ISO 22301 certification in France

ISO 22301 certification in France at a glance

Continuity requirements reach French organisations from several directions at once. The NIS 2 Directive lists business continuity, backup management, disaster recovery and crisis management among the minimum measures, although the French law is still passing through Parliament. DORA sets resilience rules across the financial sector. ANSSI runs the SIIV mechanism, which exists to secure the continuity of activities that depend on vital information systems, alongside the NIS regime for designated operators. None of these names ISO 22301 as a requirement, which makes the standard a voluntary, well-structured way to evidence continuity to regulators and customers. Certificates come from bodies accredited by Cofrac; Sterling does not certify. Sterling's Enschede office runs the business impact analysis, recovery planning and exercises for clients in France, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.

Who needs ISO 22301 in France, and what happens without it

In France the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Banks, insurers and investment firms, and their ICT suppliersDORA sets digital operational resilience rules across the financial sector.
• Future NIS 2 entitiesThe Directive's measures include business continuity, backup management, disaster recovery and crisis management.
• Operators of essential services and of vital information systemsANSSI's SIIV mechanism exists to secure the continuity of activities that rest on information systems.
• Cloud, hosting and health-data service providersCustomers ask for continuity evidence in tenders and contracts.

ISO 22301 requirements in France

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

In France these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 certified in France

One team from the Enschede office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients in France are served from Sterling's Enschede office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the French requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 certification take in France?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In France these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Breadth of critical activities and dependencies
• Existing business impact analysis and recovery plans
• Number of sites and recovery locations
• Regulated-sector overlay such as DORA or NIS 2

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in France?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In France these factors move both.

• Number of critical activities and sites
• Exercise programme and testing
• Recovery-capability gaps
• Certification-body audit effort

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in France

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in France are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

ISO 22301 in France: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for French organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• ISO 22301 certification in France and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards French businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in France often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in France →