 October 2026): data.gouv.fr
- INSEE, online diffusion status service: statut-diffusion-sirene.insee.fr
- API Recherche d'entreprises, documentation (read on 9 October 2026): recherche-entreprises.api.gouv.fr
- INSEE, definition of the SIREN number: insee.fr