Becoming a BAFA-BAFD training organisation: the authorisation step by step

Training the activity leaders and directors of French summer camps and leisure centres is a regulated business: running BAFA and BAFD training sessions is reserved for organisations authorised by the French ministry responsible for youth. Neither an NDA (registered activity number), nor Qualiopi, nor field experience can substitute for this authorisation. Here is the full procedure.

Why a ministerial authorisation?

The BAFA (certificate of aptitude for activity-leader functions) and BAFD (certificate of aptitude for director functions) are voluntary youth-work credentials: they allow holders to supervise minors occasionally, on a non-professional basis, in children’s group activities (holiday camps, leisure centres, scouting). They are not professional certifications — hence a specific regime, set by the French order (arrêté) of 15 July 2015, as amended, on BAFA and BAFD credentials.

The State entrusts the training of these supervisors to organisations it vets upfront: that is what the authorisation does. It guarantees that every session (a BAFA general-training session of at least 8 days, a 6-day specialisation, an 8-day qualification, BAFD sessions of 9 and 6 days) is run by a structure with a solid educational project and qualified teams.

The social stakes are real. Sociologist Francis Lebon notes, in “Les animateurs socioculturels” (La Découverte, 2009), that more than two million people have obtained the BAFA or its predecessor, making it one of the main gateways into youth work in France (see the book). Authorised organisations therefore train a significant share of each age cohort every year.

Who can apply?

Applicants are typically popular-education associations and organisations whose core activity involves children and young people. Applications are assessed against the criteria of article 5 of the amended order of 15 July 2015, including:

• a formalised educational project, rooted in a popular-education approach and upholding the values of the French Republic, notably secularism (laïcité);
• a network of qualified training teams regularly involved in running sessions; each trainer must show at least two significant experiences in children’s group activities and commit individually for the duration of the authorisation;
• a three-year training plan for session directors and trainers;
• an organisational capacity compliant with the regulations on children’s group activities.

Two scopes exist: regional authorisation (the region where the organisation operates), and national authorisation, reserved for structures with an operational administrative and educational set-up in at least eight regions. We break down each criterion in our article on the BAFA-BAFD authorisation criteria.

The calendar: three-year campaigns

The authorisation follows a national calendar in three-year periods. For the 2026-2029 period, the filing deadline was 15 September 2025, for an authorisation effective on 1 January 2026. The general rule: the authorisation is issued for one to three years and takes effect on the first day of the year following the application.

If you discover the scheme mid-period, check jeunes.gouv.fr or your DRAJES (the regional youth, engagement and sport delegation): that is where campaign files and any additional filing windows are published.

The application file

The official file, published on jeunes.gouv.fr, includes in particular:

1. the completed authorisation application form;
2. the projected budget for the first year of authorisation;
3. an analytical document on the training activity of the structure.

Plus the supporting evidence for each criterion: educational project, named list of trainers with qualifications and experience, signed individual commitments, three-year training plan, territorial organisation.

Three assessment tips:

• Do not recycle a generic charter. The educational project must translate concretely into session content and teaching methods.
• Get the budget right. The model rests on trainee registration fees; BAFA is not CPF-eligible, so your prices must stay consistent with the real subsidies (the national CAF grant of €200, local aid) — see our article on funding a BAFA.
• Check every trainer’s file. The two significant experiences in children’s group activities and the written individual commitment are deal-breakers if missing.

The sessions you will run

The authorisation covers the theoretical sessions of both journeys, whose formats are set by the order:

• BAFA (open from age 16): a general-training session of at least 8 days, then — after the 14-day practical placement completed in a declared children’s group activity — a 6-day specialisation or 8-day qualification session. The whole journey must fit within 30 months, with at most 18 months between general training and the placement.
• BAFD (open from age 18): a 9-day general-training session, a first 14-day practical placement, a 6-day advanced-training session, a second practical placement, then a written training report submitted to the jury. All within a maximum of 4 years.

The practical placement does not happen at your organisation: it belongs to the operators of children’s group activities. Your added value lies in the quality of the theoretical sessions and in preparing trainees for their placement — which juries observe, session after session, in the appraisals you write.

After approval: sessions and online services

Once authorised, everything runs through the ministry’s online services. On bafa-bafd.jeunes.gouv.fr (redesigned in September 2024), each candidate creates a personal account and registers before their first session; the organisation declares its sessions and records results, which the administration uses to track regulatory deadlines (a 30-month cap on the BAFA journey, 4 years for BAFD) and feed the award juries.

Since the authorisation is time-limited, prepare its renewal from year one: sessions delivered, trainer-network stability, execution of the training plan. Our article on renewing the BAFA-BAFD authorisation details these obligations.

One structural point: most authorised organisations are associations. If you are creating yours, our guide to the French loi 1901 association as a training organisation covers the legal basics — bearing in mind that the “professional training” track (NDA, Qualiopi) is a separate matter from the BAFA-BAFD authorisation.

Take action

The BAFA-BAFD authorisation comes down to a solid file and a calendar you cannot catch up on. Start with the full overview of the scheme — conditions, steps, how it relates to Qualiopi — on our page Authorisation of BAFA and BAFD training organisations, where you can also download our free guide to structuring your application.