ENG1 Antibes: The MCA-Approved Doctors on the Riviera

14 Oct 2026

ENG1 in Antibes: four approved doctors on the whole coast

You can get an ENG1 in Antibes from Dr Lavagne in Juan-les-Pins, the only MCA-approved doctor with an Antibes address. Two more are nearby, in Golfe-Juan and Valbonne, and Monaco has one. Those four are your options. There are none in Nice, Cannes, Saint-Tropez or La Ciotat.

That comes straight from the MCA's list of approved doctors overseas (updated 25 August 2026): all of France has three approved doctors, and all three are in the Alpes-Maritimes, close to Antibes.

For the full picture on what an ENG1 is and why every yacht asks for one, start with our ENG1 medical certificate guide.

ENG1 doctors in Antibes and on the French Riviera

These are the approved doctors in France and Monaco, with details exactly as the MCA list gives them:

Check the live list before you book. The MCA updates it, and doctors get added and removed. If a doctor isn't on the current list, their ENG1 isn't valid. A clinic that comes up when you search "ENG 1 Antibes", or one listed under medical services in a yachting directory, isn't necessarily approved. Crew have run into unapproved doctors before. Check the gov.uk page, not a screenshot from a crew-house WhatsApp group.

Which one you pick mostly comes down to where you're staying and how you like to book. If you'd rather choose a slot online at midnight than make a phone call in French, Dr Besse and Dr Gordon both have online booking. If you're in a crew house in Antibes or Juan-les-Pins, Dr Lavagne is the local option, and you book him by phone or email.

Golfe-Juan's harbour, a short hop west of Antibes along the coast; Dr Besse's practice is in the town. Photo: Robert Guarino, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Booked up, or heading somewhere else?

Monaco is the obvious backup. Dr Trim-Cauchois is listed at the Yacht Club de Monaco on Quai Louis II, which is handy if you're already dockwalking there or working the Monaco Yacht Show.

The Yacht Club de Monaco on Quai Louis II, where Monaco's only MCA-approved ENG1 doctor is listed. Photo: Charles JACQUES, CC BY-SA 2.0.

If you're moving on from the Riviera, Spain's approved doctors are all in Mallorca (Palma and Palma Nova), and Gibraltar has one. Italy has none on the list. If you're crossing the Atlantic for the winter season, see our ENG1 guide for Fort Lauderdale.

What an ENG1 medical costs in Antibes

In the UK the fee is fixed: the MCA guidance puts it at £115. Overseas doctors set their own prices, and on the Riviera it costs more:

• Dr Besse (Golfe-Juan): €170, card or cash, with a receipt.
• Dr Gordon (Valbonne): €170.
• Dr Lavagne and Dr Trim-Cauchois: fees aren't published, so ask when you book.

If extra tests are needed, they can cost more, and the MCA says these should be agreed with whoever is paying beforehand. If you're employed in the UK, your employer pays for the ENG1. As a green crew member who hasn't been hired yet, plan on paying it yourself and count it as part of your startup costs.

Book early: the Riviera crew-up gets busy

Four doctors serve a coastline full of crew looking for work. Spring is the busy time: boats come out of refit and crew up for the summer, and in September the boat shows in Cannes and Monaco bring in another wave. Everyone wants a medical in the same few weeks.

• Book as soon as you know you're coming. If you can, book before you fly in.
• Look at all four doctors. If one is full, try the others before you give up.
• Respect the cancellation policy. Dr Besse's site warns that not cancelling at least one working day ahead may mean future bookings are refused.
• Get it done before the shows. Working daywork at the Cannes Yachting Festival or the Monaco Yacht Show without an ENG1 means you'll miss out on jobs.

Juan-les-Pins from Cap d'Antibes. It's part of the commune of Antibes, and home to the only MCA-approved ENG1 doctor with an Antibes address. Photo: Ameilland, CC BY-SA 3.0.

What to bring to your ENG1 medical

This list combines the MCA guidance with what the two Riviera clinic websites ask for:

• Valid photo ID. The MCA accepts a passport, driving licence, national ID card, or discharge book/seaman's card. Dr Gordon is stricter: he wants an original, valid photographic ID and won't accept anything else. Bring your passport and you're covered everywhere.
• Your previous ENG1 or equivalent, if you've had one before.
• Glasses and a spare pair. If you normally wear contacts, Dr Besse asks you to come in glasses.
• Your medications, or a list of them.
• Recent medical reports, plus your GP's name and phone number if you've been in hospital or seen a consultant recently. Dr Gordon asks for reports translated into English with the originals, because they may need to be shared with the MCA.
• Payment.
• Someone to translate, if you need one. Dr Besse asks you to bring a friend or colleague if you don't understand medical questions in French or English well enough.

Be upfront about your history. You must tell the doctor if you've failed an ENG1 before, been given restrictions, or started an exam with another doctor and not finished it.

If you're found unfit or given restrictions, you'll get an ENG3. You then have one month to ask the MCA for an independent review by one of its medical referees. For how that process works, read what to expect at your ENG1 medical.

Can you get a French seafarer medical instead?

Usually not, if you're not French. Under MSN 1815 Amendment 7, France is one of the countries whose seafarer medical the UK accepts as an ENG1 equivalent. But the notice is clear that an equivalent certificate is normally issued to nationals of that country, by a doctor approved by that country's maritime authority. The MCA also expects the certificate to come with an English translation.

In France, that medical is the certificat médical d'aptitude à la navigation. It's issued by a doctor from the Service de santé des gens de mer (SSGM), and online booking is for seafarers who already have a French seafarer registration number. It's normally valid for two years, and for less time for some seafarers, such as over-55s and minors.

So if you're a British, Australian or South African deckhand living in an Antibes crew house, book an ENG1 with one of the four doctors above. If you are a registered French seafarer, the SSGM route is open to you. Either way, check whether the boat specifically wants a UK ENG1.

One more trap: the UK ML5 is a different, lower-level medical and won't get you a yacht job. For the full list of accepted certificates, see ENG1 equivalent medical certificates.

Once you've got your ENG1: get on the dock in Antibes

With your ENG1 and STCW Basic Training done, you can get out and look for work. Antibes is one of the main daywork hubs in the Med. Read our dockwalking guide before you start, and make sure your yacht CV is ready before your first morning on the quay.

You can also let captains find you. Radius checks your ENG1 (or an accepted equivalent) when you add it to your profile. Once you have a valid ENG1, STCW, a CV and a recent check-in, you show up on the map to captains looking for crew nearby. It's free for crew: create your profile.