Qualifelec qualification (electrical engineering) and the RGE mark
Voluntary in principle: no law requires an electrical firm to be qualified in order to trade. Two levers make it near-unavoidable, though — the RGE mark, which conditions customers' access to energy-renovation subsidies, and the IRVE qualification, made mandatory by decree no. 2017-26 of 12 January 2017 for installing an electric-vehicle charging point rated above 3.7 kW.
Issued by: Qualifelec, a non-profit association founded in 1955, the qualification body for French electrical, energy and digital engineering firms
Electrical installation firms and tradespeople, electric HVAC, networks and connections, low-voltage systems, public lighting and electrical maintenance — from sole traders to companies with several hundred employees.
What this scheme covers
- C.1A qualification per field of activity (electrical installations, electric HVAC, connections and networks, connected buildings, public lighting, low-voltage systems, maintenance, aerials), granted on file by a qualification committee.
- C.2An index expressing the level of technical mastery — execution, design-and-execution, full design-study-execution — plus a classification tied to company size and completed projects.
- C.3Add-on marks attached to the qualifications: the RGE mark for energy-saving and renewable-energy works, and the IRVE qualification for EV charging points.
- C.4A multi-year cycle: the qualification is granted for four years, with a certificate reissued each year once the body has checked the firm still meets the conditions (insurance, staffing, tax and social-security compliance).
The link with Qualiopi
Outside the scope of Qualiopi: Qualifelec qualifies contracting firms, not training providers. The bridge runs both ways, though — the RGE mark requires a trained technical referent, hence training providers whose courses are recognised, and those providers need Qualiopi certification to have their courses funded from public or pooled funds.
The process, summarised
- 1.Identify the qualifications that match your actual activity (field, index, marks) rather than casting wide: each requested qualification means its own file and fees.
- 2.Order and assemble the application file with Qualifelec: company identity and compliance, human and material resources, insurance certificates, financials, project references.
- 3.For the RGE mark: have a technical referent complete a recognised course in the target works domain, assessed by a knowledge test.
- 4.Go before the qualification committee, then maintain the qualification over the four years: annual certificate, updated documents, site audits for RGE marks, and a renewal file at the end of the cycle.
FAQ — Qualifelec
+Is the Qualifelec qualification mandatory to work as an electrician?
No: practising an electrical trade does not require qualification. Certain specific qualifications do become unavoidable depending on the works, though — the IRVE qualification is required by regulation to install a charging point rated above 3.7 kW, and the RGE mark is the condition for household customers to receive energy-renovation subsidies.
+What is the difference between Qualifelec and Qualibat?
Both are company qualification bodies, differing in scope: Qualibat covers all construction trades, while Qualifelec specialises in electrical, energy and digital engineering. A multi-trade firm can hold qualifications from both; the deciding factor is the nature of the works performed and the matching RGE qualification.
+What happened to the Cofrac references on the certificates?
The accreditation of qualification bodies based on the NF X50-091 standard lapsed on 30 June 2024 for regulatory qualifications. Certificates issued since then no longer reference Cofrac, and the recognition framework for these bodies is shifting to other standards. A recent certificate without a Cofrac reference is therefore not suspicious: it is the norm.
- Becoming RGE as an electrical firm: the Qualifelec route8 min
- The IRVE qualification: what French regulation actually requires7 min
- Qualifelec and Qualiopi: two different logics of quality8 min
- Obtaining the Qualifelec qualification: file, committee, timelines7 min
- Indices, fields, marks: how to read a Qualifelec certificate7 min
- QualibatVoluntary
- Qualit'EnRVoluntary
- OPQIBIVoluntary
- Refrigerant handlingMandatory
- RGE trainingMandatory
- Property diagnostician certificationMandatory