Keeping a boat in a French port: how insurance works

French law does not make insurance compulsory for most private pleasure boats. In practice the question never arises, because you will not get an annual berthing contract without it. The contract you sign with the port makes proof of third-party cover a condition of the berth.

Most French port contracts list the same guarantees: liability for damage caused to other vessels and to third parties, damage to port installations, removal of the wreck if the boat sinks, and clean-up costs after pollution. Your certificate needs to show all of them, with the boat's name and valid dates.

The certificate expires every year. Ports check at renewal, and a lapsed policy can put your contract in jeopardy. Put the renewal date in your diary, or use a broker who chases it for you.

Every hull policy states where you may sail. Some cover a strip of coastal water, others the whole western Mediterranean, others European waters and beyond. Cross the line and the insurer can refuse a claim, even for an incident that had nothing to do with the distance.

From Port Fréjus the tempting trips are Corsica, the Italian riviera and the Balearics. Depending on your policy, all three can sit outside a tight coastal zone. Read the schedule before you plan the passage. Extending the zone for a season is usually straightforward, but it has to be agreed before you leave the berth, not after.

Do not confuse the insurance zone with the French equipment rules. Division 240 fixes the safety equipment a French-flagged boat must carry according to how far from shelter it sails. Complying with one says nothing about the other; check both before a long passage.

Many owners along the Var coast haul out for winter. Check what your policy says about the boat ashore: fire, theft and storm damage on the hard should stay covered, though the excess sometimes changes. If the yard is in a different place from your declared berth, tell the insurer, because the stated mooring is part of the contract.

Lifting is the moment to read the small print. During crane operations the yard's liability and your own policy overlap, and some hull policies restrict cover during handling. Ask the question before the travel lift takes the strain.

Road transport follows its own logic. While a trailer is hitched, damage it causes to others generally falls to the towing car's insurance, and a trailer over 750 kg usually needs declaring to your car insurer. Damage to the boat itself during the journey is another matter: that calls for transit cover under the marine policy, which is not always included as standard.

People first, boat second. In an emergency on the French coast, call the CROSS on VHF channel 16, or dial 196 from a mobile. Insurance can wait until everyone is safe.

Then build the file while the facts are fresh. Note the time, your position, the weather and sea state, and the details of any other vessel involved. Photograph the damage before repairs start. Keep every invoice, including towage and assistance, because a policy with assistance cover will usually reimburse them.

Declare the claim quickly. French policies generally give five working days, and only two in the event of theft, unless your contract allows longer. After a serious incident, a sea report lodged on arrival in port strengthens the file. This is where a broker earns their keep: we prepare the declaration, defend the file with the insurer and keep you informed. At ASSUDIRE, a message about a claim gets a reply within two working hours.

When you sign or renew a berthing contract, the capitainerie will ask for the boat's registration papers, your identity and a current insurance certificate. A French-flagged boat shows its French registration document; a foreign flag needs its own proof of registry.

The certificate gets read carefully. Staff check that it names the vessel, that the dates are valid and that the port guarantees appear, wreck removal above all. The reason is simple: if a boat sinks at its berth, the owner pays for the removal, and the authorities can order it done. Ports want an insurer standing behind that obligation.

Foreign certificates are accepted when the guarantees match, but a document in English sometimes raises questions at the desk. We can check whether your existing policy satisfies a French port, or arrange a French policy with a certificate that needs no explaining.

ASSUDIRE has had its office at Port Fréjus since 2013, a few steps from the pontoons. Boat insurance was one of the firm's first specialities and it still shapes the working week: hull damage after a summer blow, a certificate needed before a Friday haul-out, an owner arriving from abroad with a berth reserved and no French paperwork.

The firm is an independent broker. It compares cover from around thirty insurers rather than selling one company's product, and the advice costs nothing. Sylvie, Margot, Lucas and Cyril work in French, English and Italian, which matters in a port where many owners are not French. Clients rate the service 4.9 out of 5 on Google, from 24 reviews.

To go further, read our page on boat insurance in France, book an appointment, or call +33 4 89 78 15 49. You can also write to info@assudire.fr through the contact page; messages get an answer within two working hours. There is more about the team on the about page.