Poison centre notification in France
Verified against ECHA’s member state overview ·
France routes harmonised notifications from the ECHA Submission portal into its national poison-centre database (the BNPC), managed by the Centre Antipoison de Nancy at CHU de Nancy. The old national portal, Déclaration-Synapse, closed on 1 January 2023 — the ECHA route is the way in.
Two constraints shape French submissions. The dossier must be in French — France is on the official-language-only list. And France is one of the six confirmation-of-receipt states: you may only place the mixture on the French market after the submission report shows the dossier received by the appointed body, not merely validated.
France backs the duty with some of the sharpest penalties in the EU: the Code de l'environnement provides administrative fines up to €15,000 with €1,500 per day of continued non-compliance (Article L521-18), and up to two years' imprisonment and €75,000 for knowingly false or withheld information (Article L521-21).
What to watch for in France
- Confirmation of receipt required before placing on the French market.
- French language required.
- INERIS runs the national CLP helpdesk; INRS handles toxicovigilance and can request declarations.
The submission itself is the same in every member state that accepts the ECHA route: a PCN dossier in ECHA’s current format, carrying the mixture’s UFI, full composition, and product category. See how to submit a PCN for the process end to end, or compare all 30 countries in the country overview table.
Frequently asked questions
Is the French Synapse portal still open for declarations?
No. Déclaration-Synapse closed on 1 January 2023. Notifications for the French market are made through the ECHA Submission portal and flow to the BNPC database managed by the Centre Antipoison de Nancy.
Can I submit a PCN for France in English?
No. France requires the notification in French. Plan translation of the relevant dossier content before submission.
When can I start selling in France after submitting?
Only after the ECHA submission report confirms the dossier has been received by the French appointed body — France requires confirmation of receipt, not just passed validation.
Sources
- Overview of Member States decisions (MSD) — ECHA, v14, May 2026.
- Appointed bodies list — ECHA, accessed July 2026.
- Code de l'environnement, Art. L521-18 (administrative penalties) — Légifrance, accessed July 2026.
- Code de l'environnement, Art. L521-21 (criminal penalties) — Légifrance, accessed July 2026.