New cold-calling laws in France: what if I have a foreign number?

Reader Question: We have a second home in France and use our UK mobiles with an eSIM when there. Will we be affected by the new cold call rules?

France’s new ‘anti-cold-call’ laws have been widely publicised and came into force on August 11, 2026. 

Compared to previous schemes, it is opt-in rather than opt-out, which is hoped to make it more effective. 

In general, it bans commercial cold-calling except under two conditions: a person has opted to receive these, or the call relates to a live contract with the company in question. 

It means companies will only contact you if you provide your information, including French landlines, French mobiles, and international mobile phone numbers.

However, this does not imply that you providing your information is sufficient for them to contact you, it is just one of the prerequisites. 

Under the new system, companies relying on consumer consent as opposed to the existing contract exemption must ensure that consent is specific and given through a clear positive action. This can for example be done via ticking a dedicated, unticked box.

Unlike with the former Bloctel service – now made redundant under the new law – there is no database of numbers that companies are prevented from calling.

The law itself is aimed at consumers based in France, and not necessarily French phone holders, although there is of course a large overlap between the two. 

There is no specific mention in the law itself that states it only applies to French numbers, or that non-French numbers are excluded.

You have to provide your information

Generally, however, those with a non-French mobile number are even less likely to be contacted by those respecting the new law than those with French numbers.

Not all companies accept non-French numbers when customers sign up for their service, limiting the number of groups authorised to make calls through the ‘existing customers’ rule. 

Their own systems may also stop them from calling international numbers even if information has been provided.

This being said, if you have provided a non-French number, either at the point of sale, when logging in to a website, etc, there is still a chance you may be called. 

This is even less likely to apply to non-French landlines. Again, there are no rules entirely exempting French companies calling them, but it is highly unlikely a company will have permission to call this specific number. 

Cold calls not stopped 

The law’s limitations on preventing cold calls also apply to non-French numbers. 

Firstly, despite the risk of sanctions, some callers will simply ignore the new law and continue to call, including non-French numbers they have access to (although will likely be less inclined to call these numbers than those located in France, if their call is targeting people in France).

It is also harder for French authorities to prevent and sanction calls from international numbers, with many scammers already using international numbers to screen calls or calling directly from abroad. 

Also, if you have a foreign number, you may still receive calls from people targeting consumers in the country where your number is registered, who may be unaware that you are actually based in France. For example, people living in France with UK mobile numbers may continue to receive cold calls from callers targeting the UK, who are unlikely to be familiar with France’s new rules.

Information on what you should do if you receive an unauthorised call, including where to report it, is available in our article here.