Bareboat Charter Registration in Malta

In a bareboat charter the charterer takes the yacht without crew and operates it. Malta lets a foreign-registered yacht be registered under the Malta flag on the strength of such a charter, and a Malta-registered yacht be registered on a foreign register, in both cases while the underlying registration continues.

The process is close to a normal registration. The application is made by the charterer or an authorised representative, and the yacht must be chartered to a body corporate or other person qualified to own a Maltese ship. The file adds a declaration of bareboat charter with the charter agreement and a transcript or extract of the underlying registration.

Written consent is needed from the underlying registry, the owners and any mortgagees. Without them the registration cannot proceed.

The registration runs for the charter period or for the underlying registration, whichever ends first, and is granted for a limited term at a time; law firm summaries put the term at up to two years, with extensions possible. Confirm the current term with the registry.

The Registrar of Maltese Ships must consent. The foreign register has to be compatible with the Maltese one, the registered owners must agree, and the charterers undertake that the yacht will not fly the Malta flag while on the foreign register.

Registration fees and annual tonnage tax are reported to match those of a normal registration; check the registry's current schedule. Send the yacht's details, the charter terms and its current flag and we will map the file. Rules, codes and fees are set by Transport Malta and change; the official pages are the reference. This guide explains how the pieces fit together and does not replace legal advice.