About Yacht Registrations in Malta

Reputation

Malta is famously known for its flag reputation, and it has been whitelisted in the Paris MoU as well as the Tokyo MoU. For this reason, Malta has entered into several bilateral agreements with foreign governments where Maltese ships are treated as privileged in respect of taxes and port charges. Here is an article from the Times of Malta that explores the reasons for the growth in popularity of the Malta flag.

Straightforward

As any person who has their yacht registered in Malta will tell you, the process of registering your vessel is very straightforward, fast, and easy. Registering in Malta will also grant you certain benefits such as no restrictions on the nationality of master or crew, 24-hour service, and minimum technical requirements for pleasure yachts, giving their owners the freedom to design their yachts as they please.

a seamless solution for Yacht Buyers

Malta has created a system that works for buyers to own yachts with a reduced VAT rate. How do we do this? We will first assist you in setting up a Maltese company, which company will acquire the yacht. Once the yacht is registered under the Malta flag, the company can lease the yacht to the buyer who will carry out the sale of the yacht at the end of the lease. On commencement of the lease, the prospective buyer must pay an initial contribution of at least 40%. The remaining portion must be paid in monthly lease instalments which must not exceed 36 months. On the expiration of the lease agreement, the sale of the yacht is executed for 1% of the purchase value on the return of the yacht to Malta. The buyer will have full access to use and enjoy the yacht during this leasing set-up. Upon conclusion, the issuing of a VAT paid certificate in relation to the yacht by the authorities will be issued and the yacht may move freely around the EU. Read more about benefits of leasing in this article from the Superyacht Times.

Company Incorporation

Some yacht owners choose to incorporate a company to own thier yacht. Company incorporation allows non-EU owners to have a Malta flagged yacht, also the company structure offers a measure of anonimity and legal protection.

Why Incorporate a Company in Malta? Malta is a safe regulated EU country but is also a country that offers favourable tax. Malta has proven to be a very popular choice for setting up a business of all sectors. All corporate services are handled by our specialised legal partners who are truly Top Tier International Legal Advisors and pride in having personal relationships with all their clients. Our lawyers can incorporate a trading or/and holding company (or set up a corporate structure) within a week, and also offer all related ancillary services needed, including local directors, company secretary, registered address, opening a bank account, accounting, auditing and booking services.