What licence do I need to skipper a pleasure boat in France?

The short answer

In France the permit depends mainly on engine power, not on boat length.

You need a permit to drive a motor pleasure boat when the propulsion unit exceeds 4.5 kW (6 hp) [1].
At sea, the côtière option takes you up to 6 miles from a shelter [2]. To go without a distance limit, the hauturière extension [2].
The ministry says that driving sailing vessels at sea does not require a permit [1].
An EU citizen with a driving licence for motor boats from another EU country can drive a French motor boat, within the limits of that licence (length, navigation zone, power) and with the licence in force [1].

Table by permit

What you want to do	Permit	Limit
Motor boat over 4.5 kW at sea	Côtière option	6 miles from a shelter [2]
Same, with no distance limit	Côtière option + hauturière extension	no distance limit; 1 h 30 theory exam [2]
Motor boat over 4.5 kW on inland waters (rivers, canals)	Eaux intérieures option	length up to 20 m [2]
Inland waters, no length limit	Grande plaisance eaux intérieures extension	no length limit [2]
Sailing boat at sea	no permit required	(with an engine over 4.5 kW on inland waters, an inland-waters permit is required [1])

To sit the hauturière extension you must hold the côtière option [1].

What an EU foreigner needs

French motor boat. The ministry says a citizen of an EU country can drive it with a motor-boat driving licence issued in an EU country, within the limits set by that licence (length, zone, power), which must be in force [1].
There is no international maritime recreational permit [1]. A French-flagged boat follows French licence rules even in foreign waters [1].

Sources

[1] Ministère de la Transition écologique, "Le permis plaisance – permis de conduire les bateaux de plaisance à moteur", updated 17-04-2026. Read on 3 Oct 2026: https://www.mer.gouv.fr/le-permis-plaisance-permis-de-con…

[2] Ministère de la Transition écologique, leaflet "Le permis plaisance" (May 2023), table of options and extensions. Read on 3 Oct 2026: https://www.mer.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2020-11/Permi…

Check your case

The free checker tells you which licence you need for your boat and your area. It's guidance, not legal advice: the authority has the last word.

Open the boat licence checker

Then, sail another owner's boat

The Seafolk is a club of owners who swap boats for a few days: you sail theirs, they sail yours. It isn't a rental and no money passes from one to the other.

It's new: 28 members and 3 boats. Join now and you're among the first.
Founding place free until 31 Dec 2026; from 1 Jan 2027, €90 a year for life. Founding places are capped at 1,000 boats.
Open: staying aboard at the dock, without sailing, or sailing with a professional skipper. Bareboat (sailing it yourself) is closed.
It's for people who already own a boat: with no boat in the network there is nothing to swap.

Claim my founding place

Br, Ignacio López, founder — The Seafolk