FRENCH PAVILION

PAVILLON FRANçAIS

Advantages

Click on the button to discover all the advantages of the French pavilion or contact us directly to obtain a file.

PROCEDURE

Click on the button to discover the procedure for obtaining the French flag or contact us directly to obtain a file.

EQUIPMENT

Click on the button to discover the safety equipment related to the French flag or contact us directly to obtain a file.

PRICES

Click on the button to discover the different prices of the services offered or contact us directly to obtain a file.

DOWNLOADS

Click on the button to obtain the registration forms in order to constitute your registration file or to discover the calculation modules for the annual tax or the fiscal power of your engine.

DISADVANTAGES

Click on the button to know the disadvantages and choose your pavilion without regret.

FRENCH PAVILION - ADVANTAGES

Access conditions – limits

The French pavilion is open to any European resident having their residence in France or a domiciliation. The navigation limit depends only on the safety equipment on board and no longer on the design category of the boat. However, be careful, in the event of an incident, the insurer will refer to the design category to determine whether the loss is related to the intended use or not of the boat!

Time limits for obtaining and validity

The time taken to obtain the registration certificate varies from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the season. There is no express processing for this type of registration. Better to anticipate its registration. However, for boats depending solely on maritime affairs (boats <7.00 m and whose motorization <22 fiscal HP), the procedure is very fast (from 48h00 to 1 week).
For more details, see the « Procedure »section.

Except in the event of a change of situation (for example, change of engine), the period of validity of French navigation titles is as follows:

  • Maritime traffic card: valid for 10 years
  • Deed of francization: unlimited validity
  • River traffic card: unlimited validity

Navigation permit

The license also depends on your boating area:
⦁ Up to 6 miles from a shelter:
⦁ Coastal option pleasure boat license: it is compulsory to drive a motorized pleasure boat of more than 4.5 kilowatts (6 horsepower) at sea. It also allows you to navigate on closed lakes or bodies of water for up to 6 people. miles from shelter (approximately 12 kilometers). The tests for this permit consist of a theoretical exam and practical training.

⦁ Beyond 6 miles from a shelter:
⦁ Coastal option boating license Offshore extension: it allows you to navigate a pleasure boat with a motive power of more than 4.5 kilowatts (6 horsepower) at sea. It also allows to navigate on closed lakes or bodies of water without limit of distance from a shelter. Enrollment in a training establishment is not compulsory, as there is only one theoretical test. It is therefore possible to take the exam as a free candidate.

Insurance

Any change must be reported to your insurer (flag, owner, engine, etc… ..). Check with your insurance company BEFORE registration. If you encounter any difficulties or if you wish to obtain an insurance quote on your pleasure craft, you can contact our insurance partners by sending them the following information directly:
• Your full contact details (address, telephone, internet address)
• Description of the boat as well as its characteristics (Type, model, manufacturer, year of construction, length, materials, type of engine, number of engines, make and power, flag nationality)
• The insurance value (hull, engine, personal effects ….)
• History for 5 years
• The use you want to make of the boat (private navigation, rental with or without a crew, etc…)
• The navigation area: Europe, Africa, Asia, etc….

Contact our insurance partners:
PANTAENIUS
34 Quai Jean Charles Rey
MC – 98000 MONACO
Jean Sébastien BERTHELOT
jberthelot@pantaenius.com
Tel +377 97 70 12 05
Fax +377 97 70 12 07
Download here the quotation request

APRIL MARINE
4 avenue Carnot
85109 Les Sables d’Olonne
Contact Geoffrey DELAIRE
geoffrey.delaire@aprilmarine.com
Tel 02 49 98 85 00 / 06 85 09 96 49
Fax 02 49 98 85 01
Download here the quotation request

FRENCH FLAG - DISADVANTAGES

Navigation limit

Unlike all other European flags, you are limited to one navigation area in relation to your license on the one hand, and on-board safety equipment on the other hand:
Up to 6 miles from a shelter:

  • Coastal option pleasure boat license
  • Reduced safety equipment, liferaft not compulsory:
  • Life jackets (1 per person on board minimum)
  • Waterproof torch
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Bailer or manual bilge pump
  • Tow line
  • Mooring line
  • Flash lamp or cyalume
  • Horseshoe buoy + reversing light
  • Compass or GPS
  • 3 hand-held red lights
  • Coastal block (including tide directory, nautical charts, international regulations to prevent collisions at sea, description of the beaconing system)
  • National flag (outside territorial waters)

Beyond 6 miles from a shelter:

  • Boating license coastal option Offshore extension
  • Substantial safety equipment with compulsory liferaft; in addition to the equipment described above, it will be necessary to add:
  • Liferaft
  • Up to date traffic light book
  • Logbook
  • BLU receiver
  • Harness and lanyard
  • First aid kit
  • Projector (for location and night rescue)
  • Emergency beacon (distress beacon, EPIRB)
  • Fixed and portable VHF

Annual tax
Annual francization and navigation fee (DAFN)
The DAFN is paid by the owner of the boat when the francization act is carried out, then every year at the start of the year. A payment notice is sent to the owner.

This tax is calculated based on the following:

  • Administrative power of the boat’s engine (s) (administrative horses)
  • Boat hull length
A reduction on the DAFN is applied according to the age of the boat on January 1, 2019. This reduction does not apply to boats whose engine power is equal to or greater than 100 HP.
Tableau 02
In the « Download » section, we offer tools:
  • To calculate the fiscal (or administrative) power of your engine. In all cases you must know the number of cylinders, the stroke and the bore of your engine in cm. These elements must appear on the technical and / or commercial sheet of your engine. If you have 2 fixed engines, you will have to accumulate the administrative power to determine the amount of your annual tax.
  • To calculate the DAFN

FRENCH FLAG - PROCEDURE

Case n ° 1 your pleasure craft measures less than 7 meters and is equipped with an engine of less than 22 fiscal HP (administrative power)

List of documents to be supplied

The Pleasure sheet to download and complete

  • Original purchase invoice
  • Original of the written declaration of conformity if boat built after 1998
  • Technical information sheet  if boat built before 1998
  • Photocopy of your passport or national identity card.
  • A power of attorney to download to act with the Delegation for the Sea and Coast
  • Certificate of cancellation of the previous flag OR the original certificate of the previous flag to make the cancellation

Case n ° 2 your pleasure craft measures more than 7 meters and / or is equipped with an engine with an administrative power greater than or equal to 22 fiscal HP (approximately 210/220 HP)

List of documents to be supplied

  • A francization request  (cerfa print 12810-02 to be completed)
  • Boating in maritime waters sheet
  • Identity document proving the nationality of the owner (s)
  • Proof of address of less than 3 months
  • ID photo
  • Title deed (or seller’s invoice)
  • Original of the written declaration of conformity for vessels bearing the CE marking or a certificate of conformity for others
  • Certificate of fiscal regularity (or fiscal discharge) issued by the tax services
  • Certificate of cancellation of the previous flag OR the original certificate of the previous flag to make the cancellation
  • Apower of attorney to download to act with the Customs office.

Case n ° 3 Amateur construction

List of documents to be supplied

  • A francization request (cerfa print 12810-02 to be completed)
  • Boating in maritime waters sheet
  • Identity document proving the nationality of the owner (s)
  • Proof of address of less than 3 months
  • ID photo
  • Title deed: copy of construction invoices (hull, mast, sail, engine) + expert report
  • Certificate of conformity excluding CE marking to download and complete
  • Certificate of fiscal regularity (or fiscal discharge) issued by the tax services
  • Certificate of cancellation of the previous flag OR the original certificate of the previous flag to make the cancellation
  • A power of attorney to download to act with the Customs office

Case n ° 4 motorized nautical vehicle (jet ski, jet ski, Jet-Ski) equipped with a motor with a power equal to or greater than 90 kW – otherwise see case n ° 1

List of documents to be supplied

  • A francization request (cerfa print 14617-05 to be completed)
  • Boating in maritime waters sheet
  • Identity document proving the nationality of the owner (s)
  • Proof of address of less than 3 months
  • ID photo
  • Title deed (or seller’s invoice)
  • Original of the written declaration of conformity for VNM built from 2006
  • Certificate of fiscal regularity (or fiscal discharge) issued by the tax services
  • Certificate of cancellation of the previous flag OR the original certificate of the previous flag to make the cancellation
  • A power of attorney to download to act with the Customs office

Radio license

If you are using a fixed or portable VHF radio, beacon or other radio equipment on board, a license is required. This license must be issued by the country on which the vessel is registered. The request can only be made once the boat is registered. A copy of the registration certificate is required. If the radio equipment you use justifies it, a 9-digit numeric code called MMSI will be assigned to your station (eg: VHF DSC, EPIRB beacon, ..). In the event of distress at sea, the MMSI allows a safe and rapid identification of the vessel and its owner by the rescue centers.

To obtain a radio license under the French flag, you must provide the following documents:

FRENCH PAVILION - EQUIPMENT

Mandatory materials

In France, the safety equipment depends on your navigation area. There are 4 which differ from the distance from a shelter.
basic area within 2 miles of a shelter.
coastal area 2-6 miles from shelter.
midshore area beyond 6 miles and up to 60 miles from shelter.
offshore area beyond 60 miles from shelter.

Recommended materials

Whatever the type of navigation practiced, it is recommended to embark with the following equipment

  • Knife and minimum tools appropriate to your boat
  • Pair of gloves to prevent burns in the event of hand-held fires
  • Watch
  • Box of spare parts, including fuel filter, light bulbs
  • Additional batteries to operate accessories such as flashlight and portable navigation devices
  • Replacement circuit breaker
  • Isothermal survival blanket
  • Gaff (long wooden rod used in particular to recover a rope that has fallen into the water)

FRENCH PAVILION - PRICES

Service 2022

Tarif

Registration certificate *

250.00 €

Cancellation of Dutch certificate

92.00 €

Cancellation of Belgian flag letter

75.00 €

Radio license

50.00 €

Translation deed of sale: price per page 

60.00 €

Translation of cancellation notice

20.00 €

*Our service includes the cancellation of the Dutch or Belgian certificate

 

FRENCH PAVILION - DOWNLOADS

Download here free of charge the documents useful for your administrative procedures:

Click on the PDF icon to download the documents corresponding to your needs.

PROXY (essential for all your procedures)

  • Application form  :

PLEASURE SHEET (boat <7 meters and engine power <22 tax HP or jet ski <90 kW)

  • Form :

REQUEST FOR FRANCIZATION (boat> 7 meters and / or engine power> 22 taxable CV)

  • Application form :

NAUTICAL MOTOR VEHICLE FRANCIZATION REQUEST (VNM power = or> 90 kW)

  • Application form :

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SHEET FOR INTRACOMMUNITY VESSELS

  • Application form  :

CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY WITHOUT CE MARKING

  • Application form  :

RADIO LICENSE REQUEST

  • Application form :

REQUEST FOR INSURANCE QUOTATION (SEND DIRECTLY TO INSURANCE)

  • Application form :
MODEL OF DEED OF SALE
  • Application form :

CERTIFICATE OF DOMICILE IN FRANCE (FOR NON-RESIDENTS)

  • Application form :

FRENCH FLAG - CALCULATION TOOLS

coming soon.

F.A.Q

NO, with a LOA – leasing boat, you are not the owner, but only the lessee. It will be possible to register it in your name once the leasing is over (for an advance purchase, please contact the leasing agency directly who will issue you an invoice after payment of the balance. You will also sign a deed of sale. ).
YES, provided you have previously declared it to the competent radio services, i.e. the country of registration of your registration You must send us the request for a ship station license (link for formalities) . You must hold a restricted radiotelephony certificate. We take care of these procedures for a registration fee depending on the country of registration.
Vos obligations sous pavillon étranger sont : – Arborer le pavillon national du pays d’enristrement du pavillon (30cm x 45cm minimum) – Arborer le pavillon de courtoisie du pays visité (20cm x 30cm) – Indiquer également le nom de votre bateau, son port d’attache en toutes lettres, sur le tableau arrière ou si vous n’avez pas la place, sur les 2 flancs du bateau vers l’arrière. – Indiquer le numéro de d’immatriculation (Hauteur minimum : 5 cm) sur les deux flancs avant. Les règles de police locales restent applicables (limite de vitesse, zone interdite,…) ; enfin vous devez être à jour de vos taxes (voir chapitre inconvénients).
NO, by choosing another flag, your boat is legally registered in a maritime register. No authority can reproach you for displaying a flag other than that of your country of origin if the registration documents are valid and specify the nationality of the boat.
If you are a French resident, you must pay the annual navigation fee (francization tax) which – contrary to what its name suggests – is a tax on the property of the boat. So if you are the owner or user of a boat and a French resident, you must pay this annual fee, regardless of where you are sailing! Your boat may never sail in France, you are nevertheless liable for this right. In the past, there was a so-called “distant sea” exemption for boats sailing on the borders of the seas and which never touched French territorial waters. This right has been completely questioned since 2008. Under a foreign flag, you will therefore be subject to this duty and will have to pay the “foreign ship’s passport fee”. This tax is calculated in the same way and on the same bases as the francization tax. You must pay it from the first day the boat is put into service, if you are a French resident (Note! The term “resident” means receiving income in France; it is not your domicile….).
NO for all registration countries that are part of the European Union: Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, France. You have to pay VAT in one of the EU member countries. This applies in the case of a new acquisition (invoice with VAT) or during an import (boat outside the EU); This does not concern you in the following cases: – during a second-hand sale between private individuals. – if you make a second-hand purchase in the Community market and this VAT has already been paid by the first user, – if you make an extra-Community acquisition and do not intend this good for use in the intra-Community zone (registration under DELAWARE pavilion).
NO, all you have to do is indicate in your request the make, reference and serial number of these engines. If you have a generator on board to power these engines, this should not be specified. It is simply the propulsion engines that must be declared.
For registration under the European flag, you will have to prove that one of the co-owners is of European nationality. Please note that the number of shares held by your co-owner must be significant (at least 50%). You can opt for an extra-community pavilion: see Delaware pavilion. In this case, you will not have to pay VAT either. ATTN! if you live for more than 6 months in European waters, customs are entitled to ask you to pay VAT.

All boats of non-Community origin must go through an import procedure and pay VAT in Europe, if they are intended to be put into circulation on the European market.
This procedure is carried out by the Customs office where the goods are located during customs clearance. The amount is generally calculated on the market value determined by the act of purchase of the property. Customs can request an expertise if they consider that the declared amount is significantly underestimated compared to the real value of the good.
Customs clearance procedures can be completed in a European country where the VAT rate is more advantageous, without it being possible to claim the difference from you. E.g .: if you pay your VAT in Romania where the VAT rate is 19%, or in Malta where the rate is 18%, under no circumstances can the difference be claimed from you if you intend this property for a use in Italy (the rate of which is 22%). All VAT payments in Europe are recognized by other member states, even if their rates differ.
If you do not intend your goods for use on the European market, you will not be required to clear them.
Since the European directives put in place in 1998, all boats of non-Community origin and / or whose placing on the European market before this date cannot be formally proven, must be “CE” validated before being placed on the market in Europe.
If the boat is equal to or greater than 12.00 meters in size, you will have no other choice but to call on a notified body (VERITAS, ICNN, Lloyd, ….) to bring it up to CE standards.
If your boat is rather recent and <12.00 meters in size, we can offer you a solution for its placing on the European market and registration under the European flag. do not hesitate to contact us

YES and NO: some insurers do not know how to register boats flying a foreign flag, for others this does not pose any problem especially if it is a European flag! You must in any case notify the change of flag nationality to your current insurer. If the latter refuses, we can direct you to our partners.
Do not hesitate to contact us !