What is charter licensing?
Charter licensing is the set of permissions that lets a yacht be hired out for reward.
It has two halves. The first is certification: the yacht is registered commercially and surveyed against the Commercial Yacht Code, or the Small Commercial Yacht Code for yachts under 24 metres in load line length. The second is the commercial side: the operating entity registers for charter VAT and holds the licences required where the charter is performed.
Who is it for?
Owners entering charter
Owners putting a yacht into commercial service for the first time.
Existing charter operators
Operators adding a vessel or moving one onto the Malta flag.
Owners offsetting running costs
Where charter revenue is intended to cover part of the cost of ownership.
Non-Maltese yachts
Vessels chartering in Malta under a temporary arrangement.
What you get
- Commercial CYC or sCYC certification.
- Charter VAT registration and ongoing compliance.
- Eligibility to charter in Malta and the Mediterranean.
- Crew and safety compliance guidance.
- One team for the certification and the tax side.
How the process works
Eligibility
We assess the yacht against the CYC or sCYC requirements.
Certification
We coordinate the commercial survey and certification.
Charter set-up
We register for charter VAT and put the licensing in place.
Go live
You begin chartering, compliantly.
Requirements
- Commercial registration of the yacht.
- Compliance with the applicable commercial code, confirmed by survey.
- An operating entity registered for charter VAT.
- Crew certification and, where applicable, MLC 2006 compliance.
Please note. Eligibility is assessed case by case by the Malta flag administration. Send us the vessel details and we will confirm what applies to you before you commit.
Documents you will need
- Commercial survey report and certification
- Tonnage and load line documentation
- Charter VAT registration for the operating company
- Crew agreements and certificates of competency
- Insurance covering commercial operation
Please note. Indicative list. The exact file the registry asks for depends on the vessel, its age and the regime it is registered under — we confirm your list in writing before anything is filed.