By Yasmine EDDAM
17 April 2025
For many people, navigating the rivers and canals of France in their own barge, houseboat or self-propelled transport vessel is a dream or a professional reality. However, beyond the pleasure of navigation or commercial imperatives, river boats have a very specific legal status. It is essential to understand that a boat designed for inland navigation is not a vessel designed to take on the sea. This distinction, based on the boat's ability to withstand the perils of the sea, leads to the application of specific rules that differ from maritime law. Legally, the Civil Code classifies boats as movable property. However, this classification is misleading because, for units of a certain size, the legislator has put in place a derogatory regime sometimes inspired by that of immovables, in particular to facilitate credit and secure transactions. At the heart of this system are two fundamental administrative procedures:...
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