How long does it take to get a SIRET number?

SIREN, SIRET and APE code: three numbers to know

• SIREN (9 digits): identifies you as a business. As an individual entrepreneur, your SIREN is given to you once and for all: if you close and start again later, you normally get the same SIREN back.
• SIRET (14 digits): your SIREN followed by 5 digits that identify the place where you work, usually your business address. It changes if you move your business.
• APE code (4 digits and a letter): describes your main activity, for statistics. INSEE chooses it from the description of your activity. From 1 January 2027, INSEE switches to a new list of activity codes: your APE code may change automatically, with the same format.

What happens after you submit your registration

• Your file is filed on the guichet unique, the official one-stop shop for business formalities run by INPI. With MicroChrono, we check your file first and file it for you.
• The guichet unique sends it to the bodies concerned, including INSEE, URSSAF and the tax office.
• INSEE registers your business in the Sirene directory and assigns your SIREN, SIRET and APE code.
• URSSAF opens your account for declaring your turnover and paying your contributions. You then create your online space on autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr.

How long it takes

There is no official fixed delay. In most cases the SIRET is issued within a few days after the file has been accepted. It can take several weeks when the administration needs more information or has a lot of files to process. Nobody, including us, can promise a date, because it depends on the administration.

At MicroChrono, we check your file and send it, in general within 24 working hours. You then follow each stage on your tracking page and by e-mail: « Dossier vérifié par notre équipe » (file checked by our team), « Transmis à l'INSEE » (sent to INSEE), « Validé par l'URSSAF » (approved by URSSAF) and « SIRET attribué » (SIRET assigned).

What can slow your file down

• An identity document that is unreadable, cut off or expired.
• Names or a date of birth that differ from your identity document.
• An activity described too vaguely, or a regulated activity (some building and craft trades) for which the administration asks for proof of qualification.
• An address problem, for example your name is not on the letterbox and the person who hosts you is not named.
• A request for information left unanswered: check your e-mails, including the spam folder.

How to check whether your SIRET has been issued

Search for your name on the official directory of businesses, annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr. Once your business appears, its page shows your SIREN and SIRET numbers. If you asked for your personal details not to be published, your name and address will not appear there: wait for the number from INSEE or from us.

Once you know your SIREN, you can download, for free, your « avis de situation au répertoire Sirene » on avis-situation-sirene.insee.fr: INSEE's official document showing that your business is in the Sirene directory. Platforms and banks often ask for it.

Can I start working before I have my SIRET?

Your business starts on the start date you chose (« date de début d'activité »). In practice, delivery platforms, many clients and banks ask for your SIRET first, and your invoices must show your SIREN (the first 9 digits of your SIRET). Choose your start date with this in mind.

Never work on someone else's platform account while you wait. Platforms forbid it and close the accounts concerned, and both you and the account holder take legal risks.

Frequently asked questions