The licence itself. What the option côtière lets you do, who needs one, and the rules around it that turn up as easy marks in the test.
Where candidates go wrong
- Measuring the 6 miles from the coast. The limit is 6 milles d'un abri (6 nm from a shelter), not from the beach or the port you left. An abri is a place where the boat and crew can shelter and leave again without assistance, given the weather of the moment.
- Thinking sail needs a permis. At sea, a sailing boat needs no permis, even with an auxiliary engine. The threshold is a motor boat of more than 4.5 kW (6 CV).
- Forgetting night. The côtière is valid de jour comme de nuit (day and night). The old carte mer was daylight only.
The threshold and the limits
| Point | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who needs it | Helm of a bateau de plaisance à moteur over 4.5 kW | décret 2007-1167 art. 2 |
| Côtière | Up to 6 nm from a shelter | art. 2 |
| Beyond 6 nm | Extension hauturière (no distance limit) | art. 2 |
| Minimum age | 16 | art. 3 |
| VHF | The permis covers use of a VHF in French territorial waters | mer.gouv.fr |
| Expiry | None; old titles (permis A, mer côtier) remain valid | mer.gouv.fr |
Don't confuse the licence limit with the equipment zones in Division 240: basique under 2 nm, côtier from 2 to under 6 nm. A côtière holder going 4 nm off needs the coastal kit (Module 4).
Driving without your own permis
- Conduite accompagnée (accompanied driving): from 16, you may helm for one year if accompanied by someone who has held a permis for at least 3 years, within the companion's own limits. The companion files a declaration first; it is valid one year (décret art. 9).
- 14 to 16: only within a club affiliated to an approved sports federation, by day, on a boat under 20 m (art. 3).
- Location (hire): the hirer needs the permis for anything over 4.5 kW. Boats of 4.5 kW or less can be hired without one.
Losing it
The permis can be retiré (withdrawn) for breaches of navigation police rules, serious negligence, or helming drunk or after drugs: up to one year temporarily, or permanently. After a permanent withdrawal you wait 3 years before applying again (décret art. 6). The 2026 texts add fines and criminal offences for alcohol; see L4.1.
WARNING — Hired boat, your name on the paperwork On a hire boat you sign the pre-use declaration and become the chef de bord (skipper in charge). Equipment, overloading and speed are then your responsibility, not the rental company's.
Papers on board
- The permis (bank-card format with QR code since October 2024).
- The boat's navigation title: an acte de francisation for hulls of 7 m or more, or under 7 m with 22 CV administrative power or more; otherwise a carte de circulation (DGDDI guide).
- Hire boats: the signed déclaration préalable and the inspection report.
TIP — The 4.5 kW trap Questions often give power in CV (chevaux). 6 CV is the same threshold as 4.5 kW. A 5 CV outboard needs no permis; a 10 CV one does.
What the examiner wants to see
You know the three numbers cold: 4.5 kW / 6 CV, 6 nm from a shelter, 16 years. You can tell a licence limit from an equipment zone, and you know accompanied driving and withdrawal well enough not to be caught by a distractor.
Vocabulaire de l'examen
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| option côtière | coastal option |
| abri | shelter |
| conduite accompagnée | accompanied driving |
| chef de bord | skipper in charge |
| acte de francisation | French registration certificate |
| carte de circulation | small-craft registration card |
| retrait du permis | licence withdrawal |