Yacht Registration Procedure

Depending on their intended use, under the Malta flag, a yacht may be registered either as a private yacht or as a commercial yacht.

2 stages of yacht registration are envisaged under the Malta flag – provisional registration and permanent registration. A yacht is first registered provisionally for a period of 6 months (which may be extended for another period or periods not exceeding 6 months in aggregate) whereby the applicant presents, to the Merchant Shipping Directorate, a set of basic documentation. Following this a provisional certificate of registration will be issued and during the 6-month provisional registration period all documentation needs to be finalised and submitted in order to make the registration a permanent one.

A private registered yacht consists of a pleasure yacht measuring 6 metres or more in length which doesn’t carry passengers for reward and isn’t engaged in trade but is used for the sole purpose of the owner.

A commercial yacht is a yacht which measures 15 or more metres in length and which doesn’t carry cargo, carries not more than 12 passengers and is operated by the owner or body corporate owning the yacht for commercial use.

The registration of a commercial yacht is similar to that applicable to pleasure yachts with the difference being that the commercial yacht is obligated to comply with the requirements of the Commercial Yacht Code or equivalent standard.

Commercial yachts are classified under 3 different classes depending on the size and gross tonnage of the vessel. For each class the Commercial Yacht Code lays down a different level of safety standards corresponding to the size and gross tonnage. The 3 classes are as follows:

• Yachts in commercial use of not less than 15 metres but not more than 24 metres in length;
• Superyachts in commercial use of more than 24 metres in length and less than 500 gross tonnes; and
• Superyachts in commercial use of more than 24 metres in length and 500 gross tonnes and over.