A supplier who has stopped responding, a tradesperson whose website has disappeared, a service provider delaying a delivery without explanation: these situations call for a quick check. Before calling again or sending a registered letter, a few minutes on the right websites can tell you whether a company has gone bankrupt or is subject to ongoing insolvency proceedings.
Check a company before paying a deposit
About to sign a quote or pay a deposit for work? This check should come before any financial commitment. The company’s SIREN or SIRET number, shown on its quotes and invoices, is the key to getting started.
Enter this number on the Pappers website or the official INSEE directory. You’ll find the company’s incorporation date, registered office address, legal status and, most importantly, details of any insolvency proceedings. If the company has been struck off or is in compulsory liquidation, this will be clearly indicated.
A quote without a SIREN number is already a red flag. Every company registered in France must include this identifier on its business documents. Online resources explain how to find out whether a company has gone bankrupt.
BODACC and commercial courts: free official sources
The BODACC (Official Bulletin of Civil and Commercial Announcements) publishes court orders opening insolvency proceedings: safeguard proceedings, judicial reorganisation and compulsory liquidation. Its free search tool lets you look up a company by name or SIREN number.
Why check the BODACC instead of a basic directory? Because it shows the full history of published notices, not just a snapshot of the company’s status. This lets you distinguish ongoing proceedings from those closed several years ago. A company that has completed judicial reorganisation is not in the same situation as one undergoing active liquidation.
The commercial court registry is another direct source. Requesting a recent Kbis extract gives you an up-to-date picture of the company’s legal status. A Kbis extract lists any ongoing insolvency proceedings.
Beware of confidential proceedings
Not all a company’s difficulties are made public. Ad hoc mandates and conciliation proceedings are preventive measures that remain confidential. No notice is published in the BODACC in these cases.
This means that a search with no results does not guarantee that a company is free of financial difficulties. It simply confirms that no insolvency proceedings have been opened by a court.
Liquidation, reorganisation, safeguard proceedings: what each one means for you
The word “bankruptcy” covers very different situations under French law. Understanding the distinction can help you decide what to do.
- Safeguard proceedings: the company is not yet unable to pay its debts as they fall due. It is taking steps to address its difficulties early. Business continues, and existing contracts are generally still performed.
- Judicial reorganisation: the company can no longer pay its debts as they fall due, but a recovery plan may still be possible. A court-appointed administrator oversees the continuation of business.
- Compulsory liquidation: the court considers recovery impossible. Business ceases, and a liquidator is appointed to sell the company’s assets and repay creditors in the order of priority set by law.
If you are a creditor (for example, a supplier who has not been paid or a customer who paid a deposit but did not receive the service), the procedure that directly concerns you is filing a proof of claim.
Filing a proof of claim: the deadline you must not miss after proceedings are published
You discover that a company you paid has just been placed in compulsory liquidation. Your first priority is not to call the manager, but to file your claim with the court-appointed insolvency practitioner.
The deadline is generally two months from the date the court order is published in the BODACC. If you miss it, your claim may be excluded. This is not just a simple letter of complaint: the claim must follow specific formal requirements and state the amount and nature of the claim, as well as any security or guarantees attached to it.
The name and contact details of the insolvency practitioner or liquidator appear in the notice published in the BODACC and in the court order available from the court registry. Send your claim by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt.
Deposit paid, service not delivered
If you paid a deposit for an order or work that was never completed, your claim is for the amount you paid. In a liquidation, the chances of recovering the full amount are low: creditors are repaid according to a legal order of priority, with unsecured creditors coming last.
Even so, filing your claim is essential. Without doing so, you forfeit any right to a possible partial repayment.
Monitor a business partner over time
A one-time check is not enough if you work regularly with a supplier or subcontractor. Several online services (Pappers, Societe.com, Infolegale) offer free or paid alerts about changes to a company’s profile.
You’ll receive a notification if a court order is published, the registered office changes, or a significant event is recorded in the commercial register. Automated monitoring replaces repeated manual checks.
Alongside digital tools, there are some practical warning signs to watch for in your day-to-day dealings:
- Payment terms getting longer without explanation
- Frequent changes of directors or registered office
- Annual accounts not filed with the court registry for several financial years
- Other suppliers of the same service provider chasing payment more and more often
None of these signs alone proves that bankruptcy is imminent. Taken together, however, they warrant a formal check with the BODACC or court registry before continuing the business relationship. The best protection is to avoid concentrating too much business with a single partner whose financial health you are not monitoring.
