Checking an NDA: how to use the public list of French training organisations

An activity declaration number (NDA) can be checked in a few minutes, free of charge, on an official register. Yet many organisations contract with subcontractors without ever running this check — and discover the problem at the Qualiopi audit, or worse, during a funder’s inspection. Here is how to use the Public List of Training Organisations, when to consult it, and what a valid NDA proves (and does not prove).

Reminder: what is the NDA?

The activity declaration number is the 11-digit number issued by the DREETS (the regional directorate for the economy, employment, labour and solidarity) after a training provider files its activity declaration. The full procedure is detailed in our guide to the Cerfa 10782 form; the essentials here:

• the NDA is mandatory for any provider of vocational training;
• it conditions VAT exemption, access to funding and Qualiopi certification;
• it is attached to a legal entity (a SIREN) and a region of registration;
• it is not acquired for life: it can lapse or be cancelled.

Precisely because this number conditions so much, you need to know how to verify it — yours as well as your partners’.

The Public List of Training Organisations

The French Ministry of Labour maintains a Public List of Training Organisations, covering providers that have declared their activity and filed their annual training activity report (BPF). It can be consulted online and is published as open data on data.gouv.fr, which allows both one-off lookups and bulk processing (cross-checking supplier files, automated verifications).

For each organisation, the list shows in particular:

• the NDA and the region of registration;
• the SIREN and company name, so you can verify that the number matches the entity you are actually contracting with;
• the certifications held (Qualiopi, by category of actions);
• the declared training specialities.

You can search by number, by SIREN or by name. Two reliability reflexes:

1. Always cross-check NDA and SIREN. A provider can display a genuine NDA… that belongs to another entity (a former company, an umbrella structure, a third party). The number must match the SIREN on the quote or the agreement.
2. Do not jump to conclusions from an absence. An organisation may have asked not to appear on the list, and a recent registration takes some time to show up. In that case, ask for the declaration receipt issued by the DREETS.

Why check an NDA: information asymmetry

On the training market, the buyer cannot see quality before paying: a polished catalogue can hide an undeclared provider or a self-proclaimed “certified organisation”. This is a textbook case of information asymmetry, described by economist George Akerlof in his seminal 1970 article, “The Market for ‘Lemons’: Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism”, published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics: when quality is invisible to the buyer, bad products drive out good ones and the whole market deteriorates — unless verification mechanisms (public registers, certifications, guarantees) restore trust. The public list of training organisations and Qualiopi certification play exactly that role: making verifiable what was not.

In practice, three situations require the check.

1. Before contracting with a subcontractor

If you use freelance trainers or other organisations, indicator 27 of the Qualiopi framework requires you to make sure the providers you mobilise are compliant. Checking the NDA (and the Qualiopi certification when the arrangement requires it) is part of the expected due diligence, and the record of that check — a capture of the public list entry, a copy of the receipt, the Qualiopi certificate — constitutes audit evidence. Our article on subcontracting trainers’ obligations covers both sides of the relationship.

2. When a client or an OPCO checks yours

Client companies, OPCOs and other funders systematically check the NDA before committing funds. A lapsed number, or one inconsistent with your SIREN, blocks the funding file. So check your own entry on the public list regularly: it is what your counterparts see of you. If your entity has changed address, name or manager, remember to update your activity declaration within the deadlines.

3. To verify that a “certified organisation” really is one

Claims such as “certified”, “approved” or “referenced” flourish on websites and brochures. The public list lets you check in a few clicks whether the organisation actually holds Qualiopi, and for which categories of actions (training, skills assessment, VAE, apprenticeship). An organisation certified for training actions is not automatically certified for apprenticeship.

Also checking the Qualiopi certification

To go beyond the public list, ask for the Qualiopi certificate itself. An authentic document states:

• the certification body that issued it (an accredited certifier);
• the categories of actions covered by the certification;
• the validity period of the certificate.

Three simple checks: the company name and SIREN on the certificate match the provider; the category of actions covers the intended service; the validity date has not passed. When in doubt, a certification body can confirm that a certificate it issued is still active.

Invalid NDA cases

A displayed NDA may no longer be valid. Two main mechanisms:

• Lapse (caducité): the declaration lapses when the organisation fails to file its annual training activity report (BPF) or when that report shows no training activity. The NDA then ceases to have effect and a complete new declaration must be filed. Our dedicated article on the lapse of the activity declaration explains how to avoid it and how to recover.
• Cancellation: the administration can cancel the registration, in particular when the services delivered do not qualify as vocational training or when breaches are found during an inspection.

A partner whose NDA has lapsed or been cancelled is, legally, an undeclared provider: the consequences flow back to you (Qualiopi compliance, funding, contractual liability). Hence the value of checking at the time of contracting, then re-checking periodically for long-term collaborations.

What the NDA is not

The most widespread confusion — sometimes deliberately maintained — is presenting the NDA as a mark of quality. Let’s be clear:

• the NDA is not an approval: the law even requires stating that the registration “does not constitute State approval”;
• the NDA is not Qualiopi: it is a mere administrative registration, with no check whatsoever of teaching quality;
• the NDA does not guarantee access to funding: it is Qualiopi certification that conditions public and pooled funds.

An organisation presenting itself as “State-approved” on the sole basis of its NDA is making a misleading claim, subject to sanctions.

NDA mentions on your documents

On your agreements, contracts, quotes and commercial documents, the legal formula (in French) is:

“Déclaration d’activité enregistrée sous le numéro [NDA] auprès du préfet de région de [region] — cet enregistrement ne vaut pas agrément de l’État.” (Activity declaration registered under number [NDA] with the prefect of the [region] region — this registration does not constitute State approval.)

Three mistakes to ban:

• turning the NDA into an “approval number” or a “licence”;
• displaying an NDA belonging to another entity (holding company, former company);
• keeping the mention of a region that is no longer your region of registration after a relocation.

Provider verification checklist

• NDA present on the Public List of Training Organisations
• NDA attached to the right SIREN (the one on the quote or agreement)
• Qualiopi certification checked if the arrangement requires it (category of actions and validity)
• Consistent Qualiopi certificate: certifier, company name, dates
• Record of the check archived (evidence for indicator 27)

Take action

Verifying subcontractors is only one piece of the Qualiopi file: the Complete Kit Certif provides ready-to-use procedures and templates covering all 32 indicators, including subcontracting. If you are still creating your organisation, the ebook Créer son organisme de formation en 30 jours (in French) guides you from the activity declaration to your first client, and the complete bundle combines both to go from creation to certification.