Authorised partner organisation for an RNCP or RS certification: the new obligations under decree 2025-500

Since 1 October 2025, becoming — or remaining — an authorised partner organisation for delivering an RNCP certification or one listed on the Répertoire Spécifique is no longer a matter of a simple goodwill arrangement with a certifying body. Decree n° 2025-500 of 6 June 2025 established, for the first time, a genuine regulatory framework for this relationship: conditions for authorisation, strict obligations during its execution, and sanctions in the event of a breach. For an organisation that trains or assesses on behalf of a third-party certifying body, ignoring these new rules risks outright withdrawal of authorisation — and with it, loss of CPF eligibility for the sessions concerned.

A new legal framework for a practice that was previously loosely regulated

Before this decree, the authorisation of a partner organisation by a certifying body rested essentially on private-law agreements, whose content varied widely from one certifying body to another. Decree n° 2025-500 introduces a dedicated sub-section of the Labour Code (articles R. 6113-16-1 to R. 6113-16-6) that now governs this relationship end to end: who can authorise, on what basis, with what obligations for the authorised organisation, and with what consequences in the event of a breach.

This text is part of a broader movement to reassert control over the quality of professional certifications, which also includes the new RNCP and RS registration framework applicable to applications submitted since 1 October 2025. Both reforms pursue the same goal: making sure the certification shown on a certificate genuinely matches what was actually taught and assessed.

Who can authorise a partner organisation, and how

Authorisation can now take two forms depending on the nature of the certification:

• a decision by the competent minister, for professional titles falling under a certifying ministry;
• an agreement between the certifying body (often a training organisation or a professional branch) and the partner organisation, when the certifying body does not deliver the service itself across the whole territory.

In both cases, the authorisation instrument must specify the exact scope entrusted to the partner: training only, assessment only, or both functions combined. This distinction is not cosmetic — an organisation authorised solely for training that went on to organise the assessment exams itself would be stepping outside the scope of its authorisation, with the consequences described further below.

The conditions for authorisation: demonstrating capacity, not just goodwill

Article R. 6113-16-1 requires the prospective partner to demonstrate its capacity to comply with the standard of the target certification and to mobilise adequate pedagogical and supervisory resources. In practice, the certifying body must be able to verify, before signing, that the organisation has:

• trainers whose skills match the certification’s standard;
• sufficient material and pedagogical resources to cover all the required competency blocks;
• an organisation capable of respecting the minimum training hours and the arrangements (in-person delivery, trainer-to-learner ratios) set by the certifying body.

This requirement follows the same logic as indicator 7 of the National Quality Framework on the adequacy of resources to the targeted certification: an organisation that has already structured its Qualiopi evidence on this point already holds much of what an authorisation file requires.

Strict obligations during the term of the authorisation

This is where the decree innovates most clearly: once authorised, the partner organisation is bound by precise obligations, spelled out in the regulatory text.

Obligation	What it means in practice
Accurate naming	Use the exact title of the certification (or competency block) in all documents, including on Mon Compte Formation and quotes sent to funders
Standard coverage	Carry out all the actions needed to cover every competency targeted by the standard, without omission or shortcut
Training hours	Respect the minimum durations and regulatory hour volumes set by the certifying body for the certification concerned
Pedagogical arrangements	Respect the in-person delivery rules and trainer-to-learner ratios defined by the certifying body
Exam registration	Partners authorised for assessment must organise exam sessions in line with the standard and systematically register the learners they trained

An organisation that, for instance, shortened a training course for commercial reasons while still issuing the full certification’s certificate of achievement would be placing itself outside the scope of its authorisation — regardless even of its Qualiopi certification.

Sanctions: suspension, withdrawal, termination

In the event of a confirmed breach, the certifying body now has a clear regulatory basis to suspend, withdraw, or terminate the authorisation. France Compétences has also seen its own powers of oversight and sanction broadened by the same decree, meaning a serious breach by a partner can ultimately reach the certification itself if the certifying body fails to enforce discipline across its network.

For a partner organisation, the direct consequence of a withdrawn authorisation is immediate: ongoing sessions lose their link to the registered certification, jeopardising CPF eligibility and the validity of the certificates already issued to trainees.

Why such a strict framework: the lesson from partner-network theory

This tightening of the rules is not unique to professional training: whenever a principal (here, the certifying body) delegates a service to a network of partners while putting its own reputation on the line, a classic risk emerges — what economic agency theory calls moral hazard: the partner, less exposed than the certifying body to the consequences of a quality drop, may be tempted to cut costs at the expense of respecting the standard. A landmark study by Francine Lafontaine, published in 1992 in the RAND Journal of Economics, «Agency Theory and Franchising: Some Empirical Results», shows empirically that networks delegating execution to third-party partners need to offset the distance from direct control with precise contractual rules and credible sanction mechanisms — otherwise the perceived quality of the whole network deteriorates. That is exactly the logic behind articles R. 6113-16-1 and following: replacing scattered private agreements with a common set of enforceable obligations and a clear power to sanction.

Authorisation and Qualiopi: what actually changes during an audit

If your organisation holds partner authorisation, the Qualiopi auditor will systematically cross-check three elements: your authorisation agreement, your training catalogue, and the evidence of actual delivery (attendance sheets, exam results, certificates of achievement). Any inconsistency between the scope stated in the agreement and what is actually delivered is a gap directly tied to indicator 16 on registering beneficiaries for the targeted certifications, and can also fall under the legal and regulatory monitoring expected at indicator 23 — this decree being a perfect example to add to your monitoring log.

This point of vigilance also ties in with the broader obligations of subcontracting in professional training: whether it’s a standard subcontracting contract or a partner authorisation agreement, the auditor expects the same documentary rigour on the scope entrusted and its actual execution.

Checklist before signing or renewing an authorisation

• Does the agreement explicitly specify the scope (training, assessment, or both)?
• Do your trainers and pedagogical resources cover the entire targeted standard?
• Do the training hours and trainer-to-learner ratios respect those set by the certifying body?
• Is the exact title of the certification used on all your commercial and administrative materials?
• If you are authorised for assessment, are trained learners systematically registered for exam sessions?
• Is this regulatory monitoring tracked in your Qualiopi system?

Take action

Securing a partner authorisation requires an organisation that is already solid on its quality processes: the Complete Kit Certif (€297, 14-day guarantee) provides the evidence templates and monitoring log that also cover this type of regulatory obligation. Setting up your organisation and aiming for a future authorisation? The ebook “Create your training organisation in 30 days” (€67) lays the essential administrative groundwork before any partnership agreement — or choose the Complete Pack (€347) that combines both resources.