The river vignette or pleasure boat toll is to be paid by all owners of pleasure boats, whether sailing or motorized, except those less than 5 m long and with an engine of less than 9.9 real HP (7.29 kW) as well as all boats used by certain public services.
Navigation means the movement of the boat, whether or not there are locks to be crossed. For the practice of pleasure boating, specific nautical and motorized activities, such as water skiing, jet skiing, etc., it is necessary to consult the particular regulations of the navigation police of the place of practice with the local services or on the internet.
the "vignette fluviale" is a kind of right of passage (or traffic fee) calculated according to the length of the boat and the duration of the navigation. It is compulsorily paid for all navigators on the network of inland waterways managed by the Voies Navigables de France, whose boat is 5 meters long or more or whose engine has a power of at least 9.9 HP. (Articles L. 4412-1 and R. 4316-11 of the Transport Code). Thus, when a sailor uses a waterway managed by VNF, he must pay this tax" says Jérôme Helikman, president of the Legiplaisance association.
"It is important to remember that not all French waterways are part of the VNF network" we are told by Voies Navigables de France. "This sticker gives the right to use the public river domain" we add.
The sticker can be purchased online, on the VNF website or from approved sales outlets, to be found on the VNF website. When you buy the river sticker, you will receive a certificate of issue and a sticker, which must be affixed to the front of the boat, on the starboard side, so that it is visible from the outside, in all circumstances.
Plaisance toll rates in 2015
The calculation of the tariff of the pleasure boat vignette is based on the duration of use of the network and the characteristics of the boat.
The calculation is defined as follows: a variable part depending on the duration of use of the network and the characteristics of the boat defined by its length (value expressed in euros X length of the boat registered on the certificate of registration) + a fixed part proportional to the duration of use (fixed amount).
What is the risk of not presenting a sticker?
The river brigade can carry out controls during navigation (sworn agents of VNF [decree 93-1243 JO of 19/11/1993] or services in charge of maintaining order. An official report can be drawn up, resulting in fines.
Voies Navigables de France operates a network of 6700 km of rivers and canals.
- 4100 km of main network, dedicated primarily to freight traffic
- 2,600 km of small-gauge secondary network, with seasonal operation and, above all, oriented towards pleasure boating.
