Day charter deposit
50%
Payable on confirmation, against a written booking that names the yacht and the date. It is what removes your date from the availability calendar.
Step-by-step concierge booking
Charter A Yacht In Malta
From first message to lines off, with nothing left to guess.
This page is the booking process itself. What to send us, what a proper quote contains, which documents you sign, when money moves, what happens on the pontoon and who to call on the day. Day charters from €1,900, a written quote within four working hours, and a named concierge who stays with your booking from start to finish.
- One named concierge, no call centre
- Written quote in 4 working hours
- 50% deposit confirms yacht and date
- Licence and insurance sent before you pay in full
Written quote in 4 working hours · No deposit to enquire
The short answer
To charter a yacht in Malta, send your date, guest numbers and departure area to a licensed operator; you will receive a written quote within four working hours showing two or three suitable yachts, an all-in price and a suggested route. Choose a yacht, agree the itinerary and extras, then confirm with a 50% deposit — the balance falls due seven days before departure. Before paying the balance you should hold the yacht's Transport Malta commercial licence number, its passenger liability insurance certificate, the skipper's name and the written cancellation and bad-weather policy. On the day you are met at a named pontoon fifteen minutes before departure for a safety briefing. No licence is required from you on a skippered or crewed charter.
- Quote turnaround
- 4 working hours
- Deposit
- 50% to confirm
- Balance due
- 7 days before
- Day charter from
- €1,900
Reviewed and updated by the Luxury Yacht Charter Malta charter office on .
Transport Malta licensed & insured
Written quote in 4 working hours
Up to 12 guests per yacht
All-in pricing, itemised extras
At a glance
Charter A Yacht In Malta, answered in one table
The questions guests ask before they enquire — price, inclusions, guest numbers, departure points and lead times.
| What do you need from me to quote? | The date, the number of adults and children, your departure area or hotel, and roughly what you want the day to feel like. |
|---|---|
| How long does a quote take? | Four working hours, including live availability, an all-in price, itemised extras and a draft route with timings. |
| What confirms the booking? | A 50% deposit against a written confirmation naming the yacht, the skipper, the pontoon and the route. Balance seven days before departure. |
| How can I pay? | Card, SEPA bank transfer or Revolut. A VAT invoice is issued immediately, in the name you need it in. |
| What paperwork do I sign? | A short booking confirmation and terms for day charters; a MYBA-style charter agreement for weekly and superyacht bookings. |
| What should I check before paying? | The commercial licence number, the insurance certificate, the skipper's name, the exact pontoon and the written weather and cancellation policy. |
| Do I need a boat licence? | No, unless you are booking bareboat. Skippered and crewed charters put the licence and responsibility on the professional aboard. |
| What time do we board? | Fifteen minutes before departure at the named pontoon, for a short safety briefing before lines off. |
| What should I bring? | Passport or ID, swimwear, a hat, reef-safe sun cream, a light layer for the return leg and soft-soled shoes. Everything else is aboard. |
| Who do I call on the day? | Your named concierge, on the mobile number printed on the confirmation. Not a shared inbox and not a switchboard. |
Booking process
How to charter a yacht in Malta, step by step
Six steps. Most guests complete the first four inside a single day, and nothing before step four costs anything.
Step 1
Send the basics
Date, number of adults and children, departure area or hotel, and the mood you want — a fast day with water toys, a shaded lunch at anchor, or a quiet sunset. WhatsApp or the form on this page is enough; no deposit and no card details at this stage.
Step 2
Receive a written quote in four working hours
Two or three suitable yachts with real availability for your date, photographs, guest limits, the all-in price, extras itemised separately and a suggested route with departure and return times.
Step 3
Shape the day
Swap yachts, change the route, add catering and a drinks package, add a Seabob or paddleboards, add transfers from your hotel, or extend a half day into a sunset return. We reprice as many times as you need.
Step 4
Confirm with a 50% deposit
You receive a written confirmation naming the yacht, the skipper, the pontoon, the timings and the route, plus the commercial licence and insurance details. The deposit holds the yacht and the date; the balance is due seven days before departure.
Step 5
Complete the preference sheet
Menus, allergies, favourite drinks, children's ages, celebration details, music and any photography plans go to the crew before you arrive, so nothing has to be explained on the pontoon.
Step 6
Embark and cruise
Meet the crew fifteen minutes before departure at the named pontoon, short safety briefing, lines off. Your concierge is reachable all day, and the skipper adapts the route to the wind you actually get.
What a good quote looks like
How to read a Malta charter quote
A legitimate Malta charter quote is not a single number in a chat message. It names the specific yacht, states its length and licensed guest capacity, confirms the crew aboard, and separates what is included from what is extra. If you cannot tell from a quote which yacht you are getting, you do not have a quote — you have a placeholder.
Look for the inclusions to be spelled out: fuel for the agreed route, generator hours at anchor, harbour dues, the marina berth, Comino anchorage fees, water, soft drinks, ice, towels and snorkelling gear. In Malta these are the items most often left out of a headline price and added on the pontoon. Ours are inside the figure, and the figure is the figure.
Extras belong on their own lines with their own prices: catering at €95–€185 per guest depending on the menu, a premium drinks package from €65 per guest, motorised water toys at €250–€850 per day, private transfers from €95 each way, a photographer from €650, a celebration package from €350 and extra cruising hours from €290. That way you can remove any of them without renegotiating the whole booking.
Finally, the quote should carry the compliance detail: the yacht's Transport Malta commercial licence number, the passenger liability insurance certificate, the cancellation terms, the bad-weather policy and VAT treatment. We put all of it in writing before any money moves, precisely because it is the part a weak operator hopes you will not ask about.
Before you pay
Nine things to verify before you transfer money
- A Transport Malta commercial licence for the exact yacht you are chartering, by number
- Passenger liability insurance, with the certificate number written on the quote
- The skipper's name, licence and years operating in Maltese waters
- A total price with fuel, harbour dues and Comino fees already inside it
- The cancellation and bad-weather policy, in writing, before payment
- Written confirmation of exclusive use — nobody else joining your booking
- The exact embarkation pontoon, not just the name of the marina
- A named contact reachable on charter day, not a shared inbox
- A VAT invoice in the name and entity you need for expenses or accounting
Money
Deposits, balances and cancellation
Balance
7 days before
The remaining 50% falls due one week before departure. For late bookings inside seven days, the full amount is payable on confirmation.
Weekly and superyacht charters
MYBA-style terms
Typically 50% on signature and 50% at thirty days, plus an Advance Provisioning Allowance of 25–35% covering fuel, food, drink and berths, reconciled with receipts at the end.
Payment methods
Card, SEPA, Revolut
A VAT invoice is issued immediately in whatever name you need. We never ask for cash on the pontoon, and you should never pay it.
Weather cancellation
Free move or full refund
If the skipper stands the day down for wind or sea state, you choose a new date at no cost or take back everything you have paid.
Guest cancellation
Terms shown before payment
Sliding-scale terms based on how close to departure you cancel, stated in writing on the quote so you agree to them before, not after.
Charter day
What happens on the day itself
You arrive at the pontoon named on your confirmation fifteen minutes before departure. Parking at Portomaso is valet; at Msida and Ta' Xbiex it is on the quay; in Sliema most guests are collected by tender. If you booked transfers, the driver is timed to put you there with that margin already built in.
The skipper gives a short safety briefing — lifejackets, the bathing ladder, where to sit while under way, how to move around the deck at speed — then confirms the route against the morning's wind. Expect small changes: a swap from the west coast of Gozo to the sheltered south, or a reversed order of swim stops to keep the sun behind you at lunch. That flexibility is the skipper doing their job well, not a downgrade.
Aboard you will find chilled still and sparkling water, soft drinks, ice, glassware, beach towels, snorkelling masks and a floating swim mat as standard. Catering, if you ordered it, is either laid out as mezze or plated by the chef at the time you asked for. Bluetooth is yours; the crew will not impose a playlist.
Return is at the time on the confirmation. Extra hours can sometimes be added on the water at €290 per hour, subject to the skipper's permitted hours and the next booking on the yacht. Tipping is never included and never expected; if the crew have made the day, five to ten percent handed to the skipper for the whole crew is the Mediterranean norm.
Practicalities
What to bring, and what is already aboard
Bring
Passport or ID card, swimwear, a hat, sunglasses, reef-safe sun cream, a light layer for the return leg and any medication. Soft-soled shoes or bare feet only.
Already aboard
Water, soft drinks, ice, glassware, towels, snorkelling masks, a floating swim mat, a first aid kit, lifejackets in adult and child sizes and a Bluetooth sound system.
Leave behind
Hard-soled shoes, glass bottles you brought yourself, single-use plastic and drones without a permit. The crew will tell you politely; we would rather tell you now.
Bringing your own food
Welcome on most yachts, with no corkage. On crewed yachts with a chef we ask that main meals come from the galley for hygiene reasons, but a celebration cake or a particular bottle is never a problem.
Children
Very common on our charters. Child-size buoyancy aids are aboard, swim stops are chosen shallow and sheltered for young families, and a hostess can be added to help.
Accessibility
Tell us in advance. Boarding, bathing platforms and interior access vary considerably between yachts, and we will put you on the one that actually works rather than the one that looks best in photographs.
Avoid these
Common mistakes when chartering a yacht in Malta
- Booking a shared 'private tour' seat and finding forty strangers aboard
- Comparing a bare hull price with an all-inclusive charter and assuming the cheaper one is better value
- Chartering an open boat with no shade for a full August day
- Leaving Portomaso at 11:00 and arriving at the Blue Lagoon behind every ferry
- Paying cash on the pontoon with no invoice, no insurance and no recourse
- Underestimating the Gozo channel — a 30-knot day is not a lunch-at-anchor day
- Booking twelve guests onto a yacht licensed for eight
- Forgetting that the return leg is always cooler and windier than the outbound
Estimate your charter a yacht in malta cost
Choose a yacht, a length of charter and a route to see what it costs, what the fee already covers and whether the route stays inside the included fuel allowance. Figures are our current published rates in euro — your written quote confirms them for your exact date.
11.5m luxury day boat · skipper included
Maltese commercially licensed yachts carry a maximum of 12 guests under way.
About 24 nautical miles there and back.
Estimated charter fee
€1,900
Published full-day charter fee.
Roughly €238 per guest at 8 on board.
- Included in the fee
- Skipper, VAT and safety equipment.
- Fuel
- Fuel charged on consumption at the end of the day.
- This route
- The most requested day: two or three swim stops, lunch at anchor, back before sunset.
Published Malta charter rates at a glance
| Yacht | Guests | Half day | Full day | Week | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axopar 37ST Brabus Line | 10 | €1,430 | €1,900 | On request | Fuel charged on consumption at the end of the day |
| Axopar 45 Cross Top | 11 | — | €2,500 | On request | Fuel charged on consumption at the end of the day |
| Sunseeker Manhattan 66 | 12 | — | €6,500 | €34,800 | First 30 nautical miles included, further miles charged on consumption |
| Sunseeker 86 JUPJU | 12 | — | €10,900 | €50,000 | First 30 nautical miles included, further miles charged on consumption |
| 30m+ superyacht | 12 | — | €14,500 | €98,000 | Fuel, dockage and provisioning billed through an advance provisioning allowance (APA) |
Rates are per yacht, not per guest, and include VAT unless the quote states otherwise. Superyacht charters are billed with an advance provisioning allowance for fuel, dockage and provisioning on top of the charter fee.
Licensing, marinas and what your quote actually covers
Charter in Malta is regulated. Every yacht we place guests on is commercially registered and licensed for charter under Malta's commercial yacht framework, administered by Transport Malta's Merchant Shipping Directorate. That distinction matters more than any marketing claim on this page, so here is how to check it and what it changes for you.
Commercially licensed charter vs. a private boat hired out
- Passenger limit. A commercially registered charter yacht carries a maximum of 12 guests under way. Anyone offering you 15 or 20 guests on one yacht for a coastal day is not operating within that framework.
- Insurance that answers. Commercial charter cover includes passenger liability. A private pleasure policy generally does not cover paying guests, which is the risk nobody discovers until there is a claim.
- Qualified crew. Skippers hold commercial certification and the yacht carries the survey-approved safety equipment for the area it operates in.
- A written contract. You receive a charter agreement naming the yacht, the hours, the guest count and the total. Ask for one; a WhatsApp price with no paperwork is a warning sign.
Ask any operator in Malta — including us — for the yacht's name and registration before you pay a deposit. It takes one question and settles the point.
Where you board
- Portomaso Marina, St Julian's
- Our usual day-charter base. Underground parking on site, five minutes from the St Julian's and Paceville hotels.
- Msida & Ta' Xbiex, Marsamxett
- Sheltered berths a short taxi from Valletta and Sliema, used when the north-easterly makes Portomaso uncomfortable.
- Grand Harbour Marina, Birgu
- Preferred for the larger motor yachts and superyachts, and for guests staying in the Three Cities or Valletta.
- Mgarr Marina, Gozo
- Start the day in Gozo instead of crossing to it — worth it if you are staying on the island.
Your confirmation names the marina, the pontoon and a boarding time, with the crew's number for the morning. Charter office hours are Mon–Sun 08:00–21:00 CET.
How a Malta charter quote is built up
| Line | How we treat it | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Charter fee | Fixed per yacht for the agreed hours | Quoted in euro and confirmed in writing before any payment is taken. |
| VAT | Included in day and half-day charter fees | Weekly and superyacht charters are quoted plus VAT; your quote states which applies. |
| Fuel — day boats | Charged on consumption | Gauges are read before and after; you pay for what the day actually used. |
| Fuel — crewed motor yachts | First 30 nautical miles included | Longer routes such as Gozo and Comino combined go beyond this; the extra is itemised. |
| Superyacht running costs | Advance provisioning allowance (APA) | Fuel, dockage, provisioning and crew expenses drawn from a pre-funded balance, reconciled after the charter with receipts. |
| Marina fees at base | Included | No berthing surcharge at the departure marina. Overnight berths away from base are itemised. |
| Crew gratuity | Discretionary | Never added automatically to an invoice. |
Questions
Charter A Yacht In Malta — frequently asked questions
Answered by the charter office that will handle your booking.
How do I charter a yacht in Malta?
Send your date, guest numbers and departure area to a licensed operator. You should have a written quote within four working hours naming two or three suitable yachts with an all-in price and a draft route. Choose a yacht, agree the extras, then confirm with a 50% deposit; the balance is due seven days before departure. You are met at a named pontoon fifteen minutes before departure for a safety briefing.
How far in advance should I book?
Four to eight weeks for July and August, one to two weeks in the shoulder season, and three to six months for a peak-week crewed or superyacht charter. Short-notice enquiries are still worth sending because repositioning gaps and cancellations appear constantly.
What information do you need to give me a quote?
The date, the number of adults and children, the area or hotel you are departing from, and roughly what you want the day to feel like. That is enough for a full quote; we do not need payment details to send one.
How much deposit is required to charter a yacht in Malta?
50% of the charter price confirms the yacht and the date, with the balance due seven days before departure. Bookings made inside seven days are paid in full on confirmation. Weekly crewed and superyacht charters follow MYBA-style staged payments plus an Advance Provisioning Allowance.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht in Malta?
No, provided the charter is skippered or crewed — the licence and legal responsibility sit with the professional aboard. Bareboat charter requires a recognised skipper's licence, a VHF certificate and a refundable security deposit.
What documents should the operator give me?
The yacht's Transport Malta commercial licence number, its passenger liability insurance certificate, the skipper's name, a written cancellation and bad-weather policy, the exact embarkation pontoon and a VAT invoice. Ask for all of it before you pay the balance.
What happens if the weather is bad on my charter day?
The skipper watches the forecast for seventy-two hours and makes the call twenty-four hours out, then again on the morning. If the day is unsafe or simply not worth having, you take a free date move or a full refund of everything paid.
Can I change the route once we are on the water?
Yes, within the skipper's hours and the sea conditions. Routes are a plan, not a contract, and small changes on the day usually improve the charter — moving to the sheltered side of Gozo, or reversing swim stops so the sun sits behind you at lunch.
What time do we board and how long is the briefing?
Fifteen minutes before departure, at the pontoon named on your confirmation. The safety briefing takes about five minutes: lifejackets, the bathing ladder, where to sit under way and how to move on deck at speed.
Is tipping the crew expected in Malta?
It is never included and never expected. If the crew have made the day, five to ten percent of the charter price handed to the skipper for the whole crew is the Mediterranean norm.
Can I add catering, drinks and transfers after I have booked?
Yes, up to seventy-two hours before departure for catering and drinks, and up to twenty-four hours for transfers. Motorised water toys depend on availability on the day, so book those earlier.
Who is my contact on charter day?
The concierge who wrote your quote, on a direct mobile number printed on your confirmation. The same person briefs your crew, so nothing you told us has to be repeated.
Related charter guides
Other ways guests search for a yacht in Malta
Each guide covers a different part of the same fleet, so you can go straight to the format, budget or itinerary you have in mind.
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Charter terms explained, and how we work
Chartering has its own vocabulary and its own small print. Both are set out plainly here so nothing about your booking is a surprise.
Charter glossary
- Crewed charter
- The yacht comes with its professional crew — typically captain, deckhand and hostess, plus a chef on larger yachts. You are a guest on board and nothing is self-service.
- Skippered charter
- A licensed local skipper drives the yacht, but there is no interior crew. The most common format for a private day charter in Malta.
- Bareboat charter
- You skipper the yacht yourself. Malta requires a recognised boating licence and, on many yachts, evidence of recent sea miles plus a refundable security deposit.
- APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance)
- A fund of typically 25–35% of the charter fee held on superyachts to cover fuel, food, drink, berthing and shore excursions. Anything unspent is returned after the charter.
- Day charter
- An 8-hour private charter, usually 09:00 to 17:00, most often routed to Comino's Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and the Gozo coast.
- Half day charter
- A 4-hour private charter, morning, afternoon or sunset — the shortest format we arrange on crewed yachts.
- Embarkation
- Boarding at the marina. Malta departures are from Portomaso, Grand Harbour Marina, Msida, Ta' Xbiex or Mgarr in Gozo.
- Twelve-guest rule
- Commercially licensed yachts may carry a maximum of 12 guests while under way. Larger groups are possible for static events alongside in harbour.
- Delivery fee
- A charge applied when a yacht must reposition to a marina other than its home berth for your embarkation or disembarkation.
- Shoulder season
- May, June, September and early October: warm water, calmer anchorages, fewer boats and lower rates than peak July and August.
Booking, cancellation & insurance
- Licensing and insurance
- Every yacht we place guests on holds a valid Maltese commercial charter licence and current third-party and passenger liability insurance. We send you the licence and insurance certificate for your specific yacht before any balance payment is due.
- Deposit and balance
- A 50% deposit confirms your yacht and dates. The balance is due 7 days before departure. Payment is by bank transfer or credit card, in euro, against a written charter agreement naming the yacht, crew, route and inclusions.
- Cancellation
- Cancel more than 30 days before departure and the deposit is transferable to any other date within 12 months. Inside 30 days the deposit is retained. We recommend travel insurance covering charter cancellation.
- Weather policy
- If the captain judges conditions unsafe, you are offered a sheltered alternative route, a change of date, or a full refund of monies paid — your choice. Malta's coastline always offers a lee shore, so a full cancellation is rare.
- Privacy
- Charters are exclusive-use: no shared decks and no other parties on board. We sign NDAs on request and never publish guest names, photographs or itineraries.
Enquire
Request your charter a yacht in malta quote
Send your dates and guest numbers. A charter manager replies within four working hours with live availability, photographs, an all-in price and a suggested route.
- Availability held free for 48 hours while you decide.
- Commercial licence and insurance certificate sent before any balance is paid.
- Fuel for the agreed route, harbour dues and Comino fees inside the quoted price.
- Free date move if the skipper stands the day down for weather.
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