France Introduces Prior Consent Rules for Telemarketing Calls
France will introduce a consent-based framework for telephone marketing on 11 August 2026. Under the new rules, businesses will generally be prohibited from making commercial calls to consumers unless they have obtained the consumer’s prior, free, specific, informed and unambiguous consent. Consumers must also be able to withdraw that consent at any time.
The reform moves France away from the current opt-out approach, including the Bloctel list, toward an opt-in model. Calls will remain possible where the consumer has previously agreed to be contacted, including during a purchase, in-store interaction or online form. Businesses may also contact an existing customer where the solicitation concerns a contract already in place, subject to the applicable safeguards.
The measure is intended to address persistent consumer harm caused by unwanted sales calls and related fraud. The French government estimates that roughly three quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited commercial call each week. The rules also expand protections beyond sectors already subject to strict calling restrictions, such as energy renovation, personal training accounts and home-adaptation services.
Non-compliance may lead to administrative fines of up to €75,000 for an individual and €375,000 for a legal person. Businesses using outsourced call centers, including providers based outside France, should review their consent records, scripts, lead-generation practices, contracts and evidence-retention processes before the new regime applies.
The change may have material consequences for the outsourcing industry in Morocco, which has historically depended heavily on French clients. Moroccan officials estimate that up to 50,000 jobs could be affected. Reported sector figures of US$100 million in investment and more than US$1 billion in annual revenue.
France follows a broader European trend toward stricter limits on telephone marketing. Germany has long required prior express consent for marketing calls to consumers, while the Netherlands has recently strengthened protections for existing customers. These national rules operate alongside the GDPR, which requires a valid legal basis for personal-data processing and imposes strict conditions where consent is relied upon.
