INSEE code
Encyclopedia
The INSEE code is a numerical indexing code used by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies
(INSEE) to identify various entities, including communes, départements. They are also used as national identification numbers given to people.
and is present on each person's social security card (carte Vitale), it was originally created under Vichy France
under the guise of the Inscription Number to the National Repertory of Identification of People (Numéro d'inscription au répertoire national d'identification des personnes, NIR). The latter was originally to be used as a clandestine military recruitment tool, but at the end served to identify Jews, Muslim
s and other "undesirable" population
s under Vichy's collaborationist conceptions. The first figure of the NIR would be 1 for a male European, 2 for a female European, 3 for a male Muslim, 4 for a female Muslim, 5 for a male Jew, 6 for a female Jew, 7 for a male foreigner, 8 for a female foreigner. 9 and 0 were reserved for persons of undetermined racial status.
The Demographic Service had been created in 1940 in order to replace the military recruitment office prohibited by the June 1940 Armistice
with Nazi Germany
. On October 11, 1941, the Demographic Service absorbed the former General Statistics of France (SGF, created in 1833). The new organization was called the SNS or National Statistics Service (Service national des Statistiques).
person receives at birth a national identification number
, called "Social Security number
", which comes from his registration to the NIR (National Repertory). This INSEE number is composed of 13 digits + a two-digit key. Although the total number is of 15 digits, the rationale behind it makes it easy for individuals to remember at least the first seven digits of it (they just have to know their sex, year and month of birth, and department of birth). Since this number is used in many administrative procedures (whether by the state or by private enterprises), most people know by memory part of this identification number.
Their format is as follows: syymmlloookkk mm, where
The "sex" codes (s: 1 for male, 2 for female) can be given in special occasions for temporary registrations, such as for someone who a person who works as a wage-earner but is not registered for miscellaneous reasons. Under Vichy France
, but only in Algeria
(not in metropolitan France
) this s code was also used to register Jews, Algerian Muslims, foreigners
, or ill-defined people. Thus, 3 or 4 was given to non-Jewish indigenous people of Algeria (improperly called "Muslims") and of all colonies
; 5 or 6 for indigenous Jews; 7 or 8 for foreigners; 9 or 0 for miscellaneous and ill-defined status (people entering into none of these class).
They are also specific codes for people whose date or place of birth is unknown, although this is today more and more rare (for example, birth code is superior to 20 if month of birth is unknown, and communal code is 990 if the commune of origin is unknown). For overseas departments, the department number has three digits, and the communal number two digits (since 1950). People born abroad have a departmental code of 99, and the communal code is replaced by the code of the country of birth which has three digits. Before 1964, departmental codes from 91 to 96 were used for Algeria, Tunisia
and Morocco
.
If in a specified month the number of total births is superior to 999, an extension common code is created.
The last code is obtained by a mathematical method (dividing by 97 the umber formed by the first 13 digits, take the remainder from this division, and then the "complement to 97", that is the difference between 97 and the left-over of the division): this gives the control key code.
(who died at the Dachau concentration camp in 1944) who realized between April and August 1941, under the Vichy regime, the first general repertory to secretly prepare the mobilization of a French army. This codification was then taken back by general Marie in Algeria, in order to recense Jews, Muslims and others categories. The aim was to file the whole of the French population and to discriminate
them according ethnical or statutory criteria, in the frame of the racial policies of Vichy. Thus, the first digit which today is used to distinguish males and females then had other purposes: 3 or 4 for Algerian non-Jews indigenous people, 5 or 6 for indigenous Jews, 7 or 8 for foreigners, and 9 or 0 for miscellaneous and ill-defined statutes.
This discriminatory categorization used in Algeria was abolished in 1944, and has never been used in metropolitan France
where, during the whole of the war, only "1" and "2" (for male and female) was used. The gestion of the NIR was given in 1946 to the new Statistical Institute, the INSEE. This institution is also in charged of the RNIPP (répertoire national d'identification des personnes physiques, National Repertory of Identification of Physical Persons), which contains for each individual: the NIR, last name
, first name, sex, date and place of birth, reference of the Act of Birth (Acte de naissance).
es and nonprofit associations
, SIRET codes to their establishments and facilities (SIRENE database).
The departmental codes are well known since they were used as the last two digits of vehicle registration plates
(75 is Paris
, 13 Marseille
, 31 Toulouse
, etc. —). However, this license plate numbering system became optional in 2009 so the last two digits no longer necessarily indicate which department the car is registered to.
The commune codes were assigned initially by numbering the alphabetically ordered list of communes names within each department or overseas collectivity. Exceptions have occurred over time, because some commnues were renamed, or because some communes were split, and new communes have been added to the end of the list.
The departmental codes are also best known as part of the French postal codes; however these postal codes do not include the INSEE commune numbers, but were designed by geographical series starting by the main city of the department, and then split geographically around them, with additional series given for special distribution; some areas of the largest and most populated communes can also be assigned distinct series. So effectively, the postal codes do not indicate precisely the communes but the location of the post office in charge for the distribution, and many rural communes share the same postal code number as the commune where the post office is located.
There are also 5 digits INSEE codes for foreign countries and territories.
INSEE
INSEE is the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. It collects and publishes information on the French economy and society, carrying out the periodic national census. Located in Paris, it is the French branch of Eurostat, European Statistical System...
(INSEE) to identify various entities, including communes, départements. They are also used as national identification numbers given to people.
Created under Vichy
Although today this national identification number is used by the Social SecuritySocial Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
and is present on each person's social security card (carte Vitale), it was originally created under Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
under the guise of the Inscription Number to the National Repertory of Identification of People (Numéro d'inscription au répertoire national d'identification des personnes, NIR). The latter was originally to be used as a clandestine military recruitment tool, but at the end served to identify Jews, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and other "undesirable" population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
s under Vichy's collaborationist conceptions. The first figure of the NIR would be 1 for a male European, 2 for a female European, 3 for a male Muslim, 4 for a female Muslim, 5 for a male Jew, 6 for a female Jew, 7 for a male foreigner, 8 for a female foreigner. 9 and 0 were reserved for persons of undetermined racial status.
The Demographic Service had been created in 1940 in order to replace the military recruitment office prohibited by the June 1940 Armistice
Armistice with France (Second Compiègne)
The Second Armistice at Compiègne was signed at 18:50 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, in the department of Oise, between Nazi Germany and France...
with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. On October 11, 1941, the Demographic Service absorbed the former General Statistics of France (SGF, created in 1833). The new organization was called the SNS or National Statistics Service (Service national des Statistiques).
National identification numbers
Each FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
person receives at birth a national identification number
National identification number
A national identification number, national identity number, or national insurance number is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other...
, called "Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
", which comes from his registration to the NIR (National Repertory). This INSEE number is composed of 13 digits + a two-digit key. Although the total number is of 15 digits, the rationale behind it makes it easy for individuals to remember at least the first seven digits of it (they just have to know their sex, year and month of birth, and department of birth). Since this number is used in many administrative procedures (whether by the state or by private enterprises), most people know by memory part of this identification number.
Their format is as follows: syymmlloookkk mm, where
-
- s is 1 for a male, 2 for a female,
- yy are the last two digits of the year of birth,
- mm is the month of birth, usually 01 to 12 (but there are special values for persons whose exact date of birth is not known),
- ll is the number of the départmentDepartmentA department is a part of a larger organization with a specific responsibility. For the division of organizations into departments, see departmentalization.In particular:...
of origin : 2 digits, or 1 digit and 1 letter in metropolitan France, 3 digits for overseas. - ooo is the COG number (see below) of the commune of origin (a department is composed of various communes) : 3 digits in metropolitan France or 2 digits for overseas.
- kkk is an order number to distinguish people being born at the same place in the same year and month. This number is the one given by the Acte de naissance, an official paper which officialize a birth (and is needed through-out life for various administrative procedures, such as getting an identity card).
- 'mm' is the "control key", 01 to 97, equal to 97-(the rest of the number moduloModular arithmeticIn mathematics, modular arithmetic is a system of arithmetic for integers, where numbers "wrap around" after they reach a certain value—the modulus....
97) or to 97 if the number is a multiple of 97.
There are exceptions for people in particular situations.
The "sex" codes (s: 1 for male, 2 for female) can be given in special occasions for temporary registrations, such as for someone who a person who works as a wage-earner but is not registered for miscellaneous reasons. Under Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, but only in Algeria
French rule in Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
(not in metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
) this s code was also used to register Jews, Algerian Muslims, foreigners
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
, or ill-defined people. Thus, 3 or 4 was given to non-Jewish indigenous people of Algeria (improperly called "Muslims") and of all colonies
French Colonies
"French Colonies" is the name used by philatelists to refer to the postage stamps issued by France for use in the parts of the French colonial empire that did not have stamps of their own...
; 5 or 6 for indigenous Jews; 7 or 8 for foreigners; 9 or 0 for miscellaneous and ill-defined status (people entering into none of these class).
They are also specific codes for people whose date or place of birth is unknown, although this is today more and more rare (for example, birth code is superior to 20 if month of birth is unknown, and communal code is 990 if the commune of origin is unknown). For overseas departments, the department number has three digits, and the communal number two digits (since 1950). People born abroad have a departmental code of 99, and the communal code is replaced by the code of the country of birth which has three digits. Before 1964, departmental codes from 91 to 96 were used for Algeria, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
If in a specified month the number of total births is superior to 999, an extension common code is created.
The last code is obtained by a mathematical method (dividing by 97 the umber formed by the first 13 digits, take the remainder from this division, and then the "complement to 97", that is the difference between 97 and the left-over of the division): this gives the control key code.
History of the NIR
The NIR (National Identification Repertory) was created by René CarmilleRené Carmille
René Carmille was a punched card expert and comptroller general of the French Army in the early 20th century. In World War II he was a double agent for the French Resistance and part of the Marco Polo Network. He ran the Demographics Department of Vichy and later the National Statistics Service...
(who died at the Dachau concentration camp in 1944) who realized between April and August 1941, under the Vichy regime, the first general repertory to secretly prepare the mobilization of a French army. This codification was then taken back by general Marie in Algeria, in order to recense Jews, Muslims and others categories. The aim was to file the whole of the French population and to discriminate
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
them according ethnical or statutory criteria, in the frame of the racial policies of Vichy. Thus, the first digit which today is used to distinguish males and females then had other purposes: 3 or 4 for Algerian non-Jews indigenous people, 5 or 6 for indigenous Jews, 7 or 8 for foreigners, and 9 or 0 for miscellaneous and ill-defined statutes.
This discriminatory categorization used in Algeria was abolished in 1944, and has never been used in metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
where, during the whole of the war, only "1" and "2" (for male and female) was used. The gestion of the NIR was given in 1946 to the new Statistical Institute, the INSEE. This institution is also in charged of the RNIPP (répertoire national d'identification des personnes physiques, National Repertory of Identification of Physical Persons), which contains for each individual: the NIR, last name
Last Name
"Last Name" is the title of a song composed by country singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the third single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride. It was released in the United States on April 7, 2008, by which point the song had already charted...
, first name, sex, date and place of birth, reference of the Act of Birth (Acte de naissance).
SIREN and SIRET codes
SIREN codes are given to businessBusiness
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es and nonprofit associations
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
, SIRET codes to their establishments and facilities (SIRENE database).
Geographical codes
INSEE also gives numerical indexing codes (French: les Codes INSEE) to various administrative entities in France:- INSEE codes (known as COG, for ) are given to various administrative units, notably the French communes (they do not coincide with postcodes — they are 36 778 communes in France and many are homonyms). This code has got 5 digits :
- 2 digits (département) and 3 digits (commune) for the 96 départements of Metropolitan FranceMetropolitan FranceMetropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
- 3 digits (département or collectivity) and 2 digits (commune) for the Overseas departments and collectivities.
- 2 digits (département) and 3 digits (commune) for the 96 départements of Metropolitan France
The departmental codes are well known since they were used as the last two digits of vehicle registration plates
French vehicle registration plates
As of 14 April 2009, all French vehicle registration plates are issued using the XX-NNN-ZZ format, successfully introduced in Italy in 1994, composed of a series of 7 alphanumeric characters, made up of 2 letters, 3 numbers, and then 2 letters . There is no longer a local département code as in the...
(75 is Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 13 Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, 31 Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, etc. —). However, this license plate numbering system became optional in 2009 so the last two digits no longer necessarily indicate which department the car is registered to.
The commune codes were assigned initially by numbering the alphabetically ordered list of communes names within each department or overseas collectivity. Exceptions have occurred over time, because some commnues were renamed, or because some communes were split, and new communes have been added to the end of the list.
The departmental codes are also best known as part of the French postal codes; however these postal codes do not include the INSEE commune numbers, but were designed by geographical series starting by the main city of the department, and then split geographically around them, with additional series given for special distribution; some areas of the largest and most populated communes can also be assigned distinct series. So effectively, the postal codes do not indicate precisely the communes but the location of the post office in charge for the distribution, and many rural communes share the same postal code number as the commune where the post office is located.
There are also 5 digits INSEE codes for foreign countries and territories.
See also
- INSEEINSEEINSEE is the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. It collects and publishes information on the French economy and society, carrying out the periodic national census. Located in Paris, it is the French branch of Eurostat, European Statistical System...
- BiometricsBiometricsBiometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...
- National identification numberNational identification numberA national identification number, national identity number, or national insurance number is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other...
- National Insurance numberNational Insurance numberThe National Insurance number is a number used in the United Kingdom in the administration of the National Insurance or social security system. It is also used for some purposes in the UK tax system...
(a similar number in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - Death Master FileDeath Master FileThe Death Master File is a computer database file made available by the United States Social Security Administration since 1980. It is known commercially as the Social Security Death Index...
- Social Insurance NumberSocial Insurance NumberA social insurance number is a number issued in Canada to administer various government programs. The SIN was created in 1964 to serve as a client account number in the administration of the Canada Pension Plan and Canada's varied employment insurance programs. In 1967, Revenue Canada started...
(a similar number in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) - Uniform civil numberUniform civil numberThe uniform civil number is a 10-digit unique number assigned to each Bulgarian citizen or resident foreign national. It serves as a national identification number. An EGN is assigned to Bulgarians at birth, or when a birth certificate is issued...
(a similar number in BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) - Personal ID Number (CURP) (Mexico)Personal ID Number (CURP) (Mexico)The Clave Única de Registro de Población is a unique identity code for both citizens and residents of Mexico...
(a similar number in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) - Service number
- Tax File NumberTax File NumberTax File Number is an 8 or 9 digit number issued by the Australian Taxation Office to each taxpayer to identify that taxpayer's Australian tax dealings. When it was introduced in 1988, individuals received a 9 digit TFN and non-individuals were issued an 8 digit TFN. Now both are issued 9 digit...
(a similar number in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) - Cadastro de Pessoas FísicasCadastro de Pessoas FísicasThe CPF is a number attributed by the Brazilian revenue agency to both Brazilians and resident aliens who pay taxes or take part, direct or indirectly, in activities that provide revenue for any of the dozens of different types of taxes existing in Brazil...
(similar number in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) - NIE NumberNIE NumberThe NIE Number is a tax identification number in Spain, known in Spanish as the “Número de Identificación de Extranjero”.The NIE Number is issued by the National Police of Spain and in accordance to Spanish law is required for the purchase or sale of any real estate, vehicle, or boat within Spain...
(a similar number in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) - PPS number (Irish system)