French Social Security Clarification,
the end of the problem for yacht maintenance
Time spent in the shipyard does not count anymore towards the days you have spent in France / French waters.The measure does not concern anymore yachts undergoing maintenance. Therefore, maintenance periods that render the vessel inoperable or periods spent in a reft and maintenance shipyard, including periods before and after the maintenance work in the shipyard, are excluded from the calculation for the obligation arising from Article L5551
Reminder of the Law
The obligation of subscription to Enim (french public body of social security) or an insurance policy is required from the day on which the length of stay in territorial waters reaches 183 days, calculated on a rolling 12 months basis. To subscribe to Enim, the seafarer must certify this by making a sworn statement. Ship-owners also have the option of subscribing to Enim or insuring a seafarer, under the conditions of Article L 5551-1, at any point once the expected length of stay is 183 days or more.
At least equivalent insurance:
Social protection, whether provided by a social security body or private insurance, must cover all the branches set out in the aforementioned Article L 111-1 of the (French) Social Security Code . As a minimum, it must provide cover for the seafarer’s healthcare costs and their beneficiaries, compensatory salary allowances in the event of illness or accident (whether work-related or not), permanent disability compensation and old-age benefits including reversionary pension and family allowances particularly for child maintenance and child care.
Arrangements for subscription to an insurance scheme:
This obligation may be assumed in full or part by the seafarer, subject to the obligations concerning certain costs assumed by ship-owners.
Clarifications concerning the means of subscribing to Enim:
To make the process easier for employers who might decide to subscribe their employees to Enim, all the necessary documents will be translated into English on the Enim website, the subscription procedure will be simplified and a reporting tool for the seafarer’s services will be made available online.
