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Clearance

COVID-19: Entry protocols for yachts have been affected by the pandemic. See the Biosecurity section for details.

Notice April 2022: Russian flagged or registered yachts are not permitted to enter any ports in France. See news item for details.

PORTS OF ENTRY

Excluding force majeure, boats can no longer call at a non-PPF (Port of Entry) and proceed on land to a PPF for customs checks. Boat AND crew must call at the PPF in question.

See Main Ports for links to all ports of entry and other ports in France.

PRE-ARRIVAL

If arriving in France on the French Channel Coast (Normandy and Brittany) it is possible for non-Schengen citizens (or Schengen citizens coming from a third country) to submit international clearance in advance, by e-mail, to their chosen port of entry.

The official Ports of Entry on the French Channel coast are (in order along the coast from east to west): Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Le Havre, Honfleur, Caen/Ouistreham, Cherbourg, Carteret, Granville, St Malo, St Brieuc/Légué, and Roscoff.

Skippers must use the PREAVIS-immigration form which must be completed and sent prior to arrival (24 hours or for shorter passages before departure from the previous port, or 48 hours if a weekend). This form for a number of the above ports can be found on the Les Ports de la Manche website. If your chosen port does not have such a ‘Preavis Immigration’ form, then you will need to select another arrival port which either has such a form or is an actual Port of Entry. The same process applies to departure.

On arrival, if you have not previously received a reply to your email, call the named local Port of Entry Border Police/Customs to ask for advice. They may then visit you onboard.

From 1 June 2022 to 30 September 2022 yacht visitors can arrive into France at the non-PPF ports of Saint Cast and Saint Quay (on the north Brittany coast) from outside the EU. By submitting a ‘Preavis Immigration form’ in advance, they will not need to get their passports stamped. This greatly simplifies entry for boats coming from the UK for a limited time period.

The same process applies to departure.

See the CA’s announcement of this limited offer in this May 2022 article.

ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

EU yachts and crew:

EU boats and crew coming from another EU country do not have to clear Customs, although they have to report to Immigration. The situation is more relaxed when the traffic is between EU countries that have adhered to the Schengen Agreement, so boats sailing to France from Spain or Italy are not required to clear Immigration.

Third country arrivals (non-Schengen):

The situation is different for non-EU boats, or those with non-EU nationals on board, or if coming from a third country. See pre-arrival information above if entering France in Normandy or Brittany.

General Process:

  • The “Q” flag need not be flown unless you have items to declare on arrival.
  • On arrival in France the captain should report to the local Border Police (Police Aux Frontières – PAF) or Customs (Douane) at a Port of Entry with the ship’s registration papers and passports. In some places, officials will visit the boat on arrival. Customs may also inspect yachts up to 12 miles off the coast.
  • The port captain should be contacted immediately on arrival in a marina or port, and he will call the authorities. Alternatively, the skipper should phone the Customs office himself.
  • Be aware that many offices (PAF or Douane) are not close to the marinas nor open 24 hours or regular hours.
  • In some ports, officials will visit the boat (whether from the EU or not), as soon as it docks and inspects all documents (passports, boat documents, Certificates of Competence etc.) They may also inspect the equipment on board.
  • Note – even if you have sent a pre-arrival form for Normandy/Brittany – you still need to visit the above offices on arrival in the port of entry – for now.

DOMESTIC CRUISING

If the correct entry procedures are followed, non-EU visitors can then visit other French ports without further checks.

French Waterways: Fees, Rules and Regulations

DEPARTURE

EU Boats:

An EU boat with all EU citizens on board going to another EU country does not need to officially clear out.

If leaving the EU, then the skipper should the check local regulations and, if possible, obtain a ‘zarpe’ or other official clearance document, to show that they legally left their previous destination when arriving in a new country. This is normally issued by Customs.

Non-EU Boats:

A non-EU boat leaving France for another Schengen country, assuming the correct arrival procedure has been followed, can visit other ports in other Schengen countries without any further checks.

A non-EU boat leaving France and leaving Schengen, must complete a departure declaration and report to Customs at an official port of entry/departure (PPF), so that their movement out of the Schengen Area has been recorded. Any non-EU crew should report to passport control when leaving the Schengen Area and get their passports stamped.

If departing from Normandy/Brittany, the departure declaration can be found online on the port website.

Be advised that it might not be easy to obtain a zarpe/departure document or be able to locate the necessary officials.

Last updated:  May 2022

Related Businesses

  • Port Authority – Dieppe

    Address: Dieppe, Channel, France,

    VHF Channel 12, 16 'Dieppe Port'... Read More

  • Port Control – Cherbourg

    Address: Cherbourg, Channel, France,

    Read More

  • Port Control – Le Havre

    Address: Terre Plein de la Barre, BP 1413, Le Havre, Channel, France,

    VHF Channel 12, 20... Read More

  • Port Office (Affaires Maritimes)

    Address: St Malo, Channel, France,

    Read More

Immigration

Passports must be valid for 3 months beyond your intended stay.

France is a member of the Schengen Agreement Area. See Noonsite’ Schengen page for more details on the visa rules which apply.

Do you need a visa?. This is an official site with full details of visa requirements and how to apply. In French, English, German, Arabic, and Chinese.

Further to the French-Canadian Agreements on 06-17 April 1950, all Canadian nationals are allowed to stay in France during 3 months without any Visa, independently of previous stays already done in other countries of the Schengen area. This information from the French Embassy in Malta.

Other Visa Information:

Third country nationals wanting to stay longer than 90 dys in France can apply for a French long stay visa (LSV) for one-year duration, as long as you can comply with all the paperwork required (including emergency evacuation and repatriation for your time spent in France and a marina/boatyard contract – French address). Find out more at https://france-visas.gouv.fr/web/france-visas/long-stay-visa.

Last updated:  February 2018

Related Businesses

  • Gendarmerie Maritime (Immigration) – St Malo

    Address: St Malo, Channel, France,

    Read More

Customs

Firearms must be declared.

EU regulations apply concerning temporary importation. See EU VAT page for more information.

Note: Noonsite has received a report from a cruiser that French Customs do not recognise that a boat can be placed ‘in bond’ to extend the 18 month period of Temporary Importation for non-EU boats.

Boats which are borrowed, chartered or owned by companies can be brought into France under temporary importation, but only if the same person who brought the vessel in remains in charge and takes it out of the country again.

Anyone borrowing a yacht must have a letter from the owner stating that permission has been given for the yacht to be used in his or her absence. Crew changes are allowed while in France only if the same person remains in charge. The only changes of owner or captain allowed are on privately owned yachts, where the person in charge may hand over control to a member of the immediate family, namely spouse or children, who must not be resident in France.

A co-owner may hand over to another co-owner, who is listed as such on the ship’s papers. Delivery crews may bring in a yacht for the owner to take over, or sail a yacht out of France on behalf of an owner, as long as a proper delivery agreement is made, which the authorities may wish to see. The yacht being delivered is not allowed to stop anywhere else in France except its entry and exit points, unless forced to by weather conditions.

Yachts may not be lent, hired or sold while in French waters while under temporary importation. Those in breach of any of these conditions will be liable for tax on the value of the yacht.

Chartering: Only bareboat charters are permitted and if the yacht is foreign owned, proper formalities must be completed. Taking on paying crew is not permitted, as this is considered to be chartering. If a yacht has paying passengers, this must be declared to Customs on arrival in France, the yacht imported and TVA (Value Added Tax) must be paid.

Spot checks are made, even on EU registered yachts, and all the paperwork checked.

Last updated:  January 2018

Related Businesses

  • Cherbourg bureau (Customs Office)

    Address: 1, quai du General Lawton Collins / BP735, Cherbourg, Channel, France, 50107

    Read More

  • Customs – Roscoff

    Address: Gare Maritime, Port de Bloscon, Roscoff, Channel, France,

    Read More

  • St-Malo Customs

    Address: Fort du Naye / BP 151, 35408 SAINT-MALO Cedex, St Malo, Channel, France, 35408

    Located at the main ferry port.... Read More

BioSecurity

With the continual change in protocols due to the pandemic, we outline the last-known situation below for yacht arrivals. Skippers should follow the recommended links in “resources” to confirm the latest protocols. Always check with your intended port of arrival before getting underway to be 100% certain of what is required. Please e-mail [email protected] if you find protocols have changed.

COVID-19:  OPEN

Yachting Protocols:

July 2022

  • The rules for arriving yachts are similar to travelers arriving by air – full details can be found here (in English). In brief: 
  • Vaccinated crew: proof of a complete vaccination schedule is all that is needed. No pre-departure testing is required anymore, regardless of where you are coming from.
  • Unvaccinated crew: are obliged to present negative results from a PCR (72hr) or Antigen (48hr) test taken prior to departure, but the measures on arrival (test, isolation) are lifted if coming from a country on the Green list (find the list of green, orange and red countries here). If coming from a red or orange country, they must continue to demonstrate  a compelling reason to enter mainland France and may be subject to random testing on arrival.
  • While cruising in France, have your paperwork in order and proof of where you came from, time spent in France etc. The French Coastguard are boarding foreign yachts (in particular those from USA, AUS and NZ) and checking reasons for being in France and documents.
  • Check with the local pharmacy about getting vaccinated in France.
  • See Clearance for entry procedures, including arrival procedures for boats entering Brittany and Normandy.

Resources:

  • Coming to France? Your Covid-19 Questions Answered.
  • Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée
  • Official flyer for pleasure yacht arrivals in France (June 2021)

History:

  • Mid-March 2020 all French ports and marinas shut as the country went into lockdown. Sailing was prohibited. Foreign yachts at anchor were tolerated but crew had to self-isolate with trips ashore only permitted for urgent matters with completiong of a special form.
  • By April, navigation in French territorial waters was strictly prohibited for pleasure crafts.However, any vessel flying a foreign flag was authorized to exercise its right of innocent passage in order to cross, continuously and rapidly, the French territorial sea or to reach the high seas. Yachts in transit were only allowed to seek shelter for bad weather, preferably at anchor. No crew member was allowed to go ashore.
  • Some French ports did allow yachts in transit to stop for fuel and supplies, however strict containment measures were in place therefore advance notice was mandatory.
  • The government started lifting the Covid-19 lockdown on 11 May, 2020, and recreational sailing for yachts in France was permitted once again. However, border restrictions remained in place and the ban on foreign-flagged boats entering harbor.
  • For owners who had left their boats in France and wanted to get back to them, a letter from the marina/shipyard stating the boat was your home worked for many.
  • On 15 June, 2020, travelers from EU countries could visit without a health certificate or any form of quarantine upon arrival. But travelers from Spain and the UK had to self-isolate for 14 days, “in reciprocity” to current regulations in place in both countries.
  • International borders with countries outside the EU reopened on July 1. Yachts coming from other EU countries and certain authorized countries could now enter France.
  • If traveling from a country on the list of high-risk countries, testing was required before entry permitted. 
  • On 30 October, 2020, France entered a second national lockdown. Yachts arriving from EU countries were still permitted to enter the country, but those coming from elsewhere could not enter unless they qualified for an exemption.
  • Mid-January 2021, arrivals from non-EU countries were permitted to enter with a negative Covid test result and 7 days quarantine on arrival.
  • From January 31st, entry into France and any exit from French territory to or from a country outside the European Union was prohibited, except for an overriding reason. 
  • Entry into France from the European Union, was conditional on presentation of a negative PCR test. 
  • ARRETE PREFECTORAL” #090/2021 dated 12 May 2021 stated:
    – Any vessel flying a foreign flag is authorized to exercise its right of innocent passage in order to cross, continuously and rapidly, the French territorial sea or to join the high seas.
    – Any vessel flying a foreign flag is also allowed to join:
    * its home port when located on the French Mediterranean coast;
    * a shipyard subject to having a repair contract with it.
  • On June 9th restrictions eased and France re-opened with a traffic light system and an easing of restrictions for vaccinated travelers (see top).
  • February 2022 onwards, restrictions eased even more.

Health

Documents

Yachts must carry their original registration document, insurance policy and ship’s radio licence. The French authorities are very strict about registration certificates, and some boats have been fined for not having a satisfactory document. One member of the crew must have a radio operator’s certificate of competence. For EU boats, proof of VAT status is also required.

There are various canals which cross France, still used by commercial traffic as well as yachts. All vessels using the inland waterways and canals must be in possession of a valid VNF sticker (Voies Navigables de France), which can be bought for an entire year or shorter periods.

The Atlantic and Mediterranean are connected by a canal route of 314 miles (503 km) with 139 locks, from Bordeaux on the River Garonne, to Castets where the Canal Latéral à la Garonne runs to Toulouse, from where the Canal du Midi leads to Sète in the Mediterranean. Other canals and river systems go into the heart of Brittany, through the centre of Paris, the eastern part of France and the Rhône river to the Mediterranean. The Northern France waterway can be entered at Dunkerque, Calais, Gravelines or St Valéry-sur-Somme, while the Brittany Canal runs from the English Channel to the Bay of Biscay through 63 locks from St Malo via Dinas, Rennes, Redan and the River Vilaine.

For more details on the Inland Waterways of Europe see this Noonsite Report.

Fees

Tolls are due on waterways managed by Voices Navigable de France (VNF). Licence disks (vignettes) must be displayed visibly displayed stbd side forward. These are obtainable:-

– online in English from www.vnf.fr/vignettesVNF/accueil.do – pay online by Visa, Mastercard or Eurocard

– by post from VNF Offices listed on the website – allow 2 weeks

– over the counter (cash only) from 34 listed VNF offices

. Licences are valid for one year (Jan-Dec), 4 consecutive months, 30 consecutive days, 16 consecutive days or 1 day.

Restrictions

Anchoring and Posidonia:

Marine and environmental authorities in the French Alpes-Maritimes on the Cote d’Azur have introduced new laws that restrict anchorage areas in the region for yachts over 20m (66ft) in an action to protect seagrass (Posidonia).

Restricted anchoring areas can be found here.

Operation of Jet Skis and Tenders:

Captains can now be liable for any breaches of the law regarding operation of jet skis and tenders belonging to their vessel, even if he or she was not personally involved in the incident.

If prosecuted this would involve a court hearing with the following potential penalties:

·       A fine of up to €30 000 maximum

·       Up to six months imprisonment

·       A ban from French Territory for at least 1 year

Be aware of speed zones and other restrictions in the areas of France you are cruising.

Local Customs

Clearance Agents

Related Businesses

  • CBCM Yacht Services

    Address: Port-Vendres, Mediterranean, France,

    Ship agents for registered yachts that offers concierge services, provisioning, spare parts and maintenance, fuel bunkering, insurances, yacht support and crew.... Read More

Pets

Animals are accepted from within the EU and which have an EU Pet Passport.

All cats and dogs must be microchipped and have an anti-rabies vaccination certificate (dated at least 30 days in advance and for it to have been administered at least 21 days after the micochip was inserted), as specified in the PETS travel scheme.

For additional EU regulations regarding pets coming from some countries, see https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/pet-movement/ms-websites_en

Rabies vaccinations administered by a veterinary practitioner not authorized by an EU country will render the EU Pet Passport invalid for travel.

If entering from outside the EU and from a country on the ‘High risk’ list, then a Health Certificate from a veterinarian and other requirements must be complied with.

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