SIRENE Import: Leverage the French Business Database in Your CRM

The SIRENE data goldmine

Looking for B2B leads in France? Forget paid databases costing hundreds of dollars a month. The INSEE’s SIRENE database contains over 12 million French establishments — and it’s entirely free.

Every French business, from the neighborhood bakery to a CAC 40 group, is listed with official information: name, address, activity code, workforce, creation date. It’s the most complete and reliable source for fueling your B2B prospecting in France.

Did you know? The SIRENE database is updated daily by INSEE. New businesses typically appear within 48 hours of registration.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to leverage this goldmine to import SIRENE leads into your CRM and precisely target businesses in your sector.

What is the SIRENE database?

The SIRENE registry (Système Informatique pour le Répertoire des Entreprises et des Établissements) is the official French business database, managed by INSEE.

Impressive numbers

• 12+ million active establishments in France
• 33 million historical legal entities (active and closed)
• Daily updates with new registrations
• 100% free since 2017 (Open Data)

Available data

For each establishment, you have access to:

Information	Description	Prospecting use
SIRET	Unique 14-digit identifier	Avoid duplicates
Company name	Official business name	Contact
Full address	Street, postal code, city	Location
NAF/APE code	Main activity (5 characters)	Industry targeting
Workforce	Employee size bracket	Qualification
Creation date	Registration date	Tenure
Legal status	SARL, SAS, sole proprietor, etc.	Qualification

What’s missing (and how to complete it)

The SIRENE database contains no phone, no email, and no website. This is a significant limitation for prospecting. Two solutions:

1. Manual enrichment: search each business on Google
2. Third-party services: use B2B data enrichment platforms

We’ll see below how to handle this limitation.

How to export from SIRENE

Several options are available to retrieve SIRENE data in CSV format.

Option 1: The official SIRENE API (data.gouv.fr)

INSEE provides a free REST API at api.insee.fr. It allows precise queries but requires technical skills.

Advantages:

• Official and up-to-date data
• Very precise filters (NAF, location, workforce)
• Free with no volume limits

Disadvantages:

• Requires registration and an API key
• Queries in technical format (REST)
• CSV export must be built yourself

Example query: search for bakeries (NAF 1071C) in Paris:

GET /entreprises?activitePrincipale=1071C&codePostal=75*

Option 2: data.gouv.fr (bulk download)

The data.gouv.fr portal offers the complete SIRENE database for download.

Advantages:

• Complete file available
• No registration required
• Standard CSV format

Disadvantages:

• Very large file (several GB)
• Requires processing to filter
• Less practical for targeted searches

Option 3: Third-party services (recommended for beginners)

The official government site simplifies SIRENE data access:

Annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr — 100% free

• Official government site
• Simple and fast search
• Limited export but sufficient to get started

Useful prospecting filters

Regardless of the tool chosen, use these filters for precise targeting:

By activity (NAF/APE code):

• 4322A — Plumbing, heating
• 4321A — General electrical work
• 1071C — Bakery-pastry
• 5610A — Traditional restaurants
• 9602A — Hairdressing

Tip: Consult the complete NAF nomenclature to find codes for your target sector.

By location:

• Postal code (e.g., 75001 for Paris 1st arrondissement)
• Department (e.g., 75* for all of Paris)
• Region (e.g., all codes 69, 38, 01, etc. for Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes)

By workforce:

• 00 — 0 employees (micro-businesses)
• 01 — 1 to 2 employees
• 02 — 3 to 5 employees
• 03 — 6 to 9 employees
• 11 — 10 to 19 employees

By creation date:

• Target businesses created less than 2 years ago (need for visibility)
• Or businesses established for more than 5 years (stability)

Prepare the CSV file for Prospect Hub

Once your export is done, a few adjustments may be needed before import.

Format expected by Prospect Hub

Prospect Hub automatically recognizes the following columns:

SIRENE column	Prospect Hub mapping
denominationUniteLegale	Name
adresseEtablissement	Address
codePostalEtablissement	Postal code
libelleCommuneEtablissement	City
activitePrincipaleEtablissement	Tags (NAF code)
siret	External identifier

Enrich with phone and email

As mentioned, SIRENE doesn’t contain direct contact details. Two approaches:

Approach 1: Enrichment before import

Use a B2B data enrichment service to complete your CSV with emails and phone numbers before importing.

Approach 2: Enrichment after import

Import your SIRENE leads into Prospect Hub first, then enrich them manually as you research. This approach is longer but free.

Recommended cleanup

Before importing, consider:

• Removing unnecessary columns (technical numbers, internal codes)
• Verifying UTF-8 encoding (important for French accents)
• Removing closed establishments (column etatAdministratifEtablissement = “F”)

Import and enrich your leads

Your CSV file is ready. Off to Prospect Hub for import.

Import steps

1. Log into your account (create a free account)
2. Go to Import CSV from the main menu
3. Drag and drop your SIRENE file
4. Verify automatic mapping
5. Launch the import

The interface automatically detects columns and suggests smart mapping. For unrecognized columns (like the NAF code), map them to the Tags field to filter your leads by activity.

Tip: Add an import tag like “SIRENE January 2026” to easily find this lead cohort.

Handling leads without phone numbers

SIRENE-imported leads typically won’t have a phone number. Here’s how to handle them efficiently:

1. Filter your leads by tag (e.g., “SIRENE”)
2. Sort by score (Prospect Hub prioritizes leads with a website)
3. Enrich progressively: a Google search of the business name + city usually suffices to find the phone number

For a detailed guide on CSV import, check out our article Google Maps Lead Import which covers all import features.

Use case: targeting tradespeople in a region

Let’s take a concrete example. You’re a web agency and want to prospect plumbers-heating engineers in Brittany who don’t have a website.

Step 1: SIRENE export

On the government business directory:

• NAF code: 4322A (Water and gas installation work)
• Departments: 22, 29, 35, 56 (Brittany)
• Workforce: 1 to 9 employees (tradespeople)
• Creation date: before 2024 (established)

Result: approximately 3,500 establishments.

Step 2: Quick enrichment

To identify those without a website (your priority target), two options:

• Use an enrichment service that adds the site URL
• Import into Prospect Hub and use automatic scoring (leads without a website are identified)

Step 3: Import and organize

1. Import the CSV into Prospect Hub
2. Create a dedicated pipeline “Brittany Plumber Prospecting”
3. Use scoring to prioritize “hot” leads (no website, good tenure)
4. Schedule reminders for regular follow-up

Step 4: Targeted prospecting

With Prospect Hub, you can now:

• Call the most promising leads first
• Note feedback after each call
• Move leads through the pipeline (Contacted > Interested > Client)
• Never lose track thanks to automatic reminders

In 2 weeks of prospecting at 20 calls per day, you’ll have contacted 200 Breton plumbers potentially interested in a website. With a 5% conversion rate, that’s 10 new clients.

Conclusion: SIRENE, your B2B prospecting ally

The SIRENE database is an extraordinary resource for B2B prospecting in France. Free, comprehensive, and up-to-date, it gives you access to the entire French economic fabric.

Key takeaways:

• 12+ million establishments accessible for free
• Precise filters by activity (NAF), location, and workforce
• Official data updated daily
• Enrichment required for contact details (phone, email)

Combined with a prospecting CRM like Prospect Hub, the SIRENE database becomes a formidable tool for identifying, organizing, and converting your leads.

Ready to leverage 12 million French businesses?

1. Export your leads from the business directory
2. Prepare your CSV file
3. Create your free Prospect Hub account
4. Import and start prospecting

Discover all our import and lead management features to optimize your sales prospecting.

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Useful resources:

• Official business directory — Free search
• INSEE SIRENE API — For developers
• NAF nomenclature — Activity codes
• Google Maps import guide — Import from other sources