NDA vs Qualiopi: what's the difference? Two French schemes not to confuse

It is the most widespread confusion in the French training sector: “I’ll get Qualiopi to become a training organisation.” Except Qualiopi does not make you a training organisation — that role belongs to the NDA (numéro de déclaration d’activité, the registered training activity number). The two schemes differ in function, issuer and cost. Here is the full distinction, and the order in which to tackle them.

Two schemes, two functions

	NDA	Qualiopi
Nature	Administrative registration of the activity	Quality certification after an audit
Issued by	The DREETS (regional inspection service)	An accredited certification body
Mandatory?	Yes, for any provider training for a fee	Yes, but only for public and mutualised funding
What it attests	That the activity is declared	That processes comply with the national quality framework
Cost	Free	Paid audit, price depending on the certifier and your size
Lifespan	Unlimited as long as obligations are met (otherwise it lapses)	3-year cycle, with a surveillance audit

In one sentence: the NDA makes you exist legally; Qualiopi gives you access to public and mutualised money.

The NDA: existing legally

The NDA stems from article L. 6351-1 of the French Labour Code: anyone providing vocational training services for a fee must declare the activity. The declaration is filed online on the “Mon Activité Formation” portal within three months of concluding the first training contract or agreement; the DREETS then issues an 11-digit number.

Three points define it:

• it is free and declaratory — not a quality authorisation;
• it carries continuing obligations: the pedagogical and financial report (bilan pédagogique et financier) every year before 31 May, amendments declared within 30 days, appropriate accounting;
• it attests no pedagogical quality whatsoever — the law even prohibits presenting it as State approval.

Who is concerned, what happens without a declaration, the real exemptions: our article is the NDA mandatory? covers the question in depth.

Qualiopi: accessing public and mutualised funds

Qualiopi is the quality certification provided for by article L. 6316-1 of the Labour Code. Since 1 January 2022, it has been required of providers who want their courses funded by public or mutualised money: OPCO (sectoral funding bodies), the CPF (personal training account), the State, the Regions, France Travail, Agefiph.

Unlike the NDA, Qualiopi rests on an audit: an accredited certification body verifies, on documents and on site, that your processes comply with the Référentiel national qualité (national quality framework), organised into 7 criteria broken down into indicators — each one is decoded, expected evidence included, in our indicators guide. Certification runs on a 3-year cycle, punctuated by a surveillance audit.

Another structural difference: Qualiopi is not universally mandatory. An organisation working only with clients paying out of their own pockets can operate perfectly well with its NDA alone.

In what order should you proceed?

The order is dictated by the system’s logic:

1. The NDA first. Without an activity declaration there is no training organisation — hence nothing to certify. The Qualiopi audit checks the legal compliance of the structure anyway: valid NDA, up-to-date pedagogical and financial report, compliant contractual documents.
2. Then Qualiopi, if your clients require it. The right trigger is not “everyone does it” but your revenue model: if a significant share flows through the CPF, OPCOs or public contracts, certification becomes unavoidable.

A brand-new organisation can aim for both quickly: the framework provides “new entrant” accommodations on several indicators, with the auditor assessing the planned system rather than its track record.

What each one brings you commercially

The NDA is a prerequisite, not a selling point: every registered competitor has one too. A quality certification, by contrast, works as a differentiating signal in a market where buyers cannot judge the service before purchasing it. Economic research has measured this: the study by Ann Terlaak and Andrew King published in 2006 in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, using an 11-year panel of US manufacturing facilities, shows that ISO 9000-certified firms grow faster after certification — and that the effect is strongest where buyers struggle to assess their suppliers (The Effect of Certification with the ISO 9000 Quality Management Standard: A Signaling Approach).

Applied to training: the NDA puts you on the starting line; Qualiopi — like any third-party certification — serves as a quality signal to funders and buyers who do not know you yet.

The confusions that cost money

• “You need Qualiopi to be a training organisation.” False: you need an NDA. Qualiopi only conditions public and mutualised funding.
• “I have my NDA, I can sell CPF courses.” False: you need Qualiopi, plus a credential registered in the RNCP or the Répertoire spécifique, plus an EDOF listing.
• “State-approved Qualiopi organisation.” Doubly false: Qualiopi is issued by accredited certifiers, not by the State, and the NDA does not amount to approval — the wording exposes you to sanctions for misleading claims.
• “Once Qualiopi is obtained, the NDA no longer matters.” False: a lapsed NDA (a forgotten pedagogical and financial report, for instance) immediately undermines the certification, which presupposes a legally declared provider.

Take action

Before comparing audit quotes, secure the foundation: a valid NDA, obligations up to date, correct wording on your documents. The complete guide to the French training activity number (NDA) gathers the process, the obligations and the frequent questions — with a free ebook to obtain and keep your number without missteps.