French training 'accreditation number': why what you're looking for is the NDA

“Could you send us your accreditation number?” Every trainer in France eventually gets this request from a client, a procurement department or an accountant. The problem: the “training accreditation number” (numéro d’agrément) does not exist in French law. What your contact wants is your NDA — the numéro de déclaration d’activité, or registered activity number. The nuance is not legal pedantry: mixing the two up can lead you to write unlawful claims — and to miss what actually attests quality.

The training « agrément » does not exist

The French vocational training regime is declaratory. Article L. 6351-1 of the Labour Code requires anyone providing training services for a fee to declare the activity; the DREETS (regional inspection service) registers the declaration and issues an 11-digit number: the NDA. At no point does the administration “grant its approval”: it records that an activity has been declared and that the file meets the registration conditions.

The word « agrément » comes from a different model — one where an authority examines and approves an operator beforehand. It survives in everyday speech because it reassures: “approved” sounds like “validated by the State”. Which is precisely why the law polices its use.

What the NDA really proves (and what it doesn’t)

The NDA establishes one thing only: your training activity is declared to the authorities, who can from then on supervise it (annual pedagogical and financial report, DREETS inspections, sanctions for breaches).

It does not attest:

• the pedagogical quality of your courses — no quality audit takes place at registration;
• any State endorsement — registration does not amount to approval; the wording is in the Labour Code itself;
• eligibility for funding — the CPF (personal training account), OPCOs and public funders require Qualiopi certification, a separate scheme we compare with the NDA in NDA vs Qualiopi: what’s the difference?.

Why the law forbids talking about accreditation

The legislator locked down the vocabulary to protect buyers. If you mention your registration in your communications, you must state that it does not amount to State approval. The correct wording on your documents reads:

« Déclaration d’activité enregistrée sous le numéro [NDA] auprès du préfet de région de [region]. » (Activity declaration registered under number [NDA] with the regional prefect of [region].)

Conversely, “State-approved organisation”, “DREETS-accredited” or “authorised by the Ministry of Labour” are misleading claims: they suggest a qualitative endorsement that does not exist. The Labour Code makes misleading advertising about services or registration a criminal offence — a very concrete risk now that the public list of training providers lets anyone check your NDA in a few clicks.

A signal, not a proof: what economic theory says

Why does this semantic battle matter so much? Because a training market runs on imperfect information: buyers cannot assess the service before consuming it, so they cling to signals. Michael Spence’s foundational work, published in 1973 in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, formalised the mechanism: a signal only sorts actors effectively if it is costly to acquire — more costly for the less capable than for the rest (Job Market Signaling).

The NDA is free and declaratory: every compliant provider gets one, whatever their standard. It therefore cannot work as a quality signal — which is exactly why the law forbids dressing it up as an accreditation. The sector’s costly signal is Qualiopi certification: a paid audit, demanding preparation, a 3-year surveillance cycle. Presenting your NDA as an accreditation amounts to selling a signal you never paid for.

Real authorisations do exist — elsewhere

One last source of confusion: some regulated training schemes do rest on genuine authorisations or specific arrangements — becoming a testing body for CACES® certificates, being authorised to deliver certain safety training, registering a credential in the RNCP… These mechanisms are specific to each scheme and come on top of the NDA; they never replace it. The full panorama of certifications, labels and authorisations in the sector is available on our certifications hub.

How to answer a client demanding your “accreditation number”

No need to lecture your contact with the Labour Code in hand. Three reflexes suffice:

1. Translate. Provide your NDA with the full regulatory wording — number and region of registration.
2. Invite verification. Point the client to the public list of training providers to check your registration: a token of seriousness that costs nothing.
3. Add the right signal. If the client is actually after a quality guarantee (OPCO or CPF funding at stake), highlight your Qualiopi certification — or, if you don’t have it yet, your roadmap to obtain it.

And if you are drafting your commercial documents right now: ban « agrément » from your templates once and for all, double-check the registration wording, and reserve “certified” for certifications you actually hold.

Take action

The “accreditation number” you are being asked for is simply a properly registered, up-to-date and correctly quoted NDA. Our guide to the French training activity number (NDA) details the legal status, the process and the exact wording to use — with a free ebook to obtain and keep your number fully compliant.