Command of a French-flag yacht
Governing: Code des transports L5521-3 and L5612-3 II (RIF); décret 2015-598 arts 3–6. Builds on: L3.1.
Why the master is different
A visa lets a foreign officer serve on a French-flag ship. It does not make them eligible to command one. The master, and the officer who deputises for them (the suppléant, the deck officer ranking next below the master), exercise public-authority powers under French law. France therefore adds conditions of its own.
Condition 1: nationality
The master and deputy must be nationals of:
- an EU member State (27);
- an EEA State (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway: 3);
- Switzerland (1); or
- an agreement State with equivalent rights of residence and work: Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo and Tunisia (7).
27 + 3 + 1 + 7 = 38 States. The United Kingdom, Australia and the USA are not among them.
WARNING — British masters and the French flag The UK is on the recognition list (L3.1), so a British officer can serve as mate on a RIF yacht with a visa. The UK is not among the 38 nationalities, so the same officer cannot be master or deputy. Owners who plan to reflag a yacht with a British captain should hear this before the paperwork starts.
Conditions 2 and 3: French and French maritime law
Unless you already hold a French title that allows master functions, which proves both, you show:
| Requirement | Accepted evidence |
|---|---|
| French language | A certificate of B2 level (CEFR) less than one year old, or a French secondary or higher diploma (e.g. the baccalauréat) |
| French maritime law | The module national pont 1 (NP-1), or a French higher diploma covering the master's public-authority powers |
| Either, failing the above | A pass certificate from the jury national d'évaluation |
The jury national d'évaluation
The jury (décret 2015-598) tests language and legal knowledge together, in French:
- a written case study; and
- an interview.
Topics include French maritime administration, the French court system, the master's powers (police, discipline, security, civil status, notarial acts), and keeping French logbooks and writing reports. The jury is convened according to demand, at intervals of at least four months. Plan around sessions, not around your contract start date.
Consequences
- An owner who embarks a master who does not meet these conditions commits a 4th-class contravention.
- The same nationality rule for master and deputy applies to foreign-flag ships inside the host-State regime (L1.2).
- The master and deputy count towards the RIF's 25 % nationality share of the minimum safe manning (L4.1).
TIP — B2 is a real bar B2 means you can argue a point with a port official in French and read a préfectoral arrêté without a dictionary. If your French is at holiday level, budget a year.
Summary
Command of a French-flag yacht needs a national of one of 38 States, with French at B2 and French maritime law, or a pass from the jury national. A visa alone never makes a foreign officer a French-flag master.