French Kbis / Lei Extract Request Letter
Letter template requesting a Kbis extract (company registry) or Lei extract (associations) to prove a French entity's legal existence to a third party.
Who is entitled to request a Kbis extract?
Anyone can request the Kbis of a company registered with the RCS, since this is publicly available information. The company's legal representative (dirigeant) obtains it free of charge on MonIdentité; a third party — such as a bank, supplier, or client — must order a paid copy through Infogreffe. There is no restriction on who may consult company registration data; the RCS is an open public register accessible to all.
Source: Service-Public.fr — Extrait Kbis: purpose and how to obtain it (official French public-service portal) · updated 2026
About this form
The extrait Kbis (literally 'Kbis extract') is France's official proof of company registration with the Registre du commerce et des sociétés (RCS — the French Trade and Companies Register). Think of it as a corporate identity card: it lists the company name, registered address, legal form, share capital, directors, and unique SIREN registration number. It is issued by the greffe du tribunal de commerce (commercial court registry), primarily through the Infogreffe platform. Since November 2022, a company's legal representative (dirigeant — director or president) can download it free of charge and unlimited times from MonIdentité (monidenum.fr). Third parties — banks, suppliers, public procurement bodies — must order a copy from Infogreffe for around €3.12 in electronic form. The Kbis has no legally defined expiry date, but banks, notaries, insurers, and public buyers routinely require a document dated within the last three months.
Worked example
James Hargreaves, president of a SASU (société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle — a single-shareholder simplified joint-stock company) incorporated with the Lyon commercial court registry, needs a Kbis dated within three months to open a professional bank account with Banque Populaire. He logs in to MonIdentité (monidenum.fr) with his email address, locates his company on his dashboard, and downloads the authenticated PDF in under five minutes at no cost — saving the €3.12 he would have paid had he ordered it as a third party through Infogreffe.
How to fill out the form
- Identify your channel: if you are the company's legal representative (dirigeant), use MonIdentité — free, unlimited access; if you are a third party (bank, supplier, partner), use Infogreffe — paid service at approximately €3.12 per electronic copy.
- Log in to monidenum.fr with your email address (or via FranceConnect), or go to infogreffe.fr and search for the company by its legal name or SIREN number (the nine-digit French business identifier).
- Select the relevant company from the results, then choose the 'Extrait Kbis' option; on Infogreffe, select the electronic version for immediate delivery or the postal option if a stamped original is required.
- Confirm your order: on MonIdentité the download is entirely free; on Infogreffe, pay approximately €3.12 by bank card for the electronic version or approximately €4.03 for postal delivery.
- Download the authenticated PDF and check the issue date printed on the document to confirm it falls within the three-month threshold required by your bank, notary, or public procurement body.
Good to know
- If you are the company director, never pay for your own Kbis. MonIdentité (monidenum.fr) provides it free of charge and unlimited times. Being asked to pay is an almost certain sign you have landed on an unofficial intermediary site — leave immediately and go directly to monidenum.fr.
- The three-month rule catches people off guard: re-download a fresh Kbis just before a bank meeting, a notarial deed, or a public tender deadline — a document even one day outside the window is routinely refused with no exceptions and no grace period.
- Sole traders (auto-entrepreneurs) and non-commercial liberal professionals do not have a Kbis. They need an avis de situation SIRENE (INSEE status notice) or an extract from the Registre national des entreprises — searching for a non-existent Kbis wastes time.
Frequently asked questions
Who is entitled to request a Kbis extract?
Anyone can request the Kbis of a company registered with the RCS, since this is publicly available information. The company's legal representative (dirigeant) obtains it free of charge on MonIdentité; a third party — such as a bank, supplier, or client — must order a paid copy through Infogreffe. There is no restriction on who may consult company registration data; the RCS is an open public register accessible to all.
How do I get a free Kbis in 2026?
If you are the company's legal representative, log in to monidenum.fr with your email address or via FranceConnect (France's federated government identity system). Your Kbis is immediately available as a free, unlimited, authenticated PDF download. This free access applies only to the dirigeant for their own registered companies.
How quickly can I receive a Kbis?
Online, the Kbis is available as an instant PDF download — whether from MonIdentité (directors) or Infogreffe (third parties). A postal request sent directly to the greffe du tribunal de commerce (commercial court registry) typically takes three to five business days. Postal delivery is only worth considering if your counterparty specifically requires a physically stamped original rather than an authenticated digital document.
How much does a Kbis cost for a third party?
On Infogreffe, the electronic Kbis costs approximately €3.12 and the postal version approximately €4.03 (tariffs set by ministerial order of 28 February 2020, 2026 amounts). Be cautious of private intermediary websites that resell Kbis documents at far higher prices: only Infogreffe and MonIdentité are the official channels authorised by the French commercial court registries. Always go directly to the source.
How long is a Kbis valid?
No legislation sets a fixed expiry date for the Kbis. In practice, banks, notaries, insurers, and public procurement bodies in France require a document dated within the last three months. For any formal process — opening a business bank account, signing with a notary, or submitting a public tender bid — re-download a fresh Kbis immediately beforehand; an older document will be systematically refused.
What should I do if the Kbis contains incorrect or outdated information?
The Kbis reflects the data held in the RCS. To correct an address, a director's name, or the company's objects, file a formalité modificative (amendment filing) through the INPI's single-entry portal at formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr. Once the greffe (registry) has processed the change, re-download an up-to-date Kbis from MonIdentité or Infogreffe.
Official sources
Updated on 2026-06-26
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