Bill of Sale for a Pleasure or Motor Boat:
Our Guide for Sellers and Buyers

Are you looking to sell or transfer ownership of your used pleasure boat, or just your boat engine?

The procedure is the same for all types of boats – sailboats, motorboats, yachts… – for all Personal Watercraft (PWCs) – jet skis or sea scooters – as well as for all engines: the bill of sale must secure the transaction for all stakeholders, both sellers and buyers.

Our support service for boaters and marine professionals explains the different scenarios for you.

For any nautical transaction, within the framework of a boat or engine sale, the bill of sale is a key document. This act formalizes the transfer of ownership between one or more seller(s) and one or more buyer(s).

The bill of sale protects both parties and guarantees the legality of the transaction. In case of dispute, it is the document that serves as proof!

For administrative stakeholders in recreational boating, a change of ownership requires the presentation of a duly completed and signed bill of sale for a pleasure craft. Without this document, the buyer cannot register the vessel in their name or navigate legally.

• The identity of the seller and the buyer

The full names, addresses, telephone numbers, and, if possible, identification documents of both parties must be detailed. For co-ownership, each owner of the vessel must appear on the bill of sale.

• Description of the boat or engine

The document must specify the type of boat: sailboat, motorboat, jet ski... as well as the make, model, CIN/HIN/WIN number and certain technical characteristics such as length and engine power.

When it comes to the bill of sale for an engine alone, the serial number, model, and power of the equipment must be mentioned.

• Terms of sale: price, date, signatures, etc.

Finally, the agreed selling price, the date of the transaction, and the signatures of all involved parties must appear.

Please note: any omission by either party may invalidate the deed!

• The seller's identity card or passport

• The pleasure boat or PWC registration certificate, for maritime or inland waters
• The certificate of French registration for a pleasure boat

These two official documents are required for any change of ownership with the maritime administration. The original documents must be given to the buyer at the time of sale.

Without these documents, boat registration remains impossible!

• Bill of sale for the engine (mandatory if purchased second-hand), along with the seller's identification (passport or identity card)

In the event of a succession or purchase abroad, additional documents may be required: a certificate of inheritance, a certificate of deregistration, a declaration of boat compliance...

Following the transaction, the buyer has 30 days to file a request for transfer of ownership with the maritime administration. This must be accompanied by the bill of sale for the boat, as well as the vessel's titles.

When a sale is declared by the new owner, they become the legal owner of the vessel. It is their responsibility to update the boat's navigation title. This title is then amended to include the new information: the name(s) of the new owner(s), the new engine(s) if applicable, and the flag details.

In some cases, the sale or transfer procedure is a little more complex and requires formalities other than simply filling out the bill of sale for a used pleasure boat. This is the case, for example, for co-ownership, purchasing a pleasure vessel abroad, or inheritance.

50%, 30%, 20%...: The deed of sale must mention the exact distribution of shares, or the exact percentages of ownership of each co-owner. All co-owner sellers and buyers must also, of course, sign all documents.

Administrative formalities concerning the inheritance of a pleasure boat can be complicated. Maritime administrative services require a certificate of inheritance, issued by the notary in charge of the deceased's estate. This document serves as a bill of sale to enable the transfer of ownership.

If the used boat is purchased outside mainland France (including Corsica), you will need to follow the procedure with even more precautions and pay particular attention to administrative documents. Two documents will be essential to register it under the French flag:

• The Boat's Written Declaration of Conformity (DEC)
• A Certificate of De-registration from the foreign flag

Any engine change on a recreational boat or PWC requires a mandatory declaration to be made to the authorities within one month. In the event of the sale or purchase of an engine alone, a bill of sale for a boat engine is required: this is mandatory to proceed with the registration of the change with the Maritime Affairs department.

In the event of first registration and if the engine installed on the boat was purchased second-hand, you will need to attach this bill of sale to your boat registration application. The engine bill of sale replaces the purchase invoice for a new engine from a professional, and has the same legal value.

Please note: the presentation of the seller's identity card is also mandatory to validate the registration of the engine on the navigation title!

If you change the engine on your pleasure boat or PWC, you must submit a request for decommissioning of the previous engine within one month. This request, subject to validation by the authorities, should be completed if you do not have an invoice or bill of sale, or if you are missing some of the documents, in which case we recommend providing photos of the engine and its serial number.

Indeed, you will need to attach the engine decommissioning certificate to your application, circling the reason for decommissioning.

Bateau-immatriculation.com advisors can handle various administrative procedures for you, saving you valuable time. Get support for your next pleasure boat ownership transfer, or for the buying and selling of your boat engine!