Legal framework
Governing: arrêté of 6 Jul 2011 (foreign licences on French motor pleasure boats), décret 2007-1167 art. 7. Builds on: L1.1.
The principle
The arrêté of 6 July 2011 lets foreign-licence holders helm a French-flag motor pleasure boat within the privileges of their own licence (length, area, power), provided the licence is valid. It does not upgrade anything. A licence limited to 10 m and daylight gives you 10 m and daylight in France.
| You are | Your licence | On a French-flag motor boat |
|---|---|---|
| Any nationality | Issued by an EU or EEA State, or Monaco | Valid within its privileges (art. 1 and 3) |
| Non-EU national | Issued by your own country | Valid within its privileges (art. 3) |
| French or EU national | Issued by a non-EU country | Valid within its privileges (art. 2) |
What to carry
At any inspection you must be able to show the original of your licence, with a French translation by a sworn translator where needed (art. 4). A photo on your phone is not the original. If your licence is in a language the patrol cannot read, bring the translation.
Swapping for a French permis
- EU, EEA or Monaco licence plus a VHF operator certificate (certificat restreint de radiotéléphoniste or equivalent): you can ask for a French permis without an exam (art. 1).
- Other licences: you can get a French permis by passing the côtière theory test (art. 2 and 3), which is in French.
Sea-licence equivalences are handled by the DDTM of Seine-Maritime in Rouen (art. 7; mer.gouv.fr gives its contact details).
The UK position
Since Brexit, a UK licence is not an EU licence, so a British national falls under art. 3: "a licence issued in their country". The difficulty is that the UK has no general State-issued licence for pleasure craft. Most British skippers hold an RYA certificate (Powerboat Level 2, Day Skipper and so on) and often the ICC (International Certificate of Competence).
The arrêté does not mention the ICC or RYA certificates at all. We found no primary text that settles whether they count. In practice:
- Ask the rental company, before booking, whether it will accept your certificate for the boat you want, and get the answer in writing.
- Take the original certificate and your passport.
- If the answer is no, choose a boat of 4.5 kW or less, a sailing boat, or a hire with a professional skipper (L2.2).
The same caution applies to US State boating cards, Australian and other licences: art. 3 covers a licence "issued in their country", but the counter staff decide whether to let you take the boat.
WARNING — the contract is not a licence A rental company that hands you a 150 CV boat without checking your licence has not given you a licence. You are the chef de bord (L2.2); at an inspection, the offence of helming without a valid licence is yours.
Sailing boats and inland waters
No licence is needed to sail at sea (L1.1), so the foreign-licence question only arises for motor boats. Canals and rivers have their own inland options and are outside this guide.
Losing the right to helm
A French permis can be withdrawn for up to a year, or permanently, for serious breaches, drunkenness or drug use (décret art. 6). Foreign-licence holders face the equivalent: they can be banned, temporarily or permanently, from navigating from French ports or in French territorial waters (décret art. 7).
TIP — the one question to ask "Which of your boats can I take with this certificate?" Ask it by email. The answer is your evidence if a patrol queries it later.