The permis plaisance and the 300 m strip
1The lesson in plain words
Motor pleasure craft above 4.5 kW (6 hp) need a permis plaisance. In the 300 m coastal strip, keep to 5 knots or any lower local limit.
When you need a permit
To helm a motor pleasure craft above 4.5 kW (6 hp), you need a permis plaisance. A craft legally classed as a sailing boat needs no pleasure-boat permit at sea, including when using its auxiliary engine. The option côtière allows up to 6 NM from a shelter. The extension hauturière removes that limit. The option eaux intérieures covers rivers and canals. See the boating-licence page for training details.
The exam
The côtière theory test has 40 questions, with at most 5 mistakes allowed. You first train at an approved school, with at least 5 hours of theory plus practice at the helm. The côtière permit also lets you use a VHF in French territorial waters. The hauturière extension adds a chartwork exam set by the maritime affairs office.
The 300 m strip
The three préfets maritimes (Channel and North Sea, Atlantic, Mediterranean) make the local rules. On every coast the speed of boats and jet skis is limited to 5 knots within 300 m of the shore, whether or not buoys mark it. In the Mediterranean the rule is in arrêté 109/2024; on the Atlantic, in arrêté 2018/090. Some areas add limits beyond 300 m in summer.
Bathing zones and channels
Yellow buoys can mark the 300 m boundary, access channels or designated bathing zones. Identify the zone from the local buoyage plan and notices. Keep boats out of swimmer-only zones. Use an access channel (chenal) authorised for your boat. Obey its posted speed limit, never exceeding 5 knots. Mayors police swimming and unregistered beach craft; the préfet maritime polices navigation and anchoring.
Who checks
At sea you may be checked by the maritime affairs units, the gendarmerie maritime, customs and the gendarmerie. They look at the permit, the certificat d'enregistrement, the safety kit for your band, the kill cord and speed in the 300 m strip. Missing items are fined, and the boat can be stopped.
2Key data
- Permit needed
- Motor pleasure craft above 4.5 kW (6 hp)
- Option côtière
- Up to 6 NM from a shelter
- Extension hauturière
- No distance limit; chartwork exam
- Theory test
- 40 questions, at most 5 mistakes
- 300 m strip
- 5 knots maximum, buoyed or not; lower local limits may apply
3Key points
- 1
Motor pleasure craft > 4.5 kW (6 hp): permit needed. Legally classed sailing boats: no permit at sea, even under auxiliary engine.
- 2
Côtière: 6 NM from a shelter; hauturière: unlimited; eaux intérieures: rivers and canals.
- 3
The côtière permit also covers VHF use in French territorial waters.
- 4
Within 300 m of the shore on all French coasts: maximum 5 knots, even without buoys; obey any lower local limit.
- 5
Stay out of marked swimmer-only zones. Use only a channel authorised for your boat; obey its limit, at most 5 knots.
4Frequent mistakes
Wrong: The 5-knot limit applies only where yellow buoys mark the 300 m line.
Right: It applies within 300 m of the shore everywhere, marked or not. Buoys just make it easier to see.
Wrong: With a côtière permit I may go anywhere within 12 NM of the coast.
Right: The côtière option stops at 6 NM from a shelter. Farther needs the hauturière extension.
Wrong: A 15 hp outboard on a small tender needs no permit.
Right: 15 hp is above 4.5 kW (6 hp), so the driver needs a permis plaisance.
5Practice case & exam keys
You hold a côtière permit and own a 6 m boat with a 115 hp outboard near Hyères. Your route to a beach 8 NM away reaches 4 NM from the nearest usable shelter. You plan to land among swimmers to pick up friends. May you make this trip, and how must you approach?
Show the answer
The route fits your permit: its farthest point is 4 NM from a usable shelter, within the 6 NM limit. That does not make landing among swimmers safe. Use an authorised access channel only when it is clear of swimmers. Within 300 m, keep to 5 knots or any lower local limit. If no safe, permitted approach is available, arrange another pickup point.
Exam keys
- Motor pleasure craft > 4.5 kW (6 hp): permit. Sailing craft exempt at sea, even under auxiliary engine. Côtière ≤ 6 NM from shelter; hauturière unlimited.
- Theory test: 40 questions, maximum 5 mistakes.
- 300 m strip: 5 knots on all French coasts, set by the préfets maritimes.
- No boats in marked swimmer-only zones. Use an authorised channel; obey its posted limit, at most 5 knots.
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