Polish flag to French flag: how to reflag your yacht, step by step

Why consider moving to the French flag now?

The Polish flag has not changed: as of 27 October 2026, the Act of 12 April 2018 is still in force In force. What is on the table is a reform before the Sejm (druk 2995, with a committee report, druk 3220 (opens in a new tab), of 22 October 2026), which has not yet been voted on or published. If it is passed, every boat would have to confirm its registration every 5 years and those that are not Polish-owned would also have to pass a prior inspection Proposed. Its status is tracked in the Polish yacht registration reform guide.

The French flag is an EU register open to EU or EEA nationals even if they do not live in France. It is free and there is no periodic administrative inspection of private pleasure craft for personal use In force. In return, you pay an annual tax, the TAEMUP. The requirements are in the French boat registration guide.

Step 0: check whether your boat can move to the French flag and whether it is worth it

• Owner. At least 50% of the boat must belong to EU or EEA nationals In force. A Spanish company is only eligible if the boat is managed and controlled from a permanent establishment in France (art. L5112-1-6 of the Code des transports) In force.
• Residence and use in Spain. If you live in Spain and use the boat there, the French flag does not exempt you from the IEDMT if the boat is over 8 m In force, nor from the safety equipment required by RD 339/2021 In force. As for licences, if your nationality does not match the flag, in Spanish waters the licence of your country of residence applies: a Spanish national living in Spain needs a Spanish licence In force. Compare your options, the Spanish flag included, in the comparison.
• Build date and DEC. Before registration there is a safety check, which in practice is satisfied with the DEC, the manufacturer’s declaration of conformity (art. L5112-1-12 of the Code des transports) In force. For boats built after 16 June 1998, the Var DDTM requires the manufacturer’s DEC with the WIN/HIN/CIN number; boats without CE marking coming from the EU use annex 245-A.6.
• Length and origin. If the boat comes from another EU state and is longer than 7.50 m, you will need the French quitus fiscal (see step 2).
• VAT and customs. The flag does not decide the boat’s VAT or customs status. France only registers boats built in the EU or on which import duties and taxes have been paid (art. L5112-1-2 of the Code des transports) In force. And a boat that leaves the EU customs territory loses that status, according to the European Commission’s non-binding guidance (opens in a new tab) of 30 April 2026.
• Original Polish register. Is the boat on REJA24 (since 1 August 2020) or on an earlier PZŻ or PZMWiNW register? Deregistration works differently (step 1).

Step 1: how to deregister the boat from the Polish register

Deregistration (wykreślenie) is governed by the Polish Act of 12 April 2018 and its procedural regulation of 17 April 2020 In force.

Boats registered before REJA24. Boats on registers predating 1 August 2020 (PZŻ or PZMWiNW) are not deregistered through REJA24, but with the body that holds that archive. The PZŻ has a “Rejestry archiwalne” (opens in a new tab) page, which does not cover the PZMWiNW. These archives are kept for 90 months from 1 August 2020 (art. 27 of the Act) In force: until 1 February 2028, by our calculation.

Step 2: how to register the boat in France

Since 1 January 2022, French customs no longer handles francisation: the boat receives a “certificat d’enregistrement” which, for pleasure craft for personal use, also serves as its navigation document In force.

1. 1

   Choose an address in France if you do not live there

   If you do not live in France, or live there for less than 6 months a year, you must elect a domicile there (“élection de domicile”) using form Cerfa 14501 (opens in a new tab) (art. L5112-1-5 of the Code des transports) In force.

2. 2

   Put the file together

   Each DDTM or DML sets its own. You will find the Var list below, for reference.

3. 3

   File it with the DDTM or DML

   As this is a first registration in France, it cannot be done through demarches-plaisance.gouv.fr: it is filed by post, by email or in person, depending on the office. The Var DDTM asks for it by post to its Pôle interdépartemental in Toulon.

4. 4

   Receive the certificate

   The certificat d’enregistrement arrives as an electronically signed PDF and must be kept on board (art. L5112-1-14 of the Code des transports) In force.

Documents required by the Var DDTM for the first registration of a boat built after 16 June 1998, according to its 2024 form (opens in a new tab) In force:

• Fiche plaisance, with the boat’s name, the chosen home port and the details of each engine (make, model, serial number, type, fuel, kW, administrative horsepower and cubic capacity). Phone and email are mandatory.
• Copy of the invoice or bill of sale.
• Copy of the manufacturer’s DEC with the WIN/HIN/CIN number.
• Copy of both sides of your identity card or of a valid passport.
• Kbis extract less than 3 months old, if the owner is a company.
• Proof of address less than 3 months old, only if the address does not match the one on the identity document.
• Deregistration certificate from the previous flag and a copy of the previous registration.
• If the boat is intra-EU (bought in the EU or flying the flag of an EU state), new or used, and longer than 7.50 m: quitus fiscal from the SIE (tax office) for the buyer’s address. It is not required if the boat was previously French; in that case it gets its old number back.
• If the boat comes from outside the EU: import SAD (single administrative document) stamped by customs.

What do you need to do after registering in France?

• Hull markings (arrêté of 8 April 2009) In force. Sailing boats: name and registration office on the stern. Motor boats: registration number on both sides. All boats: registration number near the helm.
• Radio licence. Every VHF on board a French boat, fixed or handheld, must be declared with an ANFR licence, which is free In force.
• TAEMUP. You have 2 months from first registration to pay the annual tax on demarches-plaisance.gouv.fr In force. In the first year it is reduced by 1/12 for each full month before registration. Boats of 7 m or more, or of 22 CV or more, are liable.
• Later changes. You must report changes of owner, address or engine, and the boat’s deregistration, within 1 month In force.

If you live in Spain, you did not pay the TAEMUP under the Polish flag; under the French flag it is due as soon as the boat exceeds those thresholds (art. L423-10 of the CIBS) In force. Rates, the 2027 reform Approved, not yet in force and a calculator are in the French boat tax guide.

How much does reflagging cost in official fees?

Official Polish and French amounts only: they do not include professional fees or costs with no official tariff, such as sworn translations or an address service in France.