Operating a motorboat with a foreign license in French waters

To operate a motorboat in France, French nationals usually obtain the Pleasure Boat Driving License: an exam consisting of theoretical and practical tests, more commonly known as the "boat license".

Candidates choose a license corresponding to inland, coastal, or offshore waters, depending on their potential vessel, their wishes, and their navigation plan. They take the exam and then obtain a license that allows them to navigate while complying with regulations.
But what about the foreign boater, recently settled in the territory or on holiday on the French coast, who obtained their boat license abroad? To what extent do they have the right to navigate in these waters?

The authorization to navigate depends on two factors: the nationality of the boater and the origin of the boating license.

• If you are a French national or a national of a member country of the European Union (EU) and you have obtained a boating license in any EU country, you are authorized to operate a motorboat in French waters.
  However, please note: navigation must be within the limits defined by your boating license, which, in the event of an inspection, must be original, valid, and have been translated by a sworn professional.
• If your nationality is established in a country outside the European Union and you hold a boating license obtained in your country, or within the EU, the same conditions apply.
• Conversely, if you are not a European national, and you only possess a license from a country that is not part of the European Union and is not your own, you are not authorized to operate a motorboat in French territorial waters.

Article 2, Part One, Decree N°2007-1167 of August 2, 2007

In maritime waters, the operation of pleasure sailboats, even if equipped with an auxiliary engine, is not subject to possessing a license.

In inland waters, the operation of pleasure sailboats equipped with an engine with a power greater than 4.5 kilowatts is subject to possessing a valid inland waters boating license corresponding to the length of the boat.

Have you already been issued a motorboat license in a country other than France? You should know that it is generally easier and quicker to obtain the French license equivalency than to retake all the exams.

If you are a French national or a national of a European Union member country, or naturalized in a non-EU country and hold a license obtained within the EU, you may be eligible for a French license by equivalency.

You will need to submit an application file to the Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea (DDTM) of Seine-Maritime or to the Navigation Service of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, depending on whether you wish to obtain the "Coastal" option or "Inland Waters" option boat license.

The application file for issuing a driving license consists of several documents depending on your situation: form to be completed, original of the driving license accompanied by its translation, examination program if applicable as justification, copy of identity document and certificates held, medical certificate less than 6 months old, tax stamp, stamped envelope with registered mail rate... For more information, you will need to contact the competent services in your locality in France. The issuance of a coastal license by equivalency may require additional certificates or examinations:

• If your boat license was obtained in a European Union member country, you will also need to provide proof of a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Certificate or an equivalent title.
• If it was awarded outside the EU, you will have to undergo the theoretical tests of the French "Coastal" option or "Inland Waters" option boat license: a multiple-choice questionnaire of 40 questions on navigation, to which you must answer with a minimum of 35 correct answers.

Finally, if you are not a European national and your boat license was not obtained in the EU, you will not be able to claim a French driving license by equivalency. You will then have to undergo all the theoretical and practical boat license tests in France to obtain a French pleasure boat driving license.

Be careful: authorization to navigate in French waters with a foreign boat license does not go hand in hand with authorization to use VHF! Even if you are authorized to navigate, you will not be allowed to use
the equipment if you do not hold a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Certificate (CRR). This applies regardless of your nationality or the country of origin of your license.

To use a VHF marine radio, whether to communicate with other vessels, listen to weather forecasts, or contact coastal operators, a French boat license obtained by equivalence is very important. It will allow you to be compliant, but also safe.