Private Yacht registration

The provisional registration is valid for six months. In order to register your yacht permanently under the Maltese flag, you must provide the following documents within six months from provisional registration:

• yacht survey certificate from an authorized surveyor in the port where the yacht lies attesting the yacht's seaworthiness; should your surveyor have difficulty in obtaining the official Malta Maritime Authority form

• then a survey certificate form can be provided

• only if your yacht is more than 24 metres in length, we will need an International Tonnage Certificate

• a bill of sale showing that your Maltese company has bought the yacht; or a builder's certificate in the name of the Maltese company if the yacht is new or has never been registered anywhere previously

• a radio installation form and a radio licence application which we will provide to you after provisional

• registration which must be filled in by an authorized surveyor in the port where the yacht lies.

• a Carving and Marking note from an authorized surveyor in the port where the yacht lies; this is a form which we will provide after provisional registration

• if the yacht has been registered previously outside of Malta, a certificate showing cancellation of registry from that last country of registry (deletion certificate)

Commercial Yacht registration

To register your yacht provisionally under the Maltese flag we will need from you:

• an MCA Certificate of Survey issued by a classification society

• if your yacht is more than 24 metres in length, we will need an International Tonnage Certificate and a Load Line Certificate also issued by a classification society

The provisional registration is valid for six months. In order to register your yacht permanently under the Maltese flag, you must provide the following documents within six months from provisional registration:

• yacht survey certificate from an authorized surveyor in the port where the yacht lies attesting the yacht's seaworthiness; should your surveyor have difficulty in obtaining the official Malta Maritime Authority form then a survey certificate form can be provided

• a bill of sale showing that your Maltese company has bought the yacht; or a builder's certificate in the name of the Maltese company if the yacht is new or has never been registered anywhere previously

• a radio installation form and a radio licence application which we will provide to you after provisional registration which must be filled in by an authorized surveyor in the port where the yacht lies.

• a Carving and Marking note from an authorized surveyor in the port where the yacht lies; this is a form which we will provide after provisional registration

• if the yacht has been registered previously outside of Malta, a certificate showing cancellation of registry from that last country of registry (deletion certificate).

The operation of commercially registered yachts for chartering purposes using a Maltese company (using a Maltese International Trading Company)  is very tax advantageous. Profits from chartering are taxed at 4.17%, there is no VAT on chartering contracts and VAT paid on purchases by the Maltese company can be reclaimed.

Malta reduces VAT rate on Maltese registered yachts to 5.4%