Activity declaration (Cerfa 10782): the step-by-step procedure to obtain your NDA
The activity declaration is your training organisation's administrative birth certificate. Without it, no activity declaration number (NDA) — hence no VAT exemption, no OPCO or CPF funding, and no possible Qualiopi certification. Here is the complete procedure, the exact documents to provide and the mistakes that get files rejected.
When to file: the 3-month rule
Article R. 6351-1 of the French Labour Code sets the tempo: the declaration must be filed within 3 months of concluding your first training agreement or contract. Two practical consequences:
- You cannot declare "empty-handed": the DREETS requires proof of a first concluded training service. A file without a signed agreement is inadmissible.
- You must not wait too long: past the 3-month deadline, you are operating as an undeclared training provider, which is an offence.
The correct order is therefore: create the structure, sell a first course, then declare. If you are still at the creation stage, start with our complete guide to creating a French training organisation.
The Cerfa 10782 form and online filing
The official form is Cerfa n° 10782 (training provider activity declaration). In practice you no longer post it: filing is done online on the "Mon Activité Formation" (MAF) portal, via mesdemarches.emploi.gouv.fr. You create an account, enter the Cerfa information in the online screens and upload the supporting documents.
The information requested:
- identification of the structure (SIREN, legal form, address);
- the manager's identity;
- the nature of the first service (training action, skills assessment, VAE, apprenticeship);
- training specialities (NSF codes);
- the list of people involved in delivering the training.
The documents to attach
| Document | Details |
|---|---|
| Registration proof | SIRENE status notice or Kbis extract; the SIREN must be active |
| Criminal record extract (bulletin n° 3) | The manager's, less than 3 months old; request it at casier-judiciaire.justice.gouv.fr |
| First training agreement or contract | Signed by both parties — or failing that, a purchase order or detailed invoice |
| Programme of the course concerned | Objectives, audience, prerequisites, duration, content, teaching resources, assessment arrangements |
| List of trainers | With their titles and qualifications, and the link between their skills and the course delivered (CVs recommended) |
Two points of vigilance that account for most rejections:
- Agreement/programme consistency: the course described in the agreement must match the attached programme exactly (title, duration, dates).
- The service's real nature: coaching, consulting, lectures or mere information do not qualify as vocational training. Your programme must demonstrate a genuine learning pathway with objectives and assessment of learning.
Processing times: what happens after filing?
The DREETS has 30 days to process the file:
- Complete, compliant file: you receive a receipt stating your 11-digit NDA.
- Incomplete file: the DREETS requests the missing documents; the 30-day clock restarts on receipt.
- Administrative silence beyond 30 days: registration is deemed granted.
In real conditions, allow 2 to 6 weeks between filing and obtaining the NDA, depending on your DREETS's workload and the file's quality.
Grounds for refusing registration
The DREETS can refuse registration in three main cases (article L. 6351-3 of the Labour Code):
- The services do not qualify as vocational training: the most frequent ground. A vague programme, with no measurable learning objectives or assessment arrangements, will be requalified as consulting or facilitation.
- Non-compliant documents: an agreement missing mandatory mentions, a contract with an individual not complying with articles L. 6353-3 et seq. (10-day withdrawal period, staged payment arrangements, etc.).
- The manager's criminal record: certain convictions on the bulletin n° 3 are incompatible with running a training organisation.
In case of refusal, the decision must state its reasons. You can correct the file and refile, or appeal. In practice, a clean refiling is almost always faster than litigation.
"Does not constitute State approval": the mention not to miss
Once the NDA is obtained, the law strictly regulates how you may refer to it. On your commercial and contractual documents, the formula to use is:
"Déclaration d'activité enregistrée sous le numéro [NDA] auprès du préfet de région de [your region]."
The Labour Code specifies that this registration does not constitute State approval. Presenting your NDA as an approval, accreditation or quality label is prohibited — "State-approved organisation", for instance, is a misleading claim subject to sanctions. The NDA merely attests that you declared your activity; the quality approach belongs to Qualiopi certification (see Is Qualiopi mandatory for you?).
After registration: your ongoing obligations
The NDA is not acquired for life. To keep it, you must:
- file your annual training activity report (BPF) every year before 31 May — failing that, or with no training activity, your declaration becomes void and you must refile everything (the BPF template in the Complete Qualiopi Kit guides you section by section);
- declare any change (address, name, manager) within 30 days via Mon Activité Formation;
- keep separate accounting for the training activity if you run several activities;
- keep the supporting documents of your actions (agreements, sign-in sheets, assessments).
Express checklist before clicking "Send"
- Active SIREN consistent with the declared structure
- Agreement or contract signed, less than 3 months old
- Programme aligned word for word with the agreement
- Bulletin n° 3 less than 3 months old, in the right manager's name
- Trainer list with qualifications tied to the programme
- Mandatory mentions checked on the agreement or contract
A file ticking these six boxes clears processing without back-and-forth in the vast majority of cases.
Take action
To obtain your NDA on the first attempt, you need a flawless agreement and programme: exactly what the ebook Créer son organisme de formation en 30 jours contains (in French), with ready-to-fill templates and the full walkthrough of the declaration on Mon Activité Formation. If you also target certification, the complete bundle covers both the creation and the Qualiopi preparation.