TL;DR
After registration, many founders receive letters that imitate an official body and demand payment to "confirm" the registration, appear in a registry or avoid being struck off. These are scams: registration in the Sirene directory is free, no letter is sent during the process, and the INPI never asks for payment by letter with a QR code. Sources (2)
INPIINPI (6 August 2026): fraudulent letters about formality fees
Service-publicService-public: Sirene registration scam
Warning signs
- An amount to pay after registration, when all the legal fees were paid when the application was filed.
- A QR code or a transfer to an unknown account, with a short deadline "or be struck off".
- A name close to that of an official body ("business registry", "company directory"), an imitated logo, an address abroad.
- Small print revealing a commercial offer (paid directory listing, subscription).
What you actually receive after formation
| Document | From | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of registration (Kbis) | Greffe (commercial court registry) | Keep it: it proves the company exists |
| Siren and Siret numbers | Insee | Nothing: Sirene registration is free |
| Initial CFE return (form 1447-C) | Tax office | File it before 31 December of the year of formation |
What to do
- Do not pay. If in doubt, contact the body named using its official contact details, never those in the letter.
- Report the letter on the official scam-reporting website (signal.conso.gouv.fr).
- At LegalRapide, formation fees are paid in one go, before filing, from your client area: no formation fees are requested from you by letter afterwards.
Written by Razvan Toma, founder of LegalRapide. How we check our figures · LinkedIn