You are starting a craft activity and you discover a symbol on your registration documents: APRM. This code, less known than the APE code or the SIRET number, plays a concrete role in the daily life of artisans. It determines access to aid, training funding, and even certain local mobility schemes. Understanding the APRM code means knowing exactly where your business stands in the directory of trades.
APRM Code and APE Code: two identifiers, two logics
The APE code (main activity exercised) is assigned by INSEE to any business, regardless of its nature. It is based on the French activity nomenclature (NAF) and is primarily used for statistical purposes. Its value remains indicative: a business can demonstrate that it falls under a different sector than that suggested by its APE code.
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The APRM code, on the other hand, designates the main activity in the Directory of Trades. It specifically concerns craft businesses registered in the National Register of Businesses (RNE). While the APE code classifies an activity within a broad statistical framework, the APRM code links the business to the French activity nomenclature for crafts (NAFA).
Two businesses can share the same APE code while having different APRM codes, because their craft trades do not fall under the same category in the NAFA. To learn everything about the APRM code, it is essential to understand this distinction: one classifies an economic activity, the other identifies a craft trade.
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Craft Aid and Training: why the APRM code determines access
Beyond its identification function, the APRM code determines eligibility for several concrete schemes.
Continuing Education Funding
The FAFCEA (training insurance fund for craft business leaders) explicitly requires the exercise of a craft activity identified by an APRM or NAFA code to benefit from the coverage of individual training. Without this valid code, the funding request is denied, even if the activity performed is indeed craft-related in practice.
Regional Aid Related to Ecological Transition
Some Chambers of Trades and Crafts (CMA) use the APRM code as an eligibility filter for their schemes. The CMA Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, for example, conditions its cargo bike aid on businesses whose RNE certificate mentions a craft activity and a valid APRM code in the corresponding section.
This scheme applies to artisans located in specific EPCI, such as Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole, within the framework of atmospheric protection plans. The business must prove its registration in the RNE with the correct code to unlock the aid.
- FAFCEA training: APRM or NAFA code required in the funding application
- Cargo bike aid CMA: RNE certificate with craft activity and valid APRM code
- Applicable collective agreement: the APRM code can guide you to the right professional branch, even if the APE code points elsewhere
NAFA Nomenclature: how to read an APRM code
The APRM code follows the structure of the NAFA nomenclature, which divides craft activities into large families. Unlike the APE code (four digits and a letter), the NAFA code consists of six alphanumeric characters that specify the craft trade practiced.
Each level of the nomenclature refines the classification. The first characters identify the sector (food, construction, manufacturing, services), while the following specify the specialty. A baker and a pastry chef fall under the same large food sector, but their APRM codes differ because their trades are distinct in the NAFA.
Have you ever noticed that your APE code does not exactly reflect your trade? That’s normal: the NAF is a generalist nomenclature. The NAFA, on the other hand, was designed for craft trades. The resulting APRM code is therefore more precise in describing what you actually do.
APRM Code Error: Consequences and Correction Procedure
An incorrect APRM code is not trivial. It can block access to regional aid, lead to a denial of FAFCEA funding, or attach the business to an unsuitable collective agreement. Checking your APRM code as soon as you register with the RNE prevents these blockages.
If you notice an error, the procedure goes through the CMA to which your business belongs. You need to provide elements proving the activity actually performed: contracts, invoices, service descriptions. The CMA then forwards the correction to the RNE.
- Check your APRM code on your RNE certificate, not just your APE code on the INSEE website
- Compare the displayed code with the corresponding NAFA description to confirm it reflects your main trade
- In case of doubt, contact your regional CMA directly before submitting a request for aid or training
The APRM code remains a technical identifier, but its effects are very concrete for artisans. It determines funding, guides towards the right collective agreement, and filters access to territorial schemes. A quick check of this code on your RNE certificate can avoid weeks of administrative blockage.