Working on Yachts in France: Titles, Flags, RIF & Charter Law

The UK is on the list of recognised STCW States (décision of 16 Jun 2026, JORF 20 Jun 2026), so a British officer can get a visa de reconnaissance. But the master and the suppléant (deputy) of a French-flag ship must be nationals of one of 38 States (EU, EEA, Switzerland plus Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo and Tunisia), and the UK is not among them. A British national can serve as a watchkeeping officer on a French yacht, not as master or designated suppléant.

The United States, the Marshall Islands and South Africa are not on the décision of 16 Jun 2026, so their CoCs cannot receive a visa de reconnaissance for service on a French-flag yacht. Titles from States not on the list cannot be recognised at all. Crew holding only these tickets need a CoC from a listed State (for example a UK or EU CoC) before joining a French yacht.

The June 2026 list names "Royaume-Uni". Whether that covers CoCs issued by the Cayman Islands or other UK overseas territories is not stated in any source read. Ask the RIF guichet unique before relying on a Red Ensign territory CoC.

The RIF recognition page still cites 53 States under the décision of 17 May 2022. That décision was repealed by the décision of 16 Jun 2026 (TECM2616206S), which lists 26 non-EU and 29 EU/EEA States. Check an applicant's State against the 2026 text, not the web page.

The RIF website gives 25 %; Code des transports L5612-3 says 35 %, reduced to 25 % for ships not (or no longer) benefiting from the former tax-aid scheme. Both are correct and most yachts sit at 25 %. Check the yacht's tax-aid history before planning the fiche d'effectif.

The arrêté of 6 Jul 2011 lets holders of EU, EEA and Monaco licences helm French-flag motor boats within their own licence's limits (length, zone, power), and non-EU nationals use their own country's licence the same way. It does not mention the ICC, and France is listed as not applying UNECE Resolution 40. A UK visitor holding only an RYA ICC and no national licence has no clear right to helm a French boat over 4.5 kW.

There is no official English version of the côtière QCM. Foreign-language sessions are organised only exceptionally, for the côtière and inland options, with a sworn interpreter paid by the candidate, no extra time and a €30 special-session fee, and only for candidates without a recognised foreign licence. The hauturière paper and all professional assessments, including the jury national, are in French. Non-French speakers should plan to learn the French test vocabulary.

One line in the mer.gouv.fr FAQ still says carte-mer holders take a "QCM de 30 questions, 5 erreurs". The arrêté of 28 Sep 2007 (as amended from 1 Jun 2022) and the same page's other FAQ say 40 questions, 5 errors allowed. The 30-question line is out of date; train on 40.

The arrêté of 21 May 2026 (JORF 6 Jun 2026) rewrote Division 241. Its table keeps the NUC caps at 12 passengers under motor and 30 under sail on national voyages (12 on international ones). The old 120 figure for historic sailing ships does not appear in the new table. Confirm the figure on the vessel's permis de navigation before selling a charter.

AP 123/2019 is only the Mediterranean framework; the actual bans for yachts of 24 m or more (20 m in places) are set by local préfet maritime orders since Oct 2020 and shown on SHOM charts. Separately, AP 157/2024 requires yachts of 45 m to under 80 m to declare their anchoring and those of 80 m or more to get authorisation. Zones change often, so read the current order for the bay before dropping the anchor.

A 2026 boatcible.com article cites a "décret 2019-1400", a "décret 2023-1000", a ban for boats of 8 m or more and the Code de l'environnement. None of this matches the primary texts: the framework is the préfet maritime's AP 123/2019, and the penalty (up to 1 year and €150,000) comes from Code des transports L5242-2. Use the préfecture maritime's own orders, not secondary articles.

Since 20 Aug 2026 (loi 2026-798 art. 11), helming a boat that requires a permis with 0.80 g/L blood or 0.40 mg/L breath alcohol or more carries 3 years and €9,000; with drugs as well, 5 years and €15,000. Décret 2026-434 (JORF 4 Jun 2026) separately made manifestly drunk helming a 4th-class contravention, with permis withdrawal up to a year. The regime may be extended by ordinance, so treat any alcohol at the helm as off-limits.

The arrêté of 28 Sep 2007 fixes only the part totals and the pass rule (10/20 with at least 7/12 on the chart). It does not say whether calculators are allowed, and schools disagree, nor how DDTM markers split the /12 or what position tolerance they accept. Check the convocation for permitted equipment.