How is a register entry corrected?

A register entry is corrected by requesting a correction from the holder of the record, through the holder’s own route, and the holder decides the correction. A reader does not correct an entry by choosing a different code, by quoting an explanatory note, or by citing a correspondence table. The explanatory note and the correspondence table are evidence that can be shown to the holder, but the holder is the body that changes the entry.

A correction request that does not name the holder, the unit, and the entry as held will not be processed as a correction, because the holder cannot identify the record to change.

What is the French correction route?

Service Public states the French route clearly for the NAF 2025 change. From 1 January 2027 (FIXED), all companies and establishments will see their amended APE code according to NAF 2025. It is possible to view the new APE code and to request a possible rectification, by giving the SIREN number of the company in the tool on the site sirene.gouv.fr, where the new code appears with the name 2025 APE Code and the 2025 Activity Label. The route is therefore a tool, keyed by the SIREN number, and the request is for a possible rectification. The holder, INSEE, decides the rectification. This guide does not state the evidence INSEE requires for a rectification, because that was not verified in the pages consulted, and a reader should read the tool’s own instructions before submitting a request. The French route is the only correction route verified in detail in the pages consulted for this guide, and it should not be presented as the route for any other country.

What is asked for in a correction request, in general?

A correction request, in general terms, names the unit, the identifier, the entry as held, and the activity description that supports the change. The identifier is the register identifier for the unit, such as the SIREN number in France. The entry as held is the code and label shown in the record, copied exactly. The activity description is the description of the activities carried on, in the terms the holder asks for. A request that states only a preferred code, without an activity description, does not give the holder the material on which a coding decision is made. A request that states an activity description but does not name the unit cannot be matched to a record. The holder may ask for further information, and may contact the unit to clarify the description, before deciding. The decision, when made, is recorded by the holder, and the record should be checked again after the decision, with the date of the new check recorded.

How is a correction different from a reclassification?

A correction changes an entry that is wrong on the holder’s own basis, for example where the activity description was recorded incorrectly or where the code was assigned to the wrong category. A reclassification changes an entry because the classification itself changed, for example in the move from NACE Rev. 2 to NACE Rev. 2.1, or from NAF revision 2 to NAF 2025. The French change is a reclassification, carried out by the holder for all units, with a checking and rectification route for units whose new code appears wrong. A correction inside a reclassification is therefore a request that the holder review the new code assigned in the reclassification, not a request to keep the old code. The old code belongs to the old version, and it cannot be retained as the entry on the new basis. A reader who asks to keep an old code after a reclassification asks for something the holder cannot grant, and the request should be reframed as a review of the new code.

Request type	What changes	Who decides
Correction	An entry that is wrong on the current basis	The holder of the record
Reclassification	The basis itself, for all units in scope	The classification authority and the register holder, by timetable
Review in a reclassification	The new code assigned to one unit	The holder of the record, on the activity description

The table keeps the three request types apart. A correction request that is really a review request should be worded as a review request, so that the holder processes it under the right route.

What happens after a correction is requested?

After a correction is requested, the holder reviews the request, may ask for further information, and records a decision. This guide does not state a processing time for any holder, because no processing time was verified in the pages consulted, and a stated time from a secondary source would be unverified. A reader should record the date the request was made, the identifier used, and the entry as held at that date, and should check the record again after the holder’s decision, recording the new entry and the new check date. A record that shows the old entry after a correction has been granted is an out of date record, and it should be replaced, not annotated as if the old entry were still current. A record that shows the old entry while a request is pending should state that a request is pending, with the request date.

What does a correction not decide?

A correction to a register entry does not decide tax, licensing, funding, collective agreement or social security questions, and it does not decide whether an activity is permitted or authorised. The entry is a statistical and register record, and its limits are the limits stated in the EUR-Lex summary: the legislation only applies to the use of the classification for statistical purposes. A corrected entry may be used by other administrative bodies, but the effect of the entry in another system is governed by that system, not by the classification. A reader who needs to know the effect of a code in another system should ask the authority that administers that system, and should not assume that a correction in the register changes the position in the other system.

Request the correction from the holder, through the holder’s route, record the request date and the entry as held, and check the record again after the holder decides.