Kit Certif
🦺 Safety & first aidMandatoryComplementary to Qualiopi

Certiphyto — the French individual certificate for plant protection products

Mandatory: using, buying, selling, distributing or advising on plant protection products for professional use requires holding the individual certificate matching your activity. It is valid for five years and must be renewed before it expires.

Issued by: The regional prefect (DRAAF/DAAF), following training or a test with a provider authorised by the French agriculture ministry

Who it concerns

Farmers and their employees, contracting and applicator businesses, landscapers and local-authority staff (the JEVI sector: gardens, planted areas and infrastructure), distributors and sellers, advisers.

Scope

What this scheme covers

  • C.1Three activities and five certificate categories: professional use (decision-maker in an approved company, decision-maker in a non-approved company, operator), sale and marketing, and advice on use.
  • C.2Two separate sectors: agriculture on one side, JEVI (gardens, planted areas and infrastructure) on the other — the certificate is issued for the sector you trained in.
  • C.3Three routes: a course including a knowledge check, a standalone test, or a diploma or qualification on the official list obtained within the five years preceding the application.
  • C.4Five years' validity, a renewal to anticipate, and a fully online application: the certificate is downloaded from the applicant's service-public.fr account.
How it fits

The link with Qualiopi

Certiphyto certifies a person, not an organisation: it falls outside the French national quality framework. But it is obtained through training, and the provider must be authorised by the DRAAF under article R. 254-14 of the rural code — then Qualiopi-certified if its sessions are to be publicly funded (CPF, VIVEA, sector funds).

How to proceed

The process, summarised

  1. 1.Identify your activity, category and sector (agriculture or JEVI): an employed operator, a farm manager and a seller do not need the same certificate.
  2. 2.Choose your route: a course with a knowledge check, a standalone test, or an application based on a diploma obtained within the last five years.
  3. 3.Attend the session with an authorised provider — each DRAAF publishes its regional list — and collect the attendance certificate or score sheet.
  4. 4.File the online application on service-public.fr with the supporting document; the authority has two months to decide.
  5. 5.Anticipate renewal before the five-year deadline, through a renewal session or a test.
Frequently asked questions

FAQ — Certiphyto

+How long is a Certiphyto valid?

Five years. Renewal must be anticipated: it requires a renewal session or a test, then an online application the authority may take up to two months to process. Letting the certificate lapse can mean going through the initial route again.

+Is strategic phytosanitary advice still required to renew a decision-maker certificate?

No. Following the French law of 11 August 2025 and its implementing texts in force from 1 January 2026, strategic phytosanitary advice is no longer mandatory, and is no longer required to renew the farm decision-maker Certiphyto.

+What is the risk of operating without a Certiphyto?

Article L. 254-12 of the French rural code provides for penalties of up to six months' imprisonment and a €50,000 fine for individuals, rising to €250,000 for legal entities. The regional prefect may also suspend or withdraw a certificate after an inspection.

Our articles on Certiphyto
Same sector
Related guides