How to obtain a vigilance certificate?

Verified 06 July 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / (Prime Minister)

The vigilance certificate allows a company to prove to its customers and principals that it is up to date with its social obligations. It is issued by the Urssaf and must be presented for any contract of an amount equal to or greater than €5,000 duty-free. In addition, a vigilance certificate must also be provided when the business ceases its activity if it employs employees.

The vigilance certificate is a document issued by Urssaf which certifies that a company is in good standing with respect to his social obligations. In other words, this document certifies that it is up to date with its declarations and payments of social security contributions.

When the contract is concluded, i.e. on the date of signature of the contract, the client requests a certificate of vigilance from the contracting authority (provider). For his part, the contracting authority who places an order with a company (subcontractor) also requests this document.

The certificate is valid 6 months: it must therefore be renewed periodically throughout the duration of the service.

Example :

A client concludes a contract with an architect (client) who himself entrusts a work site to a plumber (subcontractor) for an amount of 15,000 € HT. The company and the architect must respect the duty of care:

  • The client must request the various vigilance documents from his architect.
  • The architect must ask the plumber for the vigilance documents.

When the company employs employeesthe certificate shall also indicate the number of employees and the total amount of remuneration declared on the last summary of Urssaf contributions.

FYI  

The vigilance certificate is provided at the close of the liquidation of the business (following the cessation of activity). Our sheet on the cessation of activity of a business details all the steps to be taken.

The certificate of vigilance must be provided to the client and/or contracting authority when concluding a contract for an amount greater than or equal to €5,000 excluding tax.

The amount of €5,000 excluding taxes is the total amount of the service. It does not matter whether it is the subject of several payments or invoices of a lower amount.

Only the following contracts the following shall be covered by the vigilance certificate:

  • Contracts for the performance of work
  • Contracts for the provision of a service (material, intellectual or artistic)
  • Production, manufacturing, processing contracts
  • Contracts for repair, construction, supply, sale
  • Contracts for agricultural works
  • Contract for transport, industrial subcontracting or works
  • Public contract: the company selected for a public contract must provide a certificate of vigilance. For more information, you can consult our fact sheet on certificates of tax regularity and vigilance in a public contract.

The certificate is valid 6 months: it must therefore be renewed periodically throughout the duration of the service.

Authenticity the vigilance certificate may be verified on the Urssaf site :

Verification of the validity and authenticity of certificates provided by the Urssaf

Urssaf

Pour en savoir plus

Warning  

To strengthen the fight against social fraud, the duty of vigilance of the client (or contracting authority) will soon be reinforced. In the case of subcontracting chains or so-called « cascading » subcontracting, the obligation of the principal shall apply not only to 1er first direct subcontractor but also vis-à-vis all subcontractors who intervene. These new obligations will apply after the issuance of a decree, and no later than December 27, 2026.

The vigilance certificate is issued by the Urssaf if the company (service provider) that has declared its income from activity is in one of the following situations:

  • It paid its contributions on the date on which they are due.
  • It has subscribed to clearance plan social security contributions and it respects this plan.
  • It has paid its contributions and social security contributions, but is not up to date in the payment of surcharges and penalties.
  • It has not paid its social security contributions, but disputes the amount by way of legal action.

Warning  

A company that is the subject of a verdict for concealed work forwarded to the public prosecutor cannot obtain a certificate of vigilance. On the other hand, if she pays the corresponding social contributions and contributions to this hidden work, the certificate can then be issued to her.

The vigilance certificate is issued by the Urssaf.

It can be downloaded directly from its online space on urssaf.fr:

Create your Urssaf online space (account)

The Urssaf provides user manuals for downloading a certificate:

  • For the company that employs employees
Instructions for use: download a certificate of vigilance for an employer

Urssaf

Pour en savoir plus

  • For the self-employed
Instructions for use: download a certificate of vigilance for a self-employed person

Urssaf

Pour en savoir plus

Please note

When the company starts its activity, the Urssaf does not issue a vigilance certificate but only a provisional attestation. You must have completed all the formalities of creation (registration, application for authorizations or approval, etc.) to obtain the vigilance certificate.