What should be asked when confirming a code?

Confirming a code means asking four things together: the code as held, the classification version it belongs to, the unit it belongs to, and the date of the record. A code without a version can belong to either NACE Rev. 2 or NACE Rev. 2.1, and the two versions do not always give the same result. A code without a unit identifier can belong to a different unit with a similar name. A code without a date can predate a recoding. The four items together make a confirmation.

Any fewer leaves the confirmation open to a version, unit or date error.

What is the code as held?

The code as held is the code shown in the register entry, in the format the register uses. NACE codes at class level have four digits, inside a three digit group, a two digit division, and a letter section. National versions add their own detail: the Dutch SBI has five levels, with a maximum of five digits, as Statistics Netherlands explains, and the fifth level is specific to the Netherlands. The French APE code appears in the Sirene record with its activity label, as Service Public states. The code as held should be copied exactly as shown, including any letter, dot, or fifth digit, and it should not be shortened to the section or division level unless the question is about that level. A shortened code is a different statement, and it should be labelled as an aggregate, not as the entry.

What is the classification version?

The version is the edition of the classification that the code belongs to: NACE Rev. 2 or NACE Rev. 2.1, or the national version and edition, such as SBI 2025 or NAF 2025. During a transition, both versions can be in use at once. Statistics Netherlands states that SBI 2008 and SBI 2025 will both be in use during the implementation period, from 2026 onwards (FIXED, as stated by Statistics Netherlands). The Central Statistics Office states that its outputs will begin to be published using NACE Rev. 2.1 from January 2026 onwards (FIXED, as stated by the Central Statistics Office), on a gradual basis. A confirmation that does not state the version is therefore incomplete during the transition, and the version should be recorded from the register or dataset metadata, not assumed from the calendar year.

What identifies the unit?

The unit is identified by the register identifier for that unit, not by its trading name alone. In France, Service Public states that the Sirene tool requires the SIREN number of the company. A name search can return more than one unit, and units in the same group can hold different codes. The confirmation should therefore name the identifier used, the unit type where the register distinguishes types, and the record consulted. A statistical unit can be a legal entity, an enterprise, or an establishment, and the code held for one type of unit need not be the code held for another. The register entry should state which unit it describes, and the confirmation should quote that statement.

What date belongs to the record?

The date belongs to the record in two senses: the date the record was made or updated, and the reference period the record describes. A register entry updated during a recoding exercise describes the unit on the new basis from the recoding date, while a statistical output for an earlier reference period may still use the old basis. The French change, for example, takes effect from 1 January 2027 (FIXED), and the new code is shown in the Sirene tool before that date with the name 2025 APE Code. A confirmation made before the effective date should state that the code shown is the future code, not the code currently in force. A confirmation made after a recoding should state the date the entry was updated. The table below shows the four item record in one place.

Item	Record
Code as held	Copied exactly as shown, with letter, dots and any national digit
Classification version	NACE Rev. 2, NACE Rev. 2.1, or the named national version and edition
Unit	Register identifier and unit type, as shown in the entry
Date	Date of the record, and reference period where the record states one

The table is the minimum for a confirmation. A fifth item, the source page or register consulted, should be added wherever the confirmation will be reused, so that a later reader can repeat the check.

What does a confirmation not decide?

A confirmation records what the register holds. It does not decide that the entry is correct for the unit’s activities, and it does not decide any question about tax, licensing, funding, collective agreement or social security status. Where the entry appears wrong, the route is a correction request to the holder, with the activity description the holder asks for, not a self determined code. The holder decides the correction, on the evidence the holder requires. The confirmation is the starting point for that request, not the outcome of it.

Ask for the code, the version, the unit and the date together, record all four, and confirm the entry with the register that holds the record.