CLAUDIA´S
MANGUSTA 92 Claudia’s is a fine example of the famous Mangusta 92 series and is the penultimate yacht built of this series. Claudia’s is a 28.27m Mediterranean sport
THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · France
Match the operator's qualification to propulsion, waters and route, then confirm the training and application file.
Boat licence France is a question about the operator, propulsion and intended waters, alongside the yacht purchase itself. A coastal title, an offshore extension and an inland option have different privileges, and a foreign qualification needs its own recognition check. Buyers and sellers should establish who can conduct the trial and delivery before handover. This guide explains verified official requirements, with practical recommendations for planning training, preparing the file and checking the actual title.
The guide concerns recreational navigation and does not infer a professional crew qualification or universal international licence. Confirm current requirements with the competent recreational boating service, especially for a foreign title, unusual propulsion or an inland route. Official examination charges are kept separate from unverified course fees and individual training needs. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
Maritime Ministry guidance updated 17 April 2026 requires a licence for motor pleasure-boat propulsion exceeding 4.5 kW, described as 6 horsepower.
French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence ·The Ministry's privileges guidance updated 3 October 2024 gives the coastal option up to 6 nautical miles from a shelter and the offshore extension sea navigation without a distance limit.
French Maritime Ministry, licence privileges and translations ·Maritime Ministry guidance updated 17 April 2026 requires at least 5 hours of theoretical training and practical training with an approved establishment for a first base option.
French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence ·Maritime Ministry guidance updated 17 April 2026 states €78 for the electronic issue tax stamp and €30 for theory examination registration with a private provider for a first base option.
French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence ·That April 2026 guidance says use of a foreign title aboard a French motor pleasure boat depends on holder nationality and title origin under stated conditions, with enquiries to a recreational boating service.
French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence ·Section 1
The Maritime Ministry says a licence is required to operate a motor pleasure boat where propulsion power exceeds 4.5 kW, described as 6 horsepower. It separately states that driving a sailing vessel at sea does not require a licence. As practical advice, ask the maritime service to confirm an unusual propulsion arrangement and the title needed for the intended use before purchase. The fact that you own the yacht does not by itself establish the operator's permission to drive it, and a seller's licence should not be used to answer the buyer's qualification question.
The Ministry's official licence-privileges page gives the coastal option navigation at sea up to 6 nautical miles from a shelter. The offshore extension removes that distance limit. As practical advice, match the qualification to the planned route, including a trial or delivery passage, rather than describing every trip along the coast as a coastal-option journey. Confirm the applicable title with the competent service if the intended navigation may exceed its privileges, and retain the actual qualification with the operator's records before setting a departure date.
The Ministry distinguishes inland navigation from the maritime options. Its guidance says maritime licences allow operation on lakes and closed inland water bodies, but do not permit operation on canals, rivers and waterways merely by virtue of that maritime title. As practical advice, identify the waters you actually intend to use and ask about the corresponding qualification. A yacht purchase involving a river passage should not proceed on the assumption that an offshore maritime extension automatically supplies every inland entitlement.
Broker tip: Practical recommendation: give the maritime service the boat, propulsion arrangement and proposed waters before relying on a licence. Check the operator's actual title and privileges for the trial or delivery as well as later cruising. A related question is answered in our guide on what safety equipment a boat must carry in France.
Skipper hands on a chart plotter at the helm.
Motor power licence threshold
Section 2
For a first base option, the Ministry requires theoretical training of at least 5 hours and practical training with an approved establishment. It says the first-time candidate cannot take that base-option theory test as an independent candidate. As practical advice, ask the training establishment for its programme, practical arrangements and available dates before making a yacht handover depend on qualification. The official minimum does not establish how long an individual will need, and this guide does not invent a pass guarantee or a standard total training price.
The theory examination is organised by bodies independent of the training establishment. The Ministry describes a tablet-based test and requires an identity document. As practical advice, confirm the booking and candidate details with the examination provider, and ask the training establishment how the practical completion will be recorded. Keep the provider's instructions available before attendance. A booking receipt should not be confused with a completed licence, and the purchase timetable should allow the candidate to confirm the actual entitlement before taking responsibility for a passage.
A person who already holds one base option may take the theory examination for the other independently without repeating the practical training. The Ministry requires the candidate number for that route and explains how the file is submitted to obtain it. As practical advice, show the existing title to the competent service and confirm the second-option process before paying for a course or exam. Do not extend this concession to a first-time candidate, an unrelated foreign qualification or an offshore extension without checking the applicable route.
Broker tip: Practical recommendation: confirm the training and examination route against the candidate's actual existing title. Obtain dates and application instructions before making delivery depend on qualification, and distinguish a booked test from the entitlement eventually issued. See also our guide on what boat insurance you need in France.
Ship compass resting on a navigation chart.
First option training minimum
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Section 3
The Ministry requires a medical certificate for a first base option, dated less than 6 months before the application. It says candidates for an extension or second option need not supply a new certificate. As practical advice, obtain the service's current medical form and instructions before arranging the appointment. The certificate is part of the administrative qualification process; this guide does not diagnose fitness or turn general wording into individual medical advice. Ask the competent service and doctor to resolve any case-specific question before the application is filed.
Service Public identifies Cerfa 14681*03 as the application for the coastal or inland base option. The Ministry explains that a first-option candidate pays a €78 electronic tax stamp for issue and €30 examination registration to the chosen private provider. As practical advice, check the provider's payment instructions and the purpose of the tax stamp before purchase. Keep those official charges separate from the training establishment's own quotation and any personal travel costs, since the verified amounts do not describe the entire cost of obtaining the qualification.
For an extension, the Ministry requires the corresponding base option. It identifies a €38 electronic tax stamp for extension examination registration and explains that maritime services continue to organise offshore theory sessions. As practical advice, confirm the qualification and current session arrangements before selecting the extension route. An inland base option alone does not qualify someone for the offshore maritime extension. Ask the receiving service to confirm the supporting file and obtain the actual training quotation instead of assuming that the official examination charge includes preparation. No universal foreign-title recognition, professional skipper entitlement, standard course price or actual examination/issue delay is asserted. Service Public's former detailed coastal-guide URL redirects to the application form; current substantive requirements are taken from the Ministry's April 2026 guidance. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Practical recommendation: ask for the current application and medical instructions, then separate official charges from the training quotation. Check the existing base option before booking an extension and retain the correct payment evidence with the application. Readers often go on to our guide on how to register a boat in France.
Skipper licence certificate on a table.
First option medical certificate
Maritime Ministry guidance updated 17 April 2026 requires a medical certificate less than 6 months old for a first base option and no new certificate for a second option or extension.
Source: French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licenceService Public's description verified 23 June 2022 identifies Cerfa 14681*03 for coastal or inland base-option registration.
Source: Service Public, base boat-licence applicationMaritime Ministry guidance updated 17 April 2026 states €78 for the electronic issue tax stamp and €30 for theory examination registration with a private provider for a first base option.
Source: French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licenceThat April 2026 guidance requires the corresponding base option for an extension and states a €38 electronic tax stamp for extension examination registration.
Source: French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licenceSection 4
The Ministry states that there is no international maritime pleasure-boating licence. It explains that French driving-title rules apply to a French-flagged boat even in foreign waters, while operation of a foreign-flagged boat needs confirmation with the relevant authorities. As practical advice, establish the boat's flag and the intended countries before assuming a title is universally accepted. Ask the maritime service to confirm a foreign qualification against the holder's nationality and issuing country, rather than relying on a translated card or an agent's general description of international validity.
For a foreign title used aboard a French motor pleasure boat, the Ministry says acceptance depends on the holder's nationality and the origin of the title, with specified conditions. It also states that older orange A, B and C titles retain their privileges and do not need to be exchanged merely to match the newer system. As practical advice, present the actual document to the service where recognition or privileges are uncertain. A different physical format should prompt verification, not an invented requirement to buy a replacement qualification.
The Ministry says the pleasure-boat licence permits VHF use in French territorial waters. As practical advice, check the operator and equipment requirements separately for a voyage beyond those waters rather than extending that statement automatically. Keep an accessible record of the title and ask about replacement if the original is lost, stolen or badly damaged. The Ministry provides a duplicate procedure, but this guide does not infer a delivery time, guarantee recognition abroad or treat qualification as a substitute for the boat's safety equipment and navigation planning.
Broker tip: Practical recommendation: show the actual foreign or older title to the maritime service where recognition is uncertain. Check the boat's flag, route and radio requirements separately, and retain qualification evidence before agreeing who will skipper the yacht. Our guide on how to buy a boat in France covers a related point.
Mooring line and fenders on a marina berth.
No international maritime title
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not a French lawyer: for French law and tax we refer you to a locally qualified adviser. What we can do is help you plan the purchase, put the right questions to the other side and spot gaps in the paperwork before you commit.
If you are looking for a boat in France, tell us the type of boat, your budget and the area through the enquiry form on this page and a broker will reply. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
The Ministry requires it where propulsion power exceeds the stated motor threshold, while its separate sea-going sailing-vessel reminder says no licence is required for driving a sailing vessel at sea. As practical advice, confirm an unusual propulsion arrangement with the competent service and show the actual boat particulars, rather than assuming the owner's status or the vessel's marketing description decides the operator's qualification. (French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence)
No, the official privileges page gives the coastal option navigation up to its specified distance from a shelter, while the offshore extension removes that distance limit. As practical advice, compare the intended passage, trial or delivery with the operator's actual title before departure. The qualification question should be settled with the competent service rather than treating every coastal-looking route as automatically within the base option. (French Maritime Ministry, licence privileges and translations)
No, the Ministry says a candidate taking a base option for the first time cannot sit that theory examination independently. It requires approved theoretical and practical training for that route. As practical advice, establish the candidate's actual starting position before booking; the concession for taking the other base option without repeating practical training concerns an existing base-option holder, not every applicant. (French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence)
The Ministry distinguishes the issue tax stamp and private-provider theory registration charge from the training route. Those official amounts do not establish a total course price. As practical advice, obtain the training establishment's quotation separately and confirm application, medical and payment instructions before booking, keeping its service price apart from the official charges and any personal travel or additional preparation costs. (French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence)
No, the Ministry says there is no international maritime pleasure-boating licence and makes foreign-title use aboard French motor boats conditional on nationality and the issuing origin. As practical advice, show the actual document to the competent service and identify the boat's flag and intended waters. Obtain the applicable recognition answer before relying on the title for a purchase trial or delivery passage. (French Maritime Ministry, motor pleasure boat licence)
This guide only includes facts checked against official sources. For anything it does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information, and ask a locally qualified adviser to confirm the position for your own boat.
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Check it yourself
Official licensing guidance updated 17 April 2026 and opened 3 October 2026: propulsion threshold, training, applications, fees, foreign titles and older licences.
Official licence-privileges guidance updated 3 October 2024 and opened 3 October 2026: coastal/offshore distance privileges and inland options.
Official Cerfa 14681*03 application description verified 23 June 2022 and opened 3 October 2026 for coastal or inland base options.
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