France has NO single mandatory 'supplier registration' or vendor pre-qualification registry. Economic operators (including foreign firms) compete per-tender: they find opportunities on the central state e-procurement portal PLACE (marches-publics.gouv.fr) and on the official journal BOAMP (plus TED for EU-threshold contracts), create a free account on the relevant buyer platform to download the DCE and submit an electronic bid, and demonstrate eligibility by submitting a DUME (European Single Procurement Document / ESPD). A free Chorus Pro account is separately required to issue mandatory electronic invoices once a contract is won. Foreign companies may bid without any establishment in France; a French SIRET is generally only relevant for contract execution or if the firm is established in France.
PLACE - Plateforme des Achats de l'État (marches-publics.gouv.fr)
Direction des Affaires Juridiques (DAJ), Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances; PLACE operated by the French State
Foreign companies eligibleNo local entity required to bid
A foreign company can bid on French public contracts without establishing itself in France. EU/EEA firms have full access under EU directives; non-EU firms (e.g. U.S.) access contracts covered by the WTO GPA, and European subsidiaries of U.S. companies may bid on all contracts covered by EU directives. A French SIRET/SIREN is obtained via INSEE only when a foreign company establishes activity in France; it is not a prerequisite to bidding.
Search and monitor French state tenders on PLACE (marches-publics.gouv.fr), the official tender bulletin BOAMP (boamp.fr), and TED (ted.europa.eu) for contracts above EU thresholds. Local-authority and hospital tenders may be published on other buyer 'profils d'acheteur' platforms.
To download the tender dossier (DCE) and submit an electronic bid for a specific consultation, create a free supplier account on the relevant buyer platform. This is a platform account for bidding, NOT a national vendor registry. International companies can register.
Create a DUME - a self-declaration of financial standing, capacity and absence of exclusion grounds - which replaces the former DC1/DC2 forms at the candidacy stage. Use the free DUME utility at dume.chorus-pro.gouv.fr; no Chorus Pro user account is required. Foreign operators use the DUME to bid without a French SIRET.
Submit the candidature and offer electronically through the buyer platform before the deadline, attaching the DUME and any tender-specific documents. A foreign firm without a French SIRET provides foreign-equivalent documents: a document proving absence of exclusion grounds, and certificates from home-country tax and social-security authorities.
Once a contract is won, the supplier must issue invoices to the French public-sector buyer electronically via Chorus Pro, which is mandatory for invoicing public entities in France. Create a free Chorus Pro account. A foreign supplier established in France will need a SIRET for execution.
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Create free accountFree (PLACE account, DUME creation, Chorus Pro account and electronic bidding carry no government fee). Costs are indirect: translation/certification of foreign documents and bid-preparation.
Varies per tender — not a fixed registration time.
Code de la commande publique (French Public Procurement Code); EU Directives 2014/24/EU (public sector), 2014/25/EU (utilities), 2009/81/EC (defence & security); electronic invoicing under Directive 2014/55/EU. WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) governs access for eligible non-EU firms above thresholds.
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This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-20.