ID numbers in France: TIN, national registration, and more

Living in France requires several identification numbers. Your numéro de sécu (social security number) is central to healthcare, social security, and employment administration. If you become covered by the French social security system through work or residence and do not already have a number, you should complete the relevant registration process for your situation.

Managing finances across borders can be challenging when relocating, which is why many expats use services like Wise to simplify international money transfers and manage multiple currencies. More on that later.

Additionally, if you plan to work and pay taxes in France, you’ll also need a tax ID (TIN) and maybe a business ID, too. Below, you’ll find all the steps to understand and apply for the relevant ID numbers in France:

ID numbers in France

If you’re planning to move to France for a while, these are the main ID numbers that you will need:

• National registration number – your social security number, officially the numéro d’identification au répertoire de l’Insee (NIR), but commonly known as the numéro de sécu.
• The tax identification number (TIN) – in France, this is the numéro fiscal de reference or numéro d’identification fiscale (NIF). You’ll most commonly hear it called numéro fiscal and you will need it to file taxes.
• The Siret/Siren – If you start your own company or work as a freelancer (autoentrepreneur or microentrepreneur) in France, your business receives a Siren number and each establishment receives a Siret number.

The French national registration number

The national registration number acts as your social security number while in France. It is sometimes referred to as the NIR (numéro d’identification au répertoire de l’Insee), but its most common name is the numéro de sécu.

The NIR itself contains 13 digits: one for sex, two for the year of birth, two for the month of birth, five for the place of birth, and three for an order number. A two-digit control key completes the NIR, so the social security number commonly displayed on official documents contains 15 digits in total. For people born abroad, the place-of-birth section uses 99 as the department code, followed by a three-digit country code.

The numéro de sécu is on your health insurance card – the carte Vitale. You must give this number whenever you contact social security structures like the Family Allocation Fund (CAF), France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi), or healthcare services. Moreover, your employer will reference it on your pay slips.

Using your national registration number

The numéro de sécu has several uses, including:

• Accessing social security
• Identification for healthcare
• Registering as an employee

The national registration number is used by social structures like France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi), supplementary health insurance organizations, the Family Allocation Fund (CAF), and the Maisons départementales des personnes handicapées (MDPH). To claim social security benefits for you or one of your family members, you may need to provide your social security number or carte Vitale, depending on the procedure.

Within the French healthcare sector, your national health identity (identité nationale de santé – INS) is more than just your social security number. It consists of an INS identifier – usually your personal NIR, or a temporary NIA while a NIR is being assigned – plus five identity details: birth name, birth first name(s), date of birth, sex, and place of birth. Healthcare professionals may ask for proof of identity to verify your INS. Although the carte Vitale gives access to France’s subsidized healthcare system, it is not an identity document.

Finally, employers will also use your numéro de sécu when they register you as an employee. They use it to pay your employee contributions. The number also allows you to receive family benefits, insurance in case of illness or an accident at work, and a retirement pension.

It is possible to live in France without a French social security number in some situations, and not having one does not prevent you from applying for or starting a job. If you work in France and are subject to the French social security system, registration must be initiated: your employer completes the hiring declaration and you must apply for a NIR if you do not already have one. Access to subsidized healthcare and social benefits depends on your insurance, work, and residence status.

Who needs a national registration number?

You may need a French social security number if you work in France or become covered by the French social security system. If you are not working, eligibility for Protection universelle maladie (PUMa) is generally based on stable and regular residence in France for more than three months, although exceptions apply. Children do have their own NIR. While they are minors, they can be attached to one or both parents for healthcare reimbursements; their NIR appears on the parent’s attestation de droits. A carte Vitale is normally issued from age 16, or from age 12 on request.

How to apply for a national registration number in France

If you are employed in France and do not yet have a social security number, your employer must complete the usual hiring declaration, while you should apply for registration with the French social security system. For foreign employees, employers can also use the Assurance Maladie’s online service to submit an application for registration. Depending on your situation, supporting documents can include valid ID, civil-status documents, and proof that you are entitled to live and work in France, such as an appropriate visa or residence permit.

Self-employed workers and members of liberal professions are covered for healthcare from the start of their professional activity under PUMa. If you need a French social security number, contact the primary health insurance fund (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie – CPAM) for your place of residence; you can find contact details on the Ameli website. People born abroad who are applying for French health coverage may first receive a temporary identification number while their civil-status documents are verified.

International students who need French health coverage should register through the Assurance Maladie’s dedicated international student portal. The former student social security schemes and student mutual funds are no longer the route for compulsory registration. Students from the EU/EEA or Switzerland who have a valid European Health Insurance Card covering at least the end of the academic year normally remain insured by their home system and do not register on the French student portal.

If you are unemployed or not working, you may qualify for French health insurance under PUMa once you meet the applicable stable and regular residence conditions. In that case, you apply through your CPAM rather than through a private insurer. If you are retiring in France with a pension paid by another EU/EEA country under the European coordination rules, the pension-paying institution may remain responsible for your healthcare; eligible pensioners generally request an S1 form from that institution and register it with their local CPAM.

The tax number (TIN) in France

If you have a French tax filing or payment obligation, you’ll need a tax number so the authorities can identify you correctly. The French tax identification number (TIN), known as the numéro fiscal de référence or numéro d’identification fiscale (NIF), is used for tax procedures in France. The tax administration assigns it automatically when a person first has a French tax filing or payment obligation.

This tax number is used to reference an individual taxpayer. It’s a 13-digit number that starts with a 0, 1, 2, or 3. The equivalent tax ID number for companies is the 9-digit numéro Siren (see below).

For expatriates who need to pay taxes in France while managing finances in multiple countries, services like Wise can help you transfer money to French bank accounts with low fees and the mid-market exchange rate, making tax payments more cost-effective in France or abroad.

What information does the French fiscal department keep about me?

Once you have a French tax number and file your taxes, the fiscal department will have access to any information that you and your employer provide. This includes earnings, property ownership, bank accounts in France and abroad, family structure and benefits, and all other information related to your tax declaration.

Using your French tax number

You won’t need a TIN in France to carry out legal or financial transactions such as opening a bank account, receiving social security payments, applying for a job, or buying property. However, you will need it for all tax-related procedures, such as paying your income or property tax and accessing your fiscal information.

Once your online access is activated, you can use Mon espace Finances publiques on impots.gouv.fr to manage most tax procedures, including filing returns and paying taxes. If you do not yet have a tax number, your first French income tax return is normally submitted on paper before online access can be created.

When it comes to actually making tax payments, especially if you’re transferring money from accounts in other countries, using Wise can help you avoid high fees and unfavorable exchange rates. 

Wise allows you to hold and manage multiple currencies in one account and convert between them at the mid-market exchange rate with minimal fees, which can be particularly useful for expats with income or assets in multiple countries.

Who needs a French tax number?

A French TIN is assigned to individuals and organizations that have a French tax filing or payment obligation. If you are required to file a French tax return, that filing obligation is mandatory; not yet having a tax number does not remove the obligation. The tax administration normally assigns the number from your first tax declaration or first tax payment obligation.

Having a tax number also allows you to activate Mon espace Finances publiques once your identity and access details have been validated, and to pay taxes online. If you do not yet have a tax number, your first French income tax return is normally filed on paper.

How to apply for a French tax number

If you are filing a French income tax return for the first time and do not yet have a tax number, you normally submit your first French tax return on paper. The tax administration will then assign your 13-digit tax number, which will appear on your tax documents.

If you believe you already have a tax number, or need help identifying the office responsible for your case, use the official impots.gouv.fr contact service. If identity verification is required to activate online access, your Centre des Finances publiques may ask for civil-status information, a postal address, and proof of identity.

• For a first return without online access, complete the relevant paper income tax return and send it to the competent Centre des Finances publiques.
• Use the official contact tool if you need to identify or contact the tax office responsible for your case.
• Once your tax number and online access are active, use Mon espace Finances publiques for future online procedures.

If you’ve lost your tax number and already have online access, you can retrieve it through the impots.gouv.fr sign-in help by email. Otherwise, contact your local tax office.

Business ID numbers in France

If you’re looking to start your own business in France, you’ll need business identification numbers for invoicing and tax purposes. Since 1 January 2023, business creation, modification, and closure formalities are submitted online through the Guichet unique des formalités des entreprises, operated by the INPI, rather than through the former CFE networks. Your Siren and Siret numbers are assigned automatically after the registration formalities are accepted.

The Siren is a unique nine-digit identifier for the business. The Siret contains 14 digits: the nine-digit Siren followed by a five-digit numéro interne de classement (NIC) identifying each establishment. The Siret changes whenever the address of the business or one of its establishments changes, even if the move is within the same region. The relevant Siret must appear on invoices and certain other business documents.

For freelancers and business owners in France who work with international clients, managing payments across borders can be challenging. Wise Business accounts offer a solution by providing local account details in multiple currencies including euros, allowing you to receive payments conveniently without the high fees, which can be particularly valuable for autoentrepreneurs or microentrepreneurs who need to invoice clients abroad.

How to apply for a Siret/Siren in France

Whether you want to become a freelancer in France or start a commercial, craft, liberal, or agricultural activity, you do not apply separately for a Siren or Siret. Submit the business creation formalities through the Guichet unique des formalités des entreprises; the system routes the declaration to the competent authorities and the identifiers are issued automatically once the registration is accepted.

• Prepare the information and supporting documents requested for your legal form and activity.
• Submit and sign the creation form online through the Guichet unique.
• Track the formalities online; once registration is accepted, your Siren and Siret details are available in your account.

Useful resources

• Ameli – French health insurance portal for access to a social security number
• economie.gouv.fr – official information on the French tax identification number (NIF)
• Family Allocations Fund (CAF) – family benefits and related social services
• Formalités d’entreprise – the government website for setting up your business activity
• impots.gouv.fr – French fiscal services website for filing taxes
• Securite-sociale  –  for extensive information on social security in France
• Service Public – government website for administrative and social-service information