Fit to sail, covered at sea
Governing: Code des transports L5521-1-1 and R5521-1 et seq. (from décret 2025-349); arrêté of 3 Aug 2017 (fitness standards); L5561-1 et seq. (host-State regime). Builds on: L3.1.
The seafarer medical
In France the aptitude médicale à la navigation (medical fitness to serve at sea) is assessed by the Service de santé des gens de mer (SSGM), the seafarers' health service. The examination is free. Fitness standards are set by the arrêté of 3 Aug 2017, and since 2025 the rules sit in the Code des transports (R5521-1 et seq., décret 2025-349).
How long it lasts
| Age | Validity (R5521-8) |
|---|---|
| Under 18 | 12 months |
| 18 to 55 | 24 months |
| Over 55 | 12 months, extendable to 24 if no special monitoring is needed |
mer.gouv.fr still says two years "generally reduced to one" in special cases. The Code is the precise text; follow it.
Foreign medicals
A certificate from a foreign doctor is accepted on a French-flag ship (L5521-1-1) only if:
- the doctor is approved by a State party to STCW or the MLC;
- the doctor practises in that State; and
- the certificate includes English.
An ENG1 issued in the UK by an MCA-approved doctor meets that pattern. A certificate from a UK-approved doctor practising in Antibes is the doubtful case under point 2.
CAUTION — the permis medical is not a seafarer medical The permis plaisance uses cerfa 14673, a certificate under six months old from any registered doctor. It says nothing about fitness to work at sea and will not satisfy a RIF manning check.
Social protection
French crew are traditionally covered by the ENIM (Établissement national des invalides de la marine), the seafarers' social-security scheme. For foreign crew, the rules depend on residence, the flag and EU coordination rules, and they are beyond this guide. Two firm points:
- Under the host-State regime (L1.2), seafarers must be covered by the social-protection scheme of an EU/EEA State, or by the ENIM under coordination rules; otherwise the French general scheme applies.
- That cover can never be a private insurance policy. It must include health (sickness, invalidity, accidents at work, occupational disease) among other risks.
WARNING — 'the owner has good insurance' A private medical and P&I package is valuable, but it is not social security. On a yacht inside the host-State regime, a crew agreement that offers insurance alone does not comply.
The MLC dimension
France applies the MLC 2006. On a commercial yacht expect an SEA (seafarer employment agreement), rest-hour records and a complaints procedure. The flag administration, the RIF guichet unique for RIF yachts, is where to check the French specifics.
TIP — carry both, keep both current Keep your seafarer medical and your STCW support certificates on the same renewal calendar. An expired medical is the commonest reason a visa file stalls.
Summary
The SSGM does French seafarer medicals free, valid 24 months for ages 18–55. Foreign medicals need an STCW/MLC-approved doctor practising in the approving State and English on the certificate. Social cover must be a State scheme, never private insurance alone.