GEIPAN: What Its A, B, C and D UFO Categories Mean

Quick answer

GEIPAN is a technical service of France’s space agency CNES that collects, investigates, anonymizes and publishes reports of unidentified aerospace phenomena, or PAN. Category C means the information does not allow analysis; D means unexplained after investigation. Neither is a label for alien technology.

A public-service investigation, not a belief test

GEIPAN’s FAQ describes a scientific approach to observations, not a mission to establish extraterrestrial or paranormal activity. Its sequence runs from receipt and preliminary analysis through investigation, classification, anonymization and publication. The useful question is what data and reasoning a case file supplies. A witness can be treated respectfully while a proposed explanation is tested critically.

Sources: GEIPAN frequently asked questions: mission, investigation and classification

Why C and D cannot be added as “alien cases”

A is identified without ambiguity; B is probably identified. C covers insufficient information or a case that cannot be analyzed. D concerns a case remaining unexplained after investigation. Counting C and D together as confirmed anomalies discards this distinction. Before quoting a percentage, retain its denominator, date and whether it counts reports, observations or investigated cases. This guide does not present a live GEIPAN success rate.

Sources: GEIPAN frequently asked questions: mission, investigation and classification

What D1 and D2 add

GEIPAN further separates D cases by evidentiary consistency: D1 has medium consistency and D2 stronger consistency. A single witness without imagery and several independent observations do not offer the same investigative support. Stronger consistency improves what can be tested; it does not specify the object’s origin. Read the actual reconstruction and alternatives rather than treating the category as a probability of aliens.

Sources: GEIPAN frequently asked questions: mission, investigation and classification

Use the classification with a dated case file

Save the case name, investigation date, classification and explanation offered. Check whether later evidence prompted a revision. Canada’s Sky Canada report independently discusses GEIPAN as a model of public reporting and publication; it does not re-investigate every French case. Cross-country comparisons should compare methods, not rank countries by raw unexplained percentages collected under different admission rules.

Sources: Management of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in Canada (2025), sections B–F