Choosing the French flag
Governing: law of 3 May 2005; Code des transports L5611-2, L5612-3, L5522-2 and L5231-2. Builds on: L3.1–L3.2.
Two French registers
A French yacht can sit on the first register, the ordinary French flag administered through the DIRM and customs francisation, or on the Registre international français (RIF). For commercial yachts the RIF is designed as the flag of choice: one office, quick turnaround, and a lighter nationality rule for crew.
Who can join the RIF
The RIF accepts commercial pleasure vessels over 15 m length overall that make international or deep-sea voyages, crewed by professional seafarers. Private-use yachts are not its business.
The 25 % rule
At least 25 % of the seafarers on the fiche d'effectif minimal (minimum safe manning document) must be nationals of the EU, EEA, Switzerland or an agreement State. Code des transports L5612-3 sets 35 %, falling to 25 % for ships that do not, or no longer, benefit from the old tax-aid scheme. In practice yachts sit at 25 %. The master and deputy, who must be from those States anyway (L3.2), count towards it.
| Minimum safe manning | 25 % of it | Minimum EU/EEA/Swiss/agreement nationals |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 | 3 | 3 |
| 16 | 4 | 4 |
Note that the rule applies to the minimum safe manning, not to the full crew list. A yacht with a minimum manning of 8 but 20 crew aboard needs 2 qualifying nationals among the 8 minimum posts. Where the arithmetic gives a fraction, check the rounding with the guichet.
CAUTION — master and mate are already two On a small minimum manning, the master and deputy often meet the 25 % rule on their own. Change either, and the calculation changes with them.
The guichet unique
The RIF guichet unique in Marseille (5 place Sadi Carnot) handles, for RIF yachts:
- registration;
- the permis d'armement (the ship's crewing and operation title) and the fiche d'effectif;
- visas de reconnaissance (usually 1–3 working days) and dispensations (1–4 working days);
- the jury national for masters.
Its ship-safety inspectors carry out the yacht's surveys and studies. These are free, except the inspector's travel abroad. Routine emails are usually answered within a week.
Manning documents
Every French ship carries enough qualified crew. The fiche d'effectif minimal is issued with the permis d'armement (L5522-2, L5231-2). Note that Division 242 (the large-yacht safety rules, L4.2) explicitly does not deal with crewing: manning comes from the fiche, not from the construction rules.
What the RIF offers owners
rif.mer.gouv.fr lists exemptions for RIF commercial yachts from VAT (under conditions, L4.2), from the TAEMP annual pleasure-craft tax and from excise duties on fuel, plus insurance obligations. These are the owner's concern, but they explain why an owner might want a French flag and why the conditions, especially exclusively commercial use, are policed.
TIP — keep the fiche on the bridge In a port State or French inspection, the fiche d'effectif is the first thing checked against the crew list and the certificates. Know which crew fill which minimum posts.
Summary
The RIF takes commercial yachts over 15 m on international voyages, needs 25 % qualifying nationals within the minimum safe manning, and runs everything through one Marseille office. The fiche d'effectif, not Division 242, sets manning.