The Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of European Parliament and Council of 11 December 2013, in its second paragraph of Article 5, authorises Member States to establish coastal waters along its coasts. Those areas enable member States to restrain fisheries to specific species to specific Member States following precise rules (quotas, limited fishery season). The description of the French coastal waters is established in Part 6 of Appendix 1. The coastal waters extend from 6 nautical miles from in force baselines to 12 nautical miles from in force baselines. Only portions of the French coasts are concerned.

In the Law of the Sea, the continental shelf located beyond 200 nautical miles affects the seabed and its subsoil on which the coastal State exerts sovereign rights for purposes of exploration and exploitation of its natural ressources. In those areas, the wealth generated by the exploitation of the natural ressources are shared via the International Seabed Authority between the States which have signed UNCLOS (in particular with the developping States or the ones which do not have access to the sea). The outer limit of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles is determined in compliance with the criterias of Article 76 of UNCLOS and notably by the examination of a submission deposited by the Coastal State to the Commission for the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). the outer limit of the French continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles is the final result of the national program EXTRAPLAC after the adoption of recommandations by CLCS, the delineation of the attributed areas with neighbouring States if necessary and the publication by decree. The theme "Outer limit of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles" gathers the limits of the extended continental shelf which has been recommended by CLCS and published by a decree of the French Republic.

The regulatory part of Volume IX of rural and sea fisheries laws is defined by the decree No 2014-1608 of 26 December 2014. In particular, Article D922-16 of the appendix to the decree defines a limit related to fisheries located at 3 nautical miles from the low waterline of the continent and islands and islets which are always dry. In the particular case of Mayotte Island, in compliance with Article 61 of the prefectural decree No 2018-681 of 30 July 2018 which regulates the exercise of sea fisheries at Mayotte department, this limits is located at 3 nautical miles from the in force baselines.

The contiguous zone is adjacent to the territorial sea and may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. The coastal State may exercise the control necessary to: - prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea; - punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea.

The product “Maritime limits and boundaries” (French: “Délimitations maritimes”) gathers all the elements used for the definition of the maritime spaces under the French sovereignty or jurisdiction through the world. Those spaces are defined by the Ordonnance n° 2016-1687 of 8 December 2016 relating to maritime spaces under sovereignty or jurisdiction of the French Republic. This ordonnance is the transcription in the French legislation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which was signed in Montego Bay (Jamaica) on 10 December 1982 end ratified by France on 11 April 1996. These elements of maritime limits and boundaries come from the limits computed by Shom on the basis of International Law, from the international agreements relating to maritime boundary and the technical conventions ratified between France and other States, from the decisions of international juridical bodies, from the recommendations of the Commission of the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNO) or from unilateral claims from France in the absence of agreement. The elements are divided into seven themes: 1- Straight baselines 2- Outer limits of the territorial sea (12 nautical miles) 3- Outer limits of the contiguous zone (24 nautical miles) 4- Outer limits of the exclusive economic zone (200 nautical miles) 5- Maritime boundaries established by a bilateral agreement or decided by an international juridical body 6- Maritime boundaries unilaterally claimed by France in the absence of agreement 7- Outer limit of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles December 2022 version

French Ministry of Culture / DRASSM - Shom The product "Limit of preventive archeology licence fee" contains the limits for the preventive archeology licence fee (1 nautical mile) as defined in the French Heritage Code. This limit is managed by the Department of Underwater Archeological Research (DRASSM) of the Ministry of Culture. This limit, defined by the Heritage Code at 1 nautical mile from the low-water line, permits to delineate the areas where the licence fee for preventive archeology at sea is applied. The product "Limit of preventive archeology licence fee" is to use in addition to the digital product “Maritime Limits and Boundaries” of Shom (French: “Délimitations maritimes”) which represents the limits of the French maritime spaces of sovereignty or jurisdiction through the World. The product “Maritime Limits and Boundaries” (French: “Délimitations maritimes”) can be viewed and downloaded on the French national portal of maritime limits (https://maritimelimits.gouv.fr).

The territorial sea extends from the baselines to a maximum distance of 12 nautical miles, calculated from the baselines. The State has full sovereignty over the bed and subsoil, surface and underlying water column and air space. Sovereignty shall not, however, hinder the right of innocent passage of which the ships of all States benefit in the territorial sea.

In compliance with Article 3 of UNCLOS, the outer limit of the territorial sea is located at 12 nautical miles from the baselines. It corresponds to the inner limit of the contiguous and exclusive economic zones. The objects of the theme "Outer limit of the territorial sea" result from Shom computations and are published by decree of the French Republic. Some of those limits are note published by decree yet.

The "Sovereignty and jurisdiction maritime spaces of France" product contains the areas of sovereignty and jurisdiction maritime spaces of France all around the world.<br /><br /> It is constituted of 2D areas objects split into four categories :<br /> - the territorial sea (from baselines to a distance of 12 nautical miles or to maritime boundaries with neighbouring countries);<br /> - the contiguous zone (from 12 nautical miles to 24 nautical miles from the baselines or to maritime boundaries with neighbouring countries);<br /> - the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (from 12 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles from the baselines or to maritime boundaries with neighbouring countries);<br /> - the continental shelf over the 200 nautical miles limit (from 200 nautical miles from the baselines to the limits recommended by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) or to the maritime boundaries with neighbouring countries).<br /> Internal waters, which constitute a space of sovereignty beyond the baselines, are not included in the "Sovereignty and jurisdiction maritime spaces of France" product.<br /> The "Sovereignty and jurisdiction maritime spaces of France" product may not be considered as an enforceable right. Only the “Maritime limits and boundaries” product, that can be displayed and interrogated on the website data.shom.fr (maritime boundaries category) and also downloaded on the French national portal of maritime limits (https://maritimelimits.gouv.fr), may be considered so.<br /><br /> December 2022 version.

In compliance with Article 33 of UNCLOS, the outer limit of the contiguous zone is located at 24 nautical miles from the baselines. The objects of the theme "Outer limit of the contiguous zone" result from Shom computations and are compliant with Article 10 of the French Order No 2016-1687 of 8 December 2016.