Sports license (competition or leisure license)

Verified 05 September 2023 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister), Ministry of Sport

Do you want to participate in sports activities and the associative life of a sports federation?

To do this, you must have a sports license.

In particular, a medical certificate is required to obtain it.

We present you with the information you need to know.

The sports license allows participation in activities organized by the sports federation to which the club is affiliated, including competitions.

Licensee is covered by insurance obligatory of the federation for the damage caused to it or that another participant causes to it during these activities.

The license also allows you to participate in the functioning of the federation.

The license is issued by a sports federation. It can also be issued by a club on behalf of a federation. To do this, the club must be affiliated with the federation.

According to the federation, there can be a "competition" license, a "leisure" license, a "management" license, an "arbitrator" license:

  • The "leisure" license allows you to participate in federation activities, except for competitions.
  • The "competition" license allows you to participate in the competitions of the federation.
  • The licenses "leader" and "referee" do not open the right to sport.

Please note

accession to a club affiliated to a sports federation does not allow you to participate in the activities of the sports federation (especially the competitions).

Bachelor "competition"

The "competition" license allows you to participate in competitions organized by the sports federation.

The conditions for obtaining a 1era "competition" license different according to your age.

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You're an adult

Depending on the sport, you may be required to obtain a medical certificate.

The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport or discipline concerned in competition.

Ask your club or federation for more information.

Who shall I contact

You're a minor

The conditions for obtaining the license differ according to the discipline practiced.

Sports disciplines with special constraints

These disciplines include:

  • Underwater diving, particularly underground diving
  • Sports, practiced in competition, for which the fight can end by K-O (English boxing, kick boxing, savate, ...)
  • Sports involving the use of firearms or compressed air weapons (shooting, ball-trap, biathlon)
  • Sports, practiced in competition, involving the use of vehicles, with the exception of go-karting and radio-guided motor modeling (motorsport, motorcycling)
  • Motonautical sports (jet-skiing, hovercraft,...)

In this case, you must provide a medical certificate dated less than 1 year on the day of the license application. The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned.

Other sports

You need to fill out a health questionnaire with the help of your parents.

Depending on your answers to the questionnaire, you will need to provide one of the following documents to obtain your license:

  • Questionnaire information certificate
  • Medical certificate attesting to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned. The certificate must be less than 6 months old on the day of the license application.

Recreational license

The "leisure" license allows you to practice your sport in a club without having the right to participate in competitions organized by the sports federation.

The conditions for obtaining a 1era license "leisure" differ according to your age.

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

You're an adult

Depending on the sport, you may be required to obtain a medical certificate.

The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport or discipline concerned.

Ask your club or federation for more information.

Who shall I contact

You're a minor

The conditions for obtaining the license differ according to the discipline practiced.

Sports disciplines with special constraints

These disciplines include:

  • Underwater diving, particularly underground diving
  • Sports, practiced in competition, for which the fight can end by K-O (English boxing, kick boxing, savate, ...)
  • Sports involving the use of firearms or compressed air weapons (shooting, ball-trap, biathlon)
  • Sports, practiced in competition, involving the use of vehicles, with the exception of go-karting and radio-guided motor modeling (motorsport, motorcycling)
  • Motonautical sports (jet-skiing, hovercraft,...)

In this case, you must provide a medical certificate dated less than 1 year on the day of the license application. The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned.

Other sports

You need to fill out a health questionnaire with the help of your parents.

Depending on your answers to the questionnaire, you will need to provide one of the following documents to obtain your license:

  • Questionnaire information certificate
  • Medical certificate attesting to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned. The certificate must be less than 6 months old on the day of the license application.

Bachelor's degree from a school sports federation

In principle, you can obtain a license in a school sports federation (UNSS, UGSEL, USEP) without providing a medical certificate.

However, some sports require the presentation of a medical certificate. These disciplines include:

  • Underwater diving, particularly underground diving
  • Sports, practiced in competition, for which the fight can end by K-O (English boxing, kick boxing, savate, ...)
  • Sports involving the use of firearms or compressed air weapons (shooting, ball-trap, biathlon)
  • Sports, practiced in competition, involving the use of vehicles, with the exception of go-karting and radio-guided motor modeling (motorsport, motorcycling)
  • Motonautical sports (jet-skiing, hovercraft,...)

In this case, you must provide a medical certificate dated less than 1 year on the day of the license application. The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned.

License renewal is the case where you want to obtain a new license, without any discontinuity in time with the previous one, within the same federation.

License renewal conditions differ depending on the discipline.

Sports disciplines with special constraints

These disciplines include:

  • Underwater diving, particularly underground diving
  • Sports, practiced in competition, for which the fight can end by K-O (English boxing, kick boxing, savate, ...)
  • Sports involving the use of firearms or compressed air weapons (shooting, ball-trap, biathlon)
  • Sports, practiced in competition, involving the use of vehicles, with the exception of go-karting and radio-guided motor modeling (motorsport, motorcycling)
  • Motonautical sports (jet-skiing, hovercraft,...)

The license must be renewed annually, usually at the beginning of the sporting season. The club or the federation is approached.

Who shall I contact

To renew your license, you must present a medical certificate that is less than 1 year old on the date of the license application. The certificate must attest to the absence of any contraindication to the practice of the discipline concerned,

To obtain this certificate, you must perform a specific medical examination.

Other sports

Your license renewal terms vary depending on your age.

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

You're an adult

Depending on the sport, you may be required to obtain a medical certificate.

The certificate must attest to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport or discipline concerned.

Ask your club or federation for more information.

Who shall I contact

You're a minor

You need to fill out a health questionnaire with the help of your parents.

Depending on your answers to the questionnaire, you will need to provide one of the following documents to obtain your license:

  • Questionnaire information certificate
  • Medical certificate attesting to the absence of a contraindication to the practice of the sport concerned. The certificate must be less than 6 months old on the day of the license application.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • Sports Federation

  • Medical Certificate of Non-Contraindication Information Service

    By email

    CMNCI@sports.gouv.fr

FAQ