Yacht registration agency · Reflagging
Reflag your Polish flag yacht to the French flag
A reform now going through the Polish parliament would require boats with foreign owners to pass a prior inspection and to revalidate their Polish yacht registration every five years. We help you move to the French register, with every step explained and every rule linked.
Polish reform: the Sejm committee approved its report on 22 October 2026 Proposed. The plenary vote, the Senate, the President’s signature and publication are still to come.
- boats on the Polish register had an owner domiciled outside Poland in December 2025, out of more than 100,900.
- 40,018
- Explanatory memorandum to bill 2995 (Sejm, 29 July 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- after publication, the bulk of the Polish reform would come into force, if it is passed. For now it is a bill.
- 12 months
- Committee report, druk 3220 (22 October 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- is what the registration formalities for a pleasure boat cost in France. The recurring cost is the annual tax (TAEMUP).
- €0
- French Ministry of the Sea (21 October 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Why now
The Polish flag has not changed yet. It is on course to.
The Polish REJA24 register is still open to any nationality, costs PLN 80 and its document never expires In force. The reform bill already has a favourable report from the Sejm committee Proposed: if it goes through, boats with foreign owners will have to pass a prior inspection and revalidate their registration every five years, or lose the flag.
· Done
REJA24 is launched
The electronic register created by the Act of 12 April 2018 comes into force: open, with no requirement to live in Poland.
· Done
The bill reaches the Sejm
The Polish Government approved it on 28 July and it enters Parliament as druk 2995.
· Done
First reading in committee
The Maritime Economy Committee debates it. The Ministry confirms that the register will stay open, with new checks.
· Done
Committee report
The committee approves it with amendments (druk 3220) and recommends that the plenary vote on it.
No date yet· Pending
Sejm plenary, Senate and presidential signature
The text may still change or fail to pass.
Publication + 12 months· Pending
The bulk of the reform comes into force
Prior inspection and revalidation every five years. Some parts would apply sooner, after 14 days: the temporary certificate would no longer allow you to sail.
Changing tack
Two European registers, two different courses
Polish flag, if the reform is passed
- Prior inspection by a classification society for boats with foreign owners Proposed
- Registration revalidated every five years Proposed
- A temporary certificate that no longer lets you sail Proposed
- Loss of the flag if you fail to comply Proposed
French flag, today
- Free registration without living in France, through élection de domicile In force
- No periodic administrative inspections for private pleasure boats In force
- A single document on board: the certificat d’enregistrement In force
- An annual tax that, from 2027, no longer charges for the engine on almost all sailing yachts Approved, not yet in force
Why France
Six reasons, one for each letter
- 01
You don’t need to live in France
At least 50% of the boat must belong to EU or EEA citizens, and that is enough. If you don’t live there, you make an “élection de domicile” in France (art. L5112-1-5 of the Code des transports) In force.
- 02
Free registration
Registration formalities carry no fee, according to the French Ministry of the Sea In force. What you pay each year is the TAEMUP, and you can work it out here.
- 03
No periodic inspections
Division 240 makes no provision for administrative inspections of private pleasure boats: the skipper is responsible In force. There is a safety check at registration, which is met with the CE declaration of conformity.
- 04
A stable register
While Poland works on tightening its register, France has no such change under way for pleasure boats. What changes in 2027 is the annual tax, and for sailing yachts it goes down Approved, not yet in force.
- 05
Your EU licence is valid
France recognises skipper’s licences issued in the EU, within their limits In force. In Spanish waters, Spanish rules apply: we explain how in the comparison.
- 06
One document, and a mortgage
The certificat d’enregistrement includes the navigation permit, and the boat can carry a ship mortgage registered with the commercial court In force.
How it works
From the Polish to the French register in five stages
The order matters: it is best to have the French file checked before you apply for deregistration in Poland, so the boat is not left without a flag for longer than necessary.
- 1
Check that you qualify
An EU or EEA owner holding at least 50%, the CE declaration, the VAT position, the boat’s length, and where you live and sail.
- 2
Prepare the French file
Fiche plaisance, invoice, CE declaration with the hull number, ID and, if the boat is over 7.50 m and comes from the EU, the quitus fiscal.
- 3
Deregistration in Poland
An application with the original registration document. It is free and the regulation sets 14 days. The boat loses its Polish nationality.
- 4
Registration in France
The file goes to the DDTM/DML. The certificat d’enregistrement arrives as a signed PDF and is kept on board.
- 5
Finishing touches
Hull markings, the ANFR radio licence (free) and the first TAEMUP within two months of registration.
Notices to mariners
What the French flag won’t do for you
Changing flag solves the problem of the Polish register. It does not change the obligations of your country of residence. We would rather you knew that before you start.
- 01
If you live in Spain, it won’t spare you the registration tax
If you live in Spain and use a boat over 8 m there, the IEDMT (Spain’s registration tax: 12%, Catalonia included) is due under any foreign flag: it depends on where you live, not on the flag (Ley 38/1992, art. 65.1.d (opens in a new tab)) In force.
- 02
It adds an annual tax
Under the Polish flag you pay no TAEMUP. Under the French flag you do, if the boat is 7 m or longer or exceeds the minimum power. Work out how much.
- 03
It doesn’t change your licence in Spanish waters
Anyone in command of a foreign-flagged boat in Spanish waters needs the licence of their country of residence, unless their nationality matches the flag (DA 5.ª of RD 875/2014) In force.
- 04
Your VAT position comes to light
France only registers boats built in the EU or with import duties paid, and asks for a tax certificate for boats over 7.50 m bought in another EU country In force.
Calculator
How much would you pay each year under the French flag?
Work out your boat’s TAEMUP, the French boat tax, with the 2026 tables and those of the 2027 reform. Checked against the official French simulator: a 12 m sailing yacht from 2005 rated at 8 fiscal horsepower pays €335 in 2026 and €315 in 2027.
Open the calculatorQuick answers
Before you start
What exactly does reflagging a yacht involve?
It means removing the boat from one country’s register and entering it on another’s. Once it is deregistered from REJA24, the boat loses its Polish nationality; once registered in France, it takes French nationality and receives the certificat d’enregistrement, which becomes the document you carry on board.
Does it work for motor boats, or only for sailing yachts?
Both. The French pleasure boat register accepts sailing yachts, motor boats and catamarans of 2.5 m or more. Where there is a difference is the annual tax: from 2027 the engine component is only charged from 120 kW upwards, so most sailing yachts stop paying it.
My boat is on a Polish register from before 2020. Does that change anything?
Yes: registers that predate REJA24 (those of the PZŻ and the PZMWiNW) cannot be closed through REJA24. Deregistration is handled by the body that holds that archive, which the law keeps for 90 months from 1 August 2020, that is, until February 2028.
What do I need to ask you to look at my case?
Just the form: whether the boat flies the Polish flag today, what type of boat it is, its length if you know it, where it is moored and a contact email. The documents (Polish registration, invoice, CE declaration) come later, once it is confirmed that the case fits.
Request
Tell us about your boat
Four details about the boat and your email address. With that, we look at whether it can move to the French flag and reply by email.
- Your data is used only to answer your request.
- Asking for information commits you to nothing.
- Every step comes with a link to the rule that requires it.