Private detective rates in Paris: clear and degressive

Written by Guillaume Pouillier, CNAPS-licensed private detective, licence no. AGD 095-2024-03-06-20190240581 · Last updated: July 20, 2026

How much does a private detective cost in Paris? €85 per hour (excl. VAT), with two packages: €340 for a 4-hour session and €850 for a full 10-hour day. The rate becomes degressive from 20 hours of investigation, administrative investigations start at €350, and the written quote is free.

Why do we publish our rates when most agencies do not?

Because a client who can compare calmly chooses better, and stays. Hidden pricing lets an agency adjust the price to the client; public pricing binds us to the same grid for everyone: €85 per hour, degressive with volume, written packages. It is a deliberate commercial choice, still rare on the Paris market.

The discretion of the profession does not require opaque prices. What you confide is covered by professional secrecy; what we charge has no reason to be secret. Concretely, this transparency changes three things: you know before calling whether your budget is realistic, the quote holds no surprises since it applies a public grid, and every line of the quote can be checked against this page. An agency that refuses to give you an order of magnitude before a “discovery meeting” is rarely preparing good news.

What is the hourly rate, and how does the discount work?

€85 per hour (excl. VAT) up to 19 hours of investigation, then the rate steps down: €80/h from 20 hours, €75/h from 30 hours, €70/h beyond 40 hours. Two packages simplify common assignments: €340 for a 4-hour session, €850 for a full 10-hour day.

The discount rewards longer cases: a 40-hour surveillance does not cost 40 × €85, the quote automatically applies the tier reached, nothing to negotiate. Conversely, short cases fit the packages: the 4-hour session covers most useful time slots (home departure, journey, evening), the 10-hour day covers continuous operations. Administrative investigations, address tracing, documentary checks, are billed per file, from €350 (excl. VAT).

What will your case cost?

Adultery is typically documented for €680 to €1,700 (2 to 5 four-hour sessions), a sick-leave check for €1,020 to €1,700, a person trace for €350 to €850 (all excl. VAT). The ranges below simply apply our public grid to the durations observed on our files.

What is billed, what is included?

The hourly rate includes the investigator, an unmarked vehicle, standard observation equipment, time-stamped session logs and the final report. Always included at no extra charge: the written engagement (mandatory under art. R631-12 of the French Internal Security Code), the signed detailed report and exchanges during the assignment.

The golden rule fits in one sentence: anything that costs money appears in the quote before it costs anything. A two-investigator operation, a night of surveillance or a trip outside the region are decided together, in writing, which is also what the mandatory engagement letter under the Internal Security Code imposes on the profession, and one of the markers separating a licensed agency from an improvised operator.

Can the investigation be charged to the opposing party?

Yes, often. In civil proceedings, article 700 of the French Code of Civil Procedure lets the judge order the losing party to bear your investigation costs, the Paris Court of Appeal admitted detective fees as early as 22 December 2000 (no. 1999/07102). Equivalent mechanisms exist in criminal and administrative proceedings.

In practice, your lawyer requests it in their submissions, receipts in hand: our itemised invoicing, assignment, hours, rate applied, is designed for that purpose. In criminal proceedings, article 375 of the Code of Criminal Procedure lets the civil party recover its costs; before the administrative courts, article L761-1 of the Administrative Justice Code plays the same role. The amount remains at the court’s discretion: it is granted all the more readily when the report genuinely weighed on the decision. Some cases also include investigation fees in recoverable damages, your counsel picks the best route.

Why be wary of rates below €60 per hour?

Because at that price, something is missing: the CNAPS licence, professional liability insurance, a trained investigator, or all three. Operating without authorisation is a criminal offence under the French Internal Security Code, and evidence gathered outside the legal framework is set aside by the judge: the “cheap” investigation can cost you the case.

The arithmetic is simple: a salaried, trained, insured and equipped investigator cannot be sold at €40 an hour without cutting one of those items. The consequences are paid at the most expensive moment, in court: inadmissible report, the client’s own liability engaged if the means were unlawful, no recourse for lack of insurance. Before signing anywhere, run a check that costs nothing: ask for the agency’s authorisation number and the manager’s professional card number, and verify them on the CNAPS public register (cnaps.fr). Ours are displayed in the footer of this site. Our guide on how to choose the best private detective in Paris walks through these checks one by one.

CNAPS-licensed agency or unlicensed operator: what is the real cost?

The advertised rate says nothing about the real cost. A licensed agency produces admissible evidence, under a written engagement, covered by insurance; an unlicensed operator exposes you to evidence being set aside, to prosecution and to zero recourse. The table below compares what each euro actually buys.

What does a real budget look like?

Three recent, anonymised files billed at the public grid: a child-custody file documented for €1,020, a debtor location-and-solvency for €600, a sick-leave check for €1,360 (all excl. VAT). In all three, the report was filed in court, and the stakes far exceeded the cost.

Child custody (Paris 15th), €1,020 excl. VAT (€1,224 incl.). Three 4-hour packages on the right slots: school pick-ups, Wednesdays, one Sunday. The report, filed with the family judge, contributed to revised visitation rights.

Debtor location + solvency, €600 excl. VAT (€720 incl.). Administrative investigation then on-site verification, at the discounted rate: actual address and employer identified, wage attachment carried through. The debt recovered exceeded ten times the cost.

Doubtful sick leave (Hauts-de-Seine), €1,360 excl. VAT (€1,632 incl.). Four sessions over two weeks documented consulting work for a competitor. Report filed with the Nanterre labour court: dismissal for gross misconduct upheld.

Your case matches none of these exactly, which is precisely what the free quote is for: applying the public grid to your actual situation, in writing, before any commitment.

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Frequently asked questions about our rates