Compare licensing rules
Pick up to three states or countries to see their rules side by side.
| France | |
|---|---|
| Status | Licence required |
| Regulator | Conseil national des activités privées de sécurité (CNAPS) |
| Who holds the licence | Individuals and agencies |
| Training | Agency heads: RNCP certification for private investigation (licence professionnelle at Paris II Panthéon-Assas or Nîmes, or the IFAR 'Détective, agent de recherches privées' title), judicial police officer status, or qualifying public-service posts; employees: professional aptitude checked by the employer; MAC refresher course before card renewal |
| Bond or insurance | Professional liability insurance required before starting (art. L622-5) |
| Processing time | Usually under 10 days for applicants not known to police or gendarmerie; no answer within 2 months counts as refusal (CNAPS) |
| Renewal | Agrément and carte professionnelle every 5 years; MAC continuing training required before card renewal |
| Continuing education | MAC (maintien et actualisation des compétences) course required before each 5-year card renewal, since 1 January 2018; apply at least 3 months before expiry |
| Recording calls | All-party consent |
Reference information, not legal advice. Each profile lists its sources and the date it was checked.