Do you actually need a licence?
Yes — if you are fishing any public water in France (a river, canal, or publicly accessible lake), you need a valid carte de pêche. This applies to UK anglers visiting France just as much as it does to French residents. Private carp syndicate lakes are different — the fishery itself handles permissions — but on any public venue found on PiscaMaps, a licence is mandatory.
There is no grace period. Bailiffs (gardes-pêche) do patrol public waters and do check licences. The fine for fishing without one is not worth the risk.
PiscaMaps shows night fishing rules per venue — but your licence must still be valid for the water category. Always check both.
How the AAPPMA system works
French freshwater fishing is governed by a network of local angling associations called AAPPMAs (Associations Agréées de Pêche et de Protection du Milieu Aquatique). There are around 3,600 of them across France — one or more per commune (local district). Each AAPPMA manages the fishing rights on local waterways within its territory.
All AAPPMAs are federated upwards through departmental federations (one per département) and ultimately to the national body, the FNPF (Fédération Nationale de la Pêche en France). Your licence fee is split between these layers.
This is why the licence website asks you to select an AAPPMA when you buy — you are technically joining a local association as a member, even if you are a visitor from the UK who will never set foot near that particular village.
Which AAPPMA you join does not affect where you can fish. The interfédérale gives you access to all participating waters in the reciprocal network regardless of which local AAPPMA you selected at purchase.
Which licence should you buy?
For a UK angler fishing public waters in France, the right choice in almost every case is the Carte Interfédérale Hebdomadaire (weekly) or Annuelle (annual). The interfédérale is not a true nationwide licence — France does not have a single unified system — but it covers waters across roughly 91 départements through a reciprocal network of participating AAPPMAs, which in practice means the vast majority of public rivers, lakes and canals that UK anglers fish. Here is how the main options break down:
| French name | What it means | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Carte Journalière | Day licence — valid for one calendar day | A single day session |
| Carte Hebdomadaire Interfédérale | 7-consecutive-day reciprocal network licence | A week-long trip to France — the most popular choice for UK anglers |
| Carte Annuelle Interfédérale | Full calendar-year reciprocal network licence | Multiple trips per year, or a long stay |
| Carte Départementale | Annual licence for one département only | Fishing one specific area of France regularly — cheaper but geographically restricted |
The Interfédérale licences are the ones you want as a UK visitor. They are valid on all public waters across all 95 mainland départements. If your trip spans more than 7 days, buy the annual. If you are going for a week, the hebdomadaire (weekly) works out significantly cheaper.
A départementale licence is not valid on rivers that cross département boundaries unless specified. When in doubt, buy an interfédérale. It is not much more expensive and removes all doubt.
The licence website — what you need to know before you start
Licences are purchased at cartedepeche.fr. The site has an English-language toggle, but this is where the trouble starts: the English version is broken. Certain pages do not translate, dropdown menus stop working, and — critically — the payment page often fails to process when the site is set to English.
Switch the site back to French before you pay. This is the single most important tip in this guide. If you try to complete checkout in English, your payment will likely fail. Do everything in French — use the translation below if you need it.
Step-by-step: buying your licence
Go to cartedepeche.fr and create an account
Click Mon espace (My account) at the top right, then Créer un compte (Create an account). You will need your name, address, date of birth and email. For address, put your UK address — it does not have to be French. Select Royaume-Uni from the country dropdown (that is the UK).
Choose your licence type
From the homepage or the Acheter une carte (Buy a licence) menu, select Carte Interfédérale. You will then be asked to choose between Hebdomadaire (weekly) or Annuelle (annual). Pick based on the length of your trip.
Select an AAPPMA — this is where most people get stuck
The site will ask you to select an AAPPMA. You will see a search box and a dropdown for département. This does not affect where you can fish. Pick any AAPPMA in the département where you plan to fish, or simply search for a large town near your venue. If you have no preference, choose one from a département you recognise — 62 is Pas-de-Calais, 76 is Seine-Maritime, 14 is Calvados. Click the AAPPMA name to select it and proceed.
Add to basket and go to checkout
Click Ajouter au panier (Add to basket), then Mon panier or Commander (Checkout / Order). Review your basket — confirm the licence type is correct. The price is shown in euros.
Switch to French, then pay
Before you enter any card details, look for the language selector (usually at the top of the page — a flag or language toggle). Set it to Français / French. Then complete your payment. The site accepts Visa and Mastercard. If payment still fails, try a different browser or disable any ad-blockers.
Download and print your licence
After payment, your licence PDF will be available in Mon espace under Mes cartes (My licences). Download it and either print it or save it to your phone. You are legally required to carry it while fishing and produce it on request. A screenshot is generally accepted but a PDF is safer.
Buy before you travel. The site can be slow and the checkout unreliable on mobile data. Sort it at home on a laptop, well in advance of your trip.
Key French terms translated
The site will remain largely in French even if you toggle the language switch. Here are the terms you are most likely to encounter:
| French | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Carte de pêche | Fishing licence |
| Mon espace | My account |
| Créer un compte | Create an account |
| Se connecter | Log in |
| Acheter une carte | Buy a licence |
| Carte interfédérale | Reciprocal network licence (covers participating waters across ~91 départements) |
| Carte départementale | Departmental licence (one area only) |
| Hebdomadaire | Weekly (7 consecutive days) |
| Annuelle | Annual (full calendar year) |
| Journalière | Daily |
| AAPPMA | Local fishing association (see above) |
| Ajouter au panier | Add to basket |
| Commander | Checkout / place order |
| Mes cartes | My licences |
| Télécharger | Download |
| Imprimer | |
| Département | French county (there are 95 in mainland France) |
| Royaume-Uni | United Kingdom |
| Date de naissance | Date of birth |
| Nom / Prénom | Surname / First name |
| Adresse | Address |
| Code postal | Postcode |
| Pays | Country |
| Valider | Confirm / Submit |
| Payer | Pay |
What waters does the licence cover?
This is where a lot of anglers get caught out, so it’s worth being precise. An interfédérale licence does not cover every public water in France. France does not have a single unified national licence system — it is a network of local associations, and the interfédérale links most of them together through three reciprocal networks: EHGO, CHI and URNE.
In practical terms, this means the interfédérale covers the participating waters across around 91 départements — rivers, canals, and accessible lakes managed by AAPPMAs that are part of the reciprocal scheme. For the overwhelming majority of public carp, bream and pike fishing that UK anglers visit France for, the interfédérale is valid. But there are exceptions:
- Waters managed by non-reciprocal AAPPMAs are not covered — even if the water looks public
- Private lakes and syndicate stretches require their own permissions regardless of what licence you hold
- Certain controlled carp zones or reserve areas may require additional local permits
- Even where the interfédérale is valid, local rules still apply — methods allowed, night fishing permissions, and no-kill rules vary by venue
If in doubt about a specific water, ask locally or check with the relevant departmental federation. PiscaMaps includes night fishing and bivvy rules per venue — always cross-check these against your licence validity before you set up camp.
First and second category waters
French public waters are classified into two categories, and your licence must cover the right one:
- 1ère catégorie (First category) — Salmon and trout rivers. These require a first-category endorsement on your licence and are subject to strict seasonal restrictions. You generally need this if fishing for salmonids.
- 2ème catégorie (Second category) — All other public waters, including the vast majority of carp, bream and pike fishing. A standard interfédérale licence covers second-category waters.
For carp fishing on public lakes and rivers — which is what most UK anglers are doing — a standard second-category interfédérale is all you need.
Troubleshooting: when things go wrong
Payment keeps failing
Switch the site language back to French, clear your browser cache, and try again. If it still fails, try a different browser (Firefox tends to work better than Chrome on this site). Disable any VPN or ad-blocker. Some prepaid cards and certain UK debit cards are also occasionally rejected — try a credit card if you have one.
The AAPPMA dropdown shows nothing
This is a known bug when the site is in English. Switch to French, reload the page, and the dropdown should populate. Type the name of a town or the département number into the search box to narrow results.
I can’t find my confirmation email
Check your spam folder first. If nothing is there, log back in to Mon espace → Mes cartes — your licence should be listed there regardless of whether the confirmation email arrived. Download it directly from your account.
The site says my address is invalid
Some UK postcodes are rejected. If this happens, try leaving the postcode field blank or entering a simplified version. Your UK address is only used for account registration — it does not appear on the licence itself.
Now find your venue
Once you have your carte de pêche sorted, use PiscaMaps to find the perfect French public lake — filter by night fishing, species, bivvy permissions, and distance from Calais.
Open the mapQuick summary
- You must have a licence to fish any public water in France
- Buy a Carte Interfédérale Hebdomadaire (weekly) for a standard trip — covers the vast majority of public carp and coarse fishing in France across ~91 départements
- When prompted to choose an AAPPMA, pick any — it does not affect where you can fish
- Switch the site to French before paying — the English version breaks the checkout
- Download your PDF after purchase and carry it while fishing
- Buy in advance at home — don’t leave it to the night before you launch