RNCP certification for foreign institutions: registering or delivering a French qualification

Updated 29 September 2026

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The RNCP (Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles, the French national register of professional qualifications) registers qualifications, not institutions. France compétences states that a non-French establishment cannot be registered as such. A foreign institution therefore has two main routes: prepare learners for a qualification owned by a French certifier, as its partner, or register its own qualification, which in principle requires at least two cohorts of holders assessed and certified in France. In both cases, the qualification is issued in France.

What the RNCP is

France compétences, the national public body for vocational training, establishes and updates the RNCP (article L6113-1 of the Labour Code). Each qualification registered in it attests the skills needed for an occupation. It is defined by three frameworks (activities, skills, assessment) and made up of skills blocks (blocs de compétences) that can be assessed and validated separately.

Qualifications are classified by level. The French national framework has eight levels (article D6113-19). In the referencing report presented to the EQF advisory group on 23 February 2021, France obtained a direct correspondence between its levels and the levels of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), except for level 1, which covers basic skills and includes no qualification.

French level	EQF level	Reference point in the Labour Code
4	4	The baccalauréat
6	6	Degrees conferring the licence (bachelor) grade
7	7	Degrees conferring the master grade
8	8	The national doctorate

Diplomas and titles issued in the name of the State follow a separate procedure. Other qualifications are registered at the request of the certifier (certificateur), after a binding opinion of France compétences' professional certification committee, for five years at most (article L6113-5).

What "RNCP certified" means

For a student, it means holding a qualification registered in the RNCP, at a given level. Training leading to it can be funded through the personal training account (CPF), provided the training provider meets the funding conditions, including Qualiopi.

For an institution, there is no "RNCP-registered school". There are two roles:

the certifier holds the qualification and can share ownership with joint certifiers, who can issue it in their own name or on behalf of the group;
partners prepare learners for the qualification but do not issue it.

Recognition of a foreign diploma held by an individual is a separate matter, handled by the ENIC-NARIC France centre (France Éducation International), not by France compétences.

The routes for a foreign institution

Route	What it means	Key condition
Partner of an existing certifier	You prepare learners, and possibly organise assessments, for a certifier that authorises you (habilitation)	An agreement with the certifier, which controls your training and assessments
Joint certifier	You share ownership of a registered qualification	An agreement with the existing certifier(s)
Your own qualification in the RNCP	You file a registration application with France compétences	In principle, at least two cohorts of holders assessed and certified in France
Your own certification in the specific register (RS)	Complementary skills, without a level	No establishment in France required; value for the French labour market must be justified

Partnership. Qualifications registered in the RNCP belong to their certifiers. France compétences' advice is to contact the certifier directly. The Labour Code allows a certifier to authorise third parties to prepare learners or organise assessments (article R6113-16).

Your own qualification. Registration does not depend on nationality but on the legal prerequisites. The cohorts analysed must have obtained the qualification in France. For occupations on the list of emerging or fast-changing occupations drawn up by France compétences' committee, the cohort criteria do not apply and registration lasts three years (article R6113-10). Check the current list first.

Where the qualification is issued. A qualification that confers recognition under the national framework is, in principle, issued in France. France compétences accepts issuance when the final assessment takes place in France, face to face or remotely, and when the candidate's school is identified as authorised with France compétences. Otherwise, the school can issue a certificate of achievement, which does not confer the rights attached to the national framework.

What France compétences examines

For applications filed since 1 October 2025 (decree no. 2025-500 of 6 June 2025), article R6113-9 lists the criteria:

the match between the target occupation and the jobs held by holders;
the impact on access or return to employment, compared with similar qualifications;
the reality of the technical, teaching and supervisory resources of the training followed;
the match between that training and the frameworks;
the quality of the frameworks, which include, depending on the occupation, the green and digital transitions, health and safety at work, and disability and accessibility;
control procedures for training and assessments, including at authorised partners;
the legal constraints of the occupation, access through VAE and the coherence of the skills blocks.

An application is refused without examination in case of false statements on cohorts, literal copying of an existing framework or misleading communication about training (article R6113-8-1). After three refusals within five years, a one-year wait applies before a similar application (article R6113-11-1). If the cohort data cover only one year, registration is limited to three years.

Filing and timeline

Applications are filed online with France compétences. Organisations from the EU or the EEA operating in France are treated like French ones. They provide equivalents of the French company registration extract (K-bis) dated within three months, a criminal record check on the director dated within three months, and their national company number.

The articles cited here set no deadline for the review. The real constraint is upstream: two cohorts of holders assessed and certified in France before a first application. A partnership with an existing certifier lets a foreign institution start training in France while those cohorts are built.

Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to register a non-French establishment in the RNCP? No. France compétences registers qualifications issued in France, not establishments.

Can a foreign establishment provide training for RNCP qualifications? Yes, with the agreement of the certifier, which owns the qualification. Contact it directly.

We are domiciled abroad. Can we register one of our qualifications? In the RNCP, the application must in principle show at least two cohorts of holders assessed and certified in France. In the RS, no establishment in France is required.

Can the qualification be assessed and issued outside France? Only if the final assessment takes place in France, face to face or remotely, and the school is identified as authorised with France compétences.

Does RNCP registration give access to public funding? Not on its own. The provider also needs Qualiopi: see Qualiopi for foreign training organizations.

Key takeaways

The RNCP registers qualifications, not institutions.
A foreign institution can prepare learners for an existing qualification with the certifier's agreement.
Registering its own RNCP qualification requires, in principle, two cohorts of holders assessed and certified in France.
The RS has no requirement to be established in France.
French levels 2 to 8 correspond to the EQF levels of the same number.
Since 1 October 2025, the reality of teaching resources is examined.

Sources

Choosing between a partnership and your own registration depends on your cohorts, your timetable and your target occupation. Mentivis builds the frameworks, the cohort analysis and the application file. See RNCP and RS certification support

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