Entrusting the supervision of a construction site, a business or a villa engages your responsibility. If the service provider you appoint is not in good standing, you risk indirectly employing unlicensed agents, with legal and insurance consequences at your expense. Prior checking is not optional: the law gives you specific rights, and the CNAPS provides public tools to check in a few minutes.
This article details the documents to request, where to check them and what the principal can legitimately require before signing. The vocabulary used is that of the Internal Security Code, to avoid any confusion between concepts which are similar but not the same.
The CNAPS and the legal framework for private security
The National Council for Private Security Activities (CNAPS) is the public authority which has overseen the sector since 2012. It issues titles, controls actors and sanctions breaches. Any company that carries out an activity of human surveillance, guarding or physical protection of people falls under this framework.
Article L.612-14 of the Internal Security Code prohibits an unauthorized company from carrying out these activities. It also prohibits employing an agent without a valid professional card. The principal who knowingly uses a non-professional service provider exposes himself, which justifies upstream verification.
Three levels of control coexist: the company, its manager and each agent who intervenes in the field. Checking one without the others leaves a blind spot.
The company's operating license
Any security company must hold an operating authorization issued by the CNAPS. This title bears a standardized number, such as AUT followed by a series of numbers. This is the first part to request, and it must appear on quotes, contracts and commercial documents.
The number allows you to trace the real company, its SIREN and authorized activities. A company can be authorized for human surveillance without being authorized for cash transport or airport security: the authorization specifies the perimeter. For example, VIGISUD operates under exercise authorization AUT-067-2123-12-11-20240963424.
- The exercise authorization number (AUT-... format)
- The SIREN and the exact company name
- Activities covered by the title
- The absence of suspension or withdrawal in progress
Manager’s approval
Company authorization is not enough. The manager(s) must hold personal management approval, issued after a morality investigation and aptitude check. This approval certifies that the person leading the activity meets the conditions required by law.
Ask for the approval number of the manager signing the contract. An approval withdrawn or not renewed weakens the entire chain: without an approved manager, the company cannot legally operate its security activity, even if its authorization to exercise appears valid.
Agents’ professional cards
Each agent who intervenes must hold a valid professional card. This individual title is issued after qualifying training and administrative investigation, then renewed periodically. An agent without a valid card cannot practice, and the company deploying him is at fault.
As a principal, you can request a list of agents assigned to your site with their card numbers. This control is particularly useful on sensitive missions: isolated construction sites, events, night surveillance of businesses or villas. On the Côte d'Azur, where seasonal pressure pushes certain players to recruit quickly, this point deserves real attention.
- A professional card number per agent present
- Validity on the date of the mission
- Consistency between the declared agent and the agent actually on site
CNAPS teleservices: check online
The CNAPS provides public teleservices which allow the validity of titles to be checked. With an authorization, approval or card number, you confirm in a few minutes that the part exists, that it is active and that it corresponds to the company or person advertised.
This cross-verification avoids false documents and expired titles presented as valid. It takes little time and constitutes a useful trace in the event of a dispute or insurance audit. Keep a dated copy of your checks in the service provider’s file.
What the principal can require before signing
You have the right to request all the documents before any commitment. A serious service provider provides them without hesitation, because transparency is part of their job. A persistent refusal or vagueness on these points should alert you.
Beyond the CNAPS titles, two documents complete the check: the professional civil liability insurance certificate, up to date and adapted to the activity, and a written contract which specifies the scope, times and means. For an intervention in the Alpes-Maritimes or the Var, also check that the company really covers your area itself, and not through undeclared subcontracting.
- The company's operating license
- Approval of the signatory manager
- Professional cards of assigned agents
- Up-to-date professional liability insurance certificate
- A written contract detailing the service
