Jet skis, eFoils and water toys on the Côte d'Azur and in Monaco: what is allowed

On the French Riviera, jet skis are limited to 5 knots within 300 metres of the shore and need a licence above 4.5 kW. eFoils and jetboards have their own French category since June 2026: daylight only, within 2 miles of shelter. Monaco requires a licence for jet skis from 5 hp and a minimum age of 16.

France and Monaco write their own rules, so this guide treats them separately. Every point links to the official source.

What are the jet ski rules in France?

Jet skis, called "véhicules nautiques à moteur" (VNM) in French law, may cross the 300-metre coastal strip at no more than 5 knots. They must use the channels approved for them or, where there is no buoyage, run strictly at right angles to the shore (Prémar arrêté 109/2024, Art. 3).

• Licence: Anyone driving a craft with more than 6 administrative horsepower, equal to 4.5 kW, needs a French boating licence (French Ministry of the Sea, jet ski page).
• Neoprene: Since December 2023, every jet ski rider must wear neoprene of at least 2 mm, as shorts, shorty or full wetsuit (same page).
• Accompanied driving: From 16, a motor boat may be driven without a licence under conditions set out by the ministry (French Ministry of the Sea, boating licence page). Check those conditions before you hand a guest the key.

Two local bans matter for yachts that anchor off the popular spots:

• Cannes: Jet skis are banned in the entire buoyed 300-metre strip, including around the Lérins islands (Prémar arrêté 251/2026, Art. 3).
• Porquerolles: Jet skis are banned within 600 metres of the island and its islets, except in transit to three access points (Prémar arrêté 116/2023, Art. 3.1).

Which speed limits apply near the coast?

In France, 5 knots apply to every vessel within 300 metres of the shore, islets, rocks and harbour walls, permanently and even where the strip is not buoyed (Prémar arrêté 109/2024, Art. 2.1).

• Access channels to the beach: direct transit only, no stopping or anchoring, 5 knots unless marked otherwise (same arrêté, Art. 9.5.1.1).
• Diver flags: 5 knots within 100 metres of a diver's flag or a spearfisher's buoy (same arrêté, Art. 6).
• Bathing zones set by the mayor: registered craft may not enter them (same arrêté, Art. 9.5.2).
• Villefranche roadstead: 5 knots also beyond the 300-metre strip, north of the line Pointe Madame to Pointe Pilone (Prémar arrêté 252/2022, Art. 2).
• Port-Cros: 5 knots up to 300 metres and 12 knots between 300 and 600 metres from the coast (Prémar arrêté 117/2023, Art. 2.7).

What about eFoils and jetboards in France?

France now has a category of its own. Since 7 June 2026, the "planche nautique à moteur" covers boards with a hull shorter than 2.5 metres, a combustion or electric motor, with or without a foil, controlled by a trigger and steered only by body movement (Division 240, Art. 240-1.02 III.4). That describes both eFoils and jetboards.

The rules for these boards are in Art. 240-2.11 of Division 240:

• Daylight only.
• No more than 2 miles from a shelter (Division 240, Art. 240-2.11).

Spain takes a similar line for jetboards: motorised boards count as floating devices, ridden without a licence from 18, by day and within 2 nautical miles, but hydrofoils are not named (our Balearics guide).

Two things the sources do not settle:

• Licence: Whether the licence requirement above 4.5 kW also applies to eFoils and jetboards, none of the sources says.
• Beach devices: An older rule covers "engins de plage", which include motor boards under 2.5 metres up to 4.5 kW: daylight only and no more than 300 metres from a shelter (Division 240, Art. 240-2.08, version 2022). Division 240 has been amended twice since, and the current wording of this article was not checked. How it fits with the new board category is open.

Close to shore, the mayor of each town regulates bathing and the use of beach devices and unregistered craft within the 300-metre strip (Prémar arrêté 109/2024, Art. 9.1). These local bathing and kitesurf zones were not reviewed for this guide.

Where are motor boards and underwater scooters banned?

Within 600 metres of Port-Cros and Bagaud, motor boards and underwater scooters may not be used without permission from the national park (Prémar arrêté 117/2023, Art. 2.8). The same rule applies around Porquerolles (Prémar arrêté 116/2023, Art. 2).

Outside these two islands, no French source in this research regulates underwater scooters specifically.

What applies to water skis, tubes and Flyboards?

• Water skis and towed tubes: daylight only, beyond the 300-metre strip, using a channel reserved for fast water sports to cross it, and with a buoyancy aid. The towing boat carries two people, a driver and an observer (Prémar arrêté 109/2024, Art. 4).
• Observer age: for private towing, the second person must be at least 16 (same arrêté, Art. 4).
• Water-jet flying devices such as Flyboards: daylight only, beyond the 300-metre strip and within 2 miles of a shelter, in open areas free of obstacles (same arrêté, Art. 7).

What are the rules in Monaco?

Monaco's Code de la mer has a chapter on jet skis, called "engins nautiques à moteur":

• Licence and age: From 5 hp, a category A motor boat licence or a foreign licence is required. No one under 16 may ride (Code de la mer, Art. O. 752-3).
• Where and when: daylight only and, without a special permit, within one nautical mile of the shore, outside protected and prohibited zones. Riders wear a life jacket at all times (Art. O. 752-4).
• Speed: 3 knots in ports and access channels, 5 knots within 300 metres of port entrances or the shore (Art. O. 752-5).
• Equipment: among other things a propeller guard, a kill switch, a tow line and silencing; at full power no more than 80 dB at 7.5 metres (Art. O. 752-6).
• Rental and loan: a licence is needed from 5 hp, and the renter signs a declaration in an official format before the contract (Art. O. 752-7).
• Insurance: jet skis must be insured (Art. O. 752-10).

In Monaco's port basins and entrances, swimming and water sports are banned without a specific permit from the Direction des Affaires Maritimes (Règlement général des ports, Art. 20.2 (i)).

For eFoils, jetboards, electric boards, underwater scooters, water skis and tubes, no Monaco rule of their own was found.

What should be on board before guests ride?

• A licence check for every jet ski rider: France above 4.5 kW, Monaco from 5 hp.
• Neoprene of at least 2 mm for jet ski riders in France.
• Proof of insurance for the jet skis, required in Monaco.
• A plan for where to ride: daylight only, within 2 miles of shelter for boards, outside Cannes' 300-metre strip and the 600-metre strips of Port-Cros and Porquerolles.

Sources

All sources are official texts from French and Monaco authorities, checked on 4 October 2026 and linked at each point above. The Division 240 rule on beach devices is quoted in its 2022 version.