How to sell a yacht in France.

The short version

France has the deepest used yacht market in the Mediterranean. The country is home to Europe's largest yacht harbour (Port Vauban in Antibes), the world's most concentrated brokerage industry (between Cannes and Monaco), and the volume of transactions per year dwarfs Spain or Italy. The flip side: French maritime law is precise, French sellers tend to be patient, and the tax landscape changed materially in 2020 and again in 2022.

Two things every French yacht seller in 2026 needs to know. First, the French commercial leasing scheme that defined the new-yacht market for two decades ended in late 2020 after the European Commission ruled the use-based VAT reduction incompatible with EU law. Yachts placed under the scheme before its closure retain valid EU-VAT-paid status, but the scheme cannot be used for new transactions. Second, the DAFN annual francisation tax was reformed in 2022 into the Droit Annuel de Navigation (DAN), with revised thresholds. Most yachts above 7 metres still pay; the rates scale with hull length and engine power.

Beyond that, the process is similar to Spain or Italy: 5–10% broker commissions, three- to nine-month sale timelines for well-priced production yachts, and the same fundamental rules — don't overprice, document VAT status meticulously, and don't sign anything in French waters without understanding where the sale is legally deemed to take place. This guide covers all of it, split clearly into the two situations most sellers find themselves in.

Two seller profiles, two different processes

Almost every "how to sell a yacht in France" question comes from one of two people. The processes overlap but the tax and legal implications diverge sharply, so it helps to identify which one you are before reading further.

The tax picture in 2026

French yacht tax has more moving parts than Spanish or Italian tax, primarily because France has been actively reforming it for the last six years. Here is what actually matters when you sell.

TVA (Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée)

France's standard VAT rate is 20%. On new yachts sold by a French dealer or builder, TVA is added at 20%. On used yachts sold between private individuals (no business in the chain), no TVA is charged on the sale — the same private-sale exemption that applies across the EU. The yacht's underlying VAT status (EU-VAT-paid versus Temporary Admission versus VAT-unpaid) does not change because of a private sale between two EU residents.

The complications start when a business is in the chain. A yacht held in a French SARL or operated commercially under a Yacht Engaged in Trade (YET) regime will attract TVA on sale unless the buyer also operates commercially and a margin scheme applies. Charter operators selling out of the charter fleet should expect TVA treatment unless the structure is specifically planned. Always confirm with a French maritime accountant what the seller's status actually is, not what you think it is.

The end of the French commercial leasing scheme (2020)

For two decades, the French "commercial leasing" scheme effectively reduced TVA on new yacht purchases to as little as 10–11% (rather than 20%), based on a presumption that yachts spent significant time outside EU waters and thus only a fraction of their use was subject to French TVA. In late 2020, after a European Commission infringement procedure, France ended the use-based reduction. The scheme can no longer be used to reduce VAT on new yacht purchases.

What this means for sellers in 2026: if your yacht was placed under the leasing scheme before its closure, it retains valid EU-VAT-paid status as long as the original lease was completed correctly. Buyers and brokers may ask for the original lease termination documentation and the certificate of TVA payment. Keep this paperwork safe — replacing it years later is difficult and expensive. If your yacht's VAT history references "leasing français" or "Société Civile leasing" without complete paperwork, get a maritime lawyer to confirm the status before listing.

DAN — Droit Annuel de Navigation (formerly DAFN)

The annual francisation duty on French-flagged pleasure craft was reformed in 2022 into the Droit Annuel de Navigation. It remains payable on yachts above certain hull-length and engine-power thresholds (typically yachts above 7 metres of hull length or above 22 fiscal horsepower of engine power). The rate scales with both length and power. As a rough guide:

• 10–12m sailing yacht, 30hp diesel — typically €200–€350/year
• 14m sailing yacht, 75hp diesel — typically €450–€700/year
• 15m motor yacht, 2×300hp — typically €1,200–€1,800/year
• 20m motor yacht, 2×800hp — typically €3,500–€5,500/year
• Yachts over 30m — significantly higher, sometimes €15,000+/year

DAN does not affect a sale as a transactional tax — there is no equivalent of Spain's 4% ITP that the buyer pays on a Spanish-flagged used yacht. It is simply prorated in the bill of sale so the buyer reimburses the seller for unused months. The buyer takes over the obligation from the date of registration in their name.

Capital gains on the seller's profit

For French residents, profit on the sale of a yacht is in principle subject to capital gains tax through the annual income tax return, calculated as the sale price minus the documented purchase price and capital improvements. The tax rate combines a 19% capital gains rate with social charges (prélèvements sociaux) of 17.2%, for an effective marginal rate of approximately 36.2%. However, a sliding-scale exemption applies after 22 years of ownership for income tax and 30 years for social charges. In practice, most yacht sales are at a loss given depreciation, so capital gains liability rarely arises. Where it does — typically on appreciated classic yachts or successful refit projects — it is material and worth modelling before selling.

Non-residents are taxed on French-source capital gains based on the applicable double-taxation treaty between France and the seller's country of residence. UK residents under the post-Brexit France–UK treaty are typically taxed in their country of residence, not France, on movable property gains. EU residents follow their respective treaties. Always confirm with a tax adviser before assuming exemption.

Yachts in commercial use — the YET regime

Yachts above 24 metres can be registered under the French "Yacht Engaged in Trade" (YET) regime, which allows them to operate as commercial charter vessels with simplified compliance. YET yachts are eligible for VAT recovery on operating expenses and on fuel under specific conditions. Selling a YET yacht is a more technical transaction — TVA treatment depends on whether the buyer continues commercial use, the yacht's commissioning status, and the structure used. Expect 20% TVA exposure unless the sale is structured into commercial continuity. Always involve specialist counsel.

Broker commissions on the Côte d'Azur, explained honestly

The yacht brokerage industry between Cannes and Monaco is the world's densest concentration of yacht brokers per square kilometre. Roughly 200 brokerage houses operate within an hour of Antibes, ranging from one-broker outfits to multinational firms with 50+ staff. The commission structure has been the global 10% standard for decades, with downward pressure in recent years from digital platforms and from larger transactions where the absolute fee becomes significant. Here is the real picture in 2026.

Like Spain, the French market runs on co-brokerage: the commission is typically split 50/50 between the listing broker (yours) and the buyer's broker. This is what keeps the international buyer pool active across brokerages. Negotiating commission down too aggressively can backfire — if the listing broker's net share drops below roughly 3.5%, the network of buyer-side brokers has less reason to prioritise your yacht over a comparable listing.

The peer-to-peer sale option exists but is less practical in France than in Spain or the UK. French maritime law is precise about the form of the acte de vente, the timing of the radiation (deregistration) and francisation in the buyer's name, and the documentation chain. A broker handling a few dozen sales a year navigates this routinely; an owner doing one sale every five to ten years frequently makes errors that delay closing by weeks or months.

Selling as a French resident: step by step

Assuming you live in France and your yacht flies the French flag, the process breaks into five phases. Plan for three to nine months from listing to closing on a well-priced production yacht; longer if your yacht is over €1M, located outside the Côte d'Azur, or in need of refit.

1. Gather your documents before you list

This is the phase most sellers skip and later regret. Before a single broker sees your yacht, pull together: the original acte de francisation (your French registration document), the certificat de jauge, the certificate of TVA payment (or the original leasing-scheme termination paperwork if applicable), the radio licence and ship station certificate, a full maintenance log including engine hours and rigging history, the most recent insurance policy, and proof of paid DAN. If your yacht has been refit substantially, the invoices and certificates from the chantier should be in one folder. A missing TVA certificate alone can delay a sale by six to eight weeks while you obtain a replacement from the original importer's records or via your customs broker.

2. Get a realistic valuation

The French market is information-rich. Don't rely on one broker's opinion, especially the broker most eager for your listing. The professional standard is to get two or three independent valuations and triangulate. Useful benchmarks: comparable yachts currently listed on YachtWorld, Boats.com, TheYachtMarket, and Band of Boats; recent sold prices from the BUC Used Boat Price Guide; the French Argus du Bateau reference (which most French brokers consult routinely); and recent sales at your home marina of similar models. Be ruthlessly honest about depreciation. A 2018 production yacht is not worth its 2018 list price minus inflation — it's worth what the next informed buyer will pay this year, which is materially less.

3. Choose your broker carefully

France has the most differentiated brokerage market in Europe. The same yacht placed with two different brokers can sell three months apart at €30,000 different prices. Interview at least three. Ask them: how many yachts of your type have they sold in the last 12 months? Are they members of a recognised association (FFPP — Fédération Française des Ports de Plaisance — for marinas, APBM — Association des Professionnels du Brokerage de la Méditerranée — for brokers)? What platforms will they syndicate to? What are their photography and video standards? How quickly do they respond to buyer enquiries? In the Mediterranean superyacht market, response time on enquiries is the single biggest differentiator between brokers — under two hours is the standard at the top houses, and 24+ hours loses deals.

4. Handle the survey and sea trial professionally

When a serious buyer appears, they will commission a marine survey (expertise) and a sea trial (essai en mer). In France, expect to pay for diesel and berth for the sea trial; the survey is at the buyer's expense. French surveyors registered with the EMCI (Experts Maritimes en Conseil International) or APCEM (Association des Professionnels de la Conseil et de l'Expertise Maritime) produce the rigorous, structured reports buyers and insurers expect. The survey will find issues — it always does. Plan for one of three outcomes: the buyer asks you to fix specific safety-critical issues (most reasonable), the buyer asks for a price reduction equal to a fraction of the estimated repair cost (most common), or the buyer walks (happens 15–25% of the time on yachts over €250k). Don't take survey findings personally; treat them as negotiation data.

5. Close the sale and transfer the registration

Closing involves the acte de vente (bill of sale) signed by both parties, payment via escrow or bank transfer (never cash for anything substantial — French law caps cash payments at €1,000 between professionals and individuals), and the simultaneous radiation from the seller's name and francisation in the buyer's name with the Affaires Maritimes through the local DDTM. The French registry is generally efficient but expect 2–6 weeks for the paperwork to be fully processed. The buyer pays the administrative francisation fee — a few hundred euros for a standard production yacht, scaling up with hull length. A French maritime lawyer or notaire drafts the acte de vente for a typical fee of €500–€2,000 on a standard transaction. Skipping this step to save the fee is a false economy: errors in the acte routinely delay closing or create disputes that cost an order of magnitude more to resolve.

Selling as a non-resident: step by step

The non-resident sale of a foreign-flagged yacht located in a French marina is a more technical transaction than a resident sale — primarily because of where the sale is deemed to take place and how French TVA might attach. Get this wrong and you can trigger 20% TVA on a transaction that should have been tax-neutral. Get it right and the sale is genuinely simple.

1. Confirm the yacht's tax and customs status

Before listing, establish in writing: the yacht's flag state and registry number, the VAT status (EU-VAT-paid, on Temporary Admission, or VAT-unpaid), the length of time the yacht has been in EU waters on its current regime, and any open customs procedures. A non-EU-flagged yacht on Temporary Admission can generally stay in EU waters for up to 18 months before needing to leave; if the buyer is also non-EU, this regime transfers cleanly to the new owner. If the buyer is EU-resident, they must either take the yacht out of EU waters before bringing it back, formally import it and pay TVA at 20% on the customs-declared value, or structure the sale as a TVA-paid transaction. The choice has material financial consequences and should be modelled before signing anything.

2. Structure the sale to manage TVA exposure

Where the sale is legally "concluded" matters enormously under French and EU VAT rules. A sale contract signed in France with the yacht in French territorial waters can be deemed a French-located supply and attract French TVA, even between two non-residents. To avoid this, many non-resident sales involving meaningful sums are structured as follows: the contract is signed outside French territorial waters (often in international waters during a brief sea passage, or in the yacht's flag-state jurisdiction), payment moves through an escrow account in the flag state or in a neutral jurisdiction, and physical delivery takes place outside France. A French maritime lawyer can structure this properly for typically €2,500–€6,000 on a transaction of meaningful size — trivial compared to a potential 20% TVA exposure on a €500k yacht.

3. List on international platforms, not just French ones

Your buyer is unlikely to be French. The Côte d'Azur is the world's most international yacht market — typical buyer pools include German, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, UK, Italian, US, and an increasing share of Middle Eastern buyers. The best platforms for non-resident-to-non-resident yacht sales are the international ones: YachtWorld, TheYachtMarket, Boats.com, Band of Boats, and the trade-show circuit (Cannes Yachting Festival in September, Monaco Yacht Show in late September, Dusseldorf Boot in January). A French-only listing reaches a fraction of the realistic buyer base. The listing should clearly state: the yacht's flag, its VAT status, its current location, the YET status if applicable, and whether the seller is willing to deliver outside French waters for closing.

4. Survey, sea trial, and marina paperwork

The survey and sea trial are similar to a resident sale, with two French-specific details. First, larger French marinas — particularly Port Vauban in Antibes, the Port de Cannes Vieux Port, and the IYCA Monaco — operate strict berth transfer protocols and require both parties to sign berth-transfer documentation before releasing the yacht to the buyer. Confirm with the marina office before closing day what their requirements are; assumptions cost time. Second, the sea trial for a non-resident sale frequently doubles as the moment the yacht physically leaves French territorial waters for the contract signing (if the sale is structured that way) — this needs to be planned with the captain and surveyor as a single coordinated operation rather than three separate events.

5. Close outside French waters, or structure with the lawyer present

The cleanest closing for a non-resident sale on a high-value yacht is to leave French territorial waters for the signing and payment, then have the new owner re-enter under their flag and TVA status if they wish to keep the yacht in France. Yes, this is a logistical ritual. Yes, it is worth it if it removes 20% TVA exposure from a substantial transaction. Alternative structures involve flag-state-based escrow and remote signing through a notary in the flag state — these work too, provided the legal form is correct. None of this is a corner to cut without a maritime lawyer. The single biggest mistake non-resident sellers make in France is following advice from a broker who is not legally qualified to give tax advice; the broker is invaluable for the commercial side but the structuring decision is a lawyer's call.

How long a sale actually takes

Realistic timelines, based on French brokerage data and observed transactions in the Mediterranean market in 2025–26:

• Production yachts under €250k — 2 to 6 months, assuming correct pricing and decent photography. The market for this bracket is deep and active across France and neighbouring countries.
• Mid-range production yachts €250k–€750k — 4 to 9 months. The largest segment by volume and the most sensitive to pricing. Overpriced yachts in this bracket frequently sit for 18+ months on the Côte d'Azur.
• Semi-custom and luxury yachts €750k–€2M — 6 to 12 months. Smaller buyer pool, more sensitive to condition and refit status, more responsive to marquee placement (Cannes Yachting Festival, Monaco Yacht Show).
• Superyachts over €2M — 9 to 24 months. Highly buyer-dependent; some sell within weeks to a known buyer, others sit for several years. The very top end (€20M+) routinely takes 18–36 months.
• Yachts needing significant refit — add 6–9 months to any bracket, or expect to sell at 25–40% below comparable refit-complete yachts.
• Yachts located outside the Côte d'Azur — Brittany, Atlantic coast, Corsica all sell, but typically take 30–50% longer than the same yacht relocated to Antibes or Cannes. The marina dictates the buyer flow more than most sellers expect.

The two biggest variables in sale speed are pricing and presentation, in that order. A correctly priced yacht with professional photos and a clean spec sheet sells three to four times faster than an overpriced yacht with amateur photography. Location is the third variable — measurable, but secondary to the first two.

Six mistakes that cost French yacht sellers money

1. Overpricing based on what you paid, not what the market values. Every Côte d'Azur broker has the same story: a seller insisting on a price that ignores six years of depreciation, the yacht sitting unsold for two seasons, and finally selling at 30–40% below the price the broker recommended on day one. The first 90 days of a listing generate the highest enquiry volume; mispricing during this window wastes the most valuable phase of the sale.
2. Letting TVA documentation lapse. If your TVA certificate or original leasing-scheme termination paperwork is lost, replacing it can take months and several thousand euros in lawyer time. Scan every document the day you buy a yacht and store copies in at least three places — cloud, encrypted local drive, and a physical backup with your maritime lawyer.
3. Choosing a broker because they're physically closest to your marina. The broker at the marina café is not necessarily the broker most likely to sell your yacht. Co-brokerage network reach, international platform access (especially YachtWorld syndication), Cannes/Monaco show participation, and English-language buyer handling all matter more than proximity.
4. Misunderstanding the end of the leasing scheme. Buyers occasionally try to argue that a yacht placed under the pre-2020 leasing scheme has invalid VAT status because the scheme was later wound down. This is incorrect — yachts validly placed before the closure retain EU-VAT-paid status. If a buyer's lawyer raises this, push back with the original termination paperwork and, if necessary, a second legal opinion. Some buyers raise it as a price-negotiation tactic; don't capitulate without verifying the technical merits.
5. Signing in French waters on a non-resident high-value sale. Signing the acte de vente in a French marina office on a non-resident high-value sale can attract French TVA exposure that was entirely avoidable. The cost of structuring the sale correctly with a maritime lawyer is typically 0.5–1% of sale price; the cost of getting it wrong can be 20%.
6. Neglecting presentation. A Côte d'Azur yacht being shown from a scruffy mid-coast berth presents materially worse than the same yacht photographed at Port Vauban or Cannes Vieux Port. If your marina permits, plan a photography-day berth move. The cost is small; the effect on enquiry volume is measurable. Professional photography (€800–€2,500), drone footage (€500–€1,500), and a properly produced walkthrough video (€1,000–€3,000) routinely return their cost several times over in shorter time-to-sale.

Frequently asked questions