France Bans Unsolicited Telemarketing Calls Starting Aug. 11

PARIS — France will ban unsolicited telemarketing calls beginning Aug. 11 under a new law that requires companies to obtain a consumer's consent before dialing.

The law, backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government and approved by Parliament last year, replaces an opt-out system in which people who wanted to avoid sales pitches had to register their numbers with a government-run service. Consumer groups said some call centers ignored that list.

"Businesses are prohibited from contacting consumers without their prior consent," said Alice Vilcot, chief of staff at the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Prevention of Fraud. "That consent can be withdrawn at any time."

The government says the measure responds to years of complaints. Authorities estimate that about three-quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited sales call every week, and many receive more. In 2024, 11 consumer organizations issued a joint call for a ban, denouncing "relentless harassment of consumers through countless unwanted telemarketing calls to both landlines and mobile phones — an intrusion that has become a regular part of their daily lives."

Penalties are steep. Individuals who make illegal calls can be fined up to 75,000 euros ($87,000) per call, and companies up to 375,000 euros ($435,000) per call. People can report unsolicited calls through a government website.

There are exceptions. Consumers may agree to receive marketing calls, for example by checking a consent box on a form, and companies may contact existing customers with new commercial offers if they already have a contractual relationship.

Vilcot noted that an Ireland-based company was fined 6 million euros ($6.9 million) last year for violating France's previous rules by calling people on the no-call list.

The change has raised alarm in Morocco, where employment minister Younes Sekkouri said in March that between 40,000 and 50,000 jobs were at risk in the country's call centers. He said the French market accounts for more than 80% of revenue in the sector.

Germany has had a similar ban since 2009. Many other countries rely on opt-out systems: the United States has its national Do Not Call registry, Canada has a Do Not Call list, and Britain has the Telephone Preference Service, where companies that call people who have opted out can be fined up to 500,000 pounds ($670,000) per call.