Opening a regulated training centre in France: CACES, fire safety, transport, VTC

Updated 29 September 2026

Training OrganizationsCertification

training centreapprovalSSIAPCACESFIMO FCOVTC

To open a training centre, the foundation is the same in every sector: an activity declaration (déclaration d'activité) and, if your courses are funded by public or pooled funds, the Qualiopi certification. Some trades add an authorisation specific to the centre: approval (agrément) by the prefect for fire safety (SSIAP), road transport (FIMO, FCO) and VTC drivers, an authorisation to operate from the CNAPS for private security, and accreditation (habilitation) by the regional education authority (recteur de région académique) for the BPJEPS. For the CACES, it is not the training that is certified but the test, entrusted to certified testing organisations.

The common foundation for all centres

Every provider of vocational training files an activity declaration with the regional prefect, no later than three months after the first training agreement (article L6351-1 of the French Labour Code). Qualiopi certification is mandatory as soon as the training is funded by a skills operator (OPCO), the State, a region, the Caisse des dépôts, France Travail or Agefiph (article L6316-1).

The sector authorisation comes on top of this foundation; it does not replace it. Several applications ask for the activity declaration number: start there.

Who authorises what: comparison table

Sector	Authority	What is authorised	Main conditions
Fire safety (SSIAP 1, 2, 3)	Prefect of the département, after the opinion of the fire and rescue service (SDIS)	The centre (5-year approval)	Qualified trainers, teaching resources, authorised live-fire exercises
CACES	Certification bodies accredited by Cofrac and under agreement with the Cnam	The testing organisation, not the training	Tests carried out by a qualified individual tester
Road transport (FIMO, FCO)	Regional prefect	The centre (short initial approval, then up to 5 years)	Trainers meeting Annex II, vehicles, premises, minimum number of sessions
VTC and taxi drivers	Prefecture	The centre (5-year approval)	Premises, dual-control vehicles, qualified trainers, a head of training
Private security	CNAPS	The organisation, its manager and its trainers	Qualiopi, approved manager, trainers holding a professional card
Sport and youth work (CPJEPS, BPJEPS, DEJEPS)	Regional education authority (DRAJES)	The organisation (5-year habilitation)	Specifications set by the Sports Code
Beauty care (CAP, BP)	No sector authority identified	Nothing beyond the common foundation	Opening declaration to the education authority if you take in school pupils

Fire safety: SSIAP approval

Article 12 of the Order of 2 May 2005 provides that the prefect may approve an SSIAP training centre, by order, for five years. The prefect decides after the opinion of the departmental director of fire and rescue services, or the equivalent in Paris and Marseille. The approval may be limited to certain levels.

The application includes, in particular, a criminal record extract for the legal representative, a civil liability insurance certificate, the material and teaching resources, the administrative authorisation to carry out live-fire exercises, the list of trainers and their qualifications, the programmes for each level and the activity declaration number.

Any change of trainer or of exercise site gives rise to an amending order. Renewal is requested from the prefect of the département at least two months before the anniversary date of the approval.

CACES: the test is certified, not the training

The CACES (certificate of aptitude for safe driving) is not mandatory. It allows the employer to check the driver's knowledge before issuing a driving authorisation (articles R4323-55 and R4323-56 of the Labour Code). Since 1 October 2025, the Order of 26 September 2025 provides that driving training may be delivered within the company or by a specialised training organisation, with no specific approval.

The CACES is issued by a certified testing organisation (organisme testeur certifié), which may be a training organisation or a company. The test is carried out by an individual tester. Testing organisations are certified by certification bodies under agreement with the Cnam and accredited by Cofrac. To issue CACES, your centre must therefore obtain this certification. The CACES is valid for five years, ten years for construction machinery.

Road transport: FIMO and FCO approval

The Order of 3 January 2008 entrusts approval to the regional prefect. The initial approval lasts up to six months for goods transport and up to one year for passenger transport. During this period, the centre must run at least one FIMO (initial driver qualification) session and six complete FCO (continuing training) or bridging sessions, each with at least eight trainees. The minimums differ if the centre runs only FIMO or only FCO. If these conditions are met, the approval is renewed for up to five years. Otherwise, no new application is accepted for one year.

The centre undertakes, in particular, to follow the programmes, to employ trainers meeting Annex II and to send an annual report to the regional prefect. It handles trainee reception, licence checks and the final assessment itself. The approval has regional scope.

VTC drivers: prefectoral approval

The Order of 11 August 2017 governs the approval of centres that train taxi and VTC (chauffeur-driven private hire vehicle) drivers. The approval is issued for five years. The application describes the programmes, premises, vehicles (insurance, roadworthiness test) and trainers, and names a head of training.

Vehicles have dual-control pedals and a GPS; for VTC training, they are less than ten years old. Each subject requires a qualification set out in the annex to the order. The centre submits an annual report with the number of trainees and pass rates. Continuing training for VTC drivers, 14 hours every five years, takes place in person in an approved centre.

Private security: CNAPS authorisation

To train people for private security activities, the organisation must hold an authorisation to operate (autorisation d'exercice) issued by the CNAPS, the national private security regulator. Since 1 March 2025, it must be Qualiopi certified, declared to the regional labour authority (DREETS) and run by a person holding a manager approval. Trainers hold a professional card. The authorisation is issued with no time limit. Qualiopi is therefore required here even without public funding. An organisation engaged in a Qualiopi process can obtain a six-month provisional authorisation. Each session is declared to the CNAPS at least fifteen days before it starts.

Sport and youth work: BPJEPS habilitation

Organisations preparing for the CPJEPS, BPJEPS, DEJEPS or DESJEPS must be accredited by the regional education authority (recteur de région académique), which oversees the DRAJES services. The habilitation lasts five years (article R212-10-9 of the Sports Code). It requires compliance with specifications covering, in particular, teaching objectives and the adequacy of resources. The organisation declares its sessions; in case of breach, the habilitation may be suspended or withdrawn.

Beauty care: no specific approval identified

We have not identified any sector approval for a continuing training organisation preparing for the CAP or BP in beauty care (esthétique): the common foundation applies. If you take in pupils in initial education, your structure falls under the rules for private educational establishments: an opening declaration to the education authority, with opening possible if no objection is raised within three months (article L441-1 of the Education Code).

Steps

Define the scope: courses, audiences and funding determine the authorisations.
Declare the activity.
Gather the resources: qualified trainers, premises, vehicles, site agreements.
Start Qualiopi, mandatory for public funding and for the CNAPS.
File the authorisation request before opening the sessions concerned.
Maintain the approval: reports, session declarations, renewal.

Timelines: what to anticipate

The texts consulted do not set a general processing time: ask the department handling your file. Three points to watch:

the FIMO and FCO approval starts with a short period, with a minimum number of sessions to hold;
SSIAP and VTC renewals are requested at least two months before expiry;
for private security, Qualiopi comes before the authorisation, except for a six-month provisional authorisation.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need Qualiopi to obtain a sector approval? The CNAPS requires it. For the other sectors studied, Qualiopi remains linked to public or pooled funding.

Must a CACES centre be approved? Not in the sense of a prefectoral approval. To issue the CACES, it must be certified as a testing organisation.

Is a FIMO approval valid throughout France? No, its scope is regional.

Can VTC continuing training be delivered remotely? No. It is delivered in person in an approved centre.

Key takeaways

The activity declaration and Qualiopi form the foundation; the sector authorisation comes on top.
SSIAP, FIMO and FCO, VTC: prefectoral approval of the centre.
Private security: CNAPS authorisation, with Qualiopi mandatory.
BPJEPS: habilitation by the regional education authority.
CACES: only the test is certified.
Beauty care: no specific approval identified.

Sources

A regulated training centre runs two files at once: the administrative foundation and the sector authorisation. Mentivis supports the creation of training organisations and the Qualiopi process: activity declaration, evidence file, audit preparation. See training organisation set-up · See Qualiopi support

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