Updated: May 19, 2025
Yacht registration in Cyprus involves registering a vessel with the Registrar of Cyprus Ships and offers provisional, permanent, or parallel options. It is open to Cypriot/EU/EEA citizens or companies meeting specific ownership rules, often requiring a Cyprus representative.
Our registered lawyers are qualified under Cyprus law to prepare all necessary documents for ship and yacht registry transactions. We offer expert advice and comprehensive assistance to guide you through every requirement of the Cyprus yacht registration process.
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Cyprus has three types of yacht registration: provisional, permanent, and parallel. The same rules apply to yachts, ships, boats and other vessels.
Note: A charterparty is a contract to lease a ship. A bareboat charter is when the owner leases the vessel to the charterer for a fixed period; the charterer is responsible for the crew, fuel, insurance, and maintenance.
Where: Registrar of Cyprus Ships (Shipping Deputy Ministry).
The list of necessary documents is long and includes:
Other documents depend on the case.
The complete list (13 documents as of 19.05.2025) at: Documents required for the registration under the Cyprus flag - gov.cy
The vessel must be certified following the International Maritime Organisation instruments before applying.
Ownership requirements:
If you are not a permanent resident in the Republic, consult and appoint our lawyer as an authorised representative in Cyprus to meet the application requirements. The authorised representative can be:
Pay fees and taxes (registration costs). The fee for small vessels is €34.17.
Our lawyer will submit documentation for approval.
The list of documents can be found here at Documents required for the registration under the Cyprus flag - gov.cy.
An application for yacht registration in Cyprus may be rejected on the following grounds:
The Cyprus flag carries many benefits:
Note that the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not a recognised state and has no status in the international community. Therefore, no yacht can be legally registered under its flag.
Boat registration costs and fees are low. For example, a €300 fee per annum is paid to the Shipping Deputy Ministry.
The Republic of Cyprus has one of the most attractive VAT regimes on yachts in the EU. Under the VAT scheme for yachts, the VAT rate can be as low as 3.4% of the yacht’s value (8.5% at its highest).
Other yacht tax benefits include:
Note that a commercial yacht is a qualifying ship; a private yacht is not.
Commercial and private small vessels (up to 15 metres in length and speed of at least 15 knots per hour) need a circulation license from the Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry. The license of commercial yachts must be renewed annually. The license of private yachts is renewable every five years. Renewal is done with an inspection. Commercial yachts are classified as Category A. Private yachts are Category B. The forms are submitted to the Deputy Ministry of Shipping offices in Limassol or via email at maritimeadmin@dms.gov.cy. The fee is €51.26 for each inspection. The forms are downloadable from Documents required for the registration under the Cyprus flag - gov.cy.
Also in need of licenses are:
The relevant legislation for ship registration in Cyprus is:
For some types of registration, you need confirmation from a classification society.
A classification society ensures that a vessel follows certain requirements for construction, design, and technology.
The confirmation certificate does not guarantee seaworthiness or safety, only that the yacht complies with society’s rules. However, the certificate increases the price of a vessel and lowers the insurance premium.
Societies are independent bodies with no commercial interests.
Ten of the most famous of these societies, including Lloyd’s Register and Registro Italiano Navale (RINA), American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, are represented by IACS (International Association of Classification Societies) based in London. The IACS (iacs.org.uk) was the original yacht classification society.
Others include the Chinese Classification Society (CCS) and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS).
Under Cyprus law, only lawyers registered with the Cyprus Bar Association can draft the documents necessary to carry out the registry transactions for ships and vessels.
If you are looking for a yacht registration company, our team of professional lawyers provides a variety of legal services and can help you with all the relevant requirements. We give expert advice on every aspect of yacht and ship registration in Cyprus.
How much does it cost to register a yacht in Cyprus?
Small vessels pay a registration fee of €34.17. All vessels registered in Cyprus pay an annual fee of €300 to the Deputy Shipping Ministry. Commercial vessels pay tax according to tonnage annually.
A circulation licensing fee of €51.26 is charged annually for commercial small vessels and once every five years for private small vessels.
Additional licensing fees apply for the operator and the radio on board. Small vessels are those up to 15 metres long and with a speed of at least 15 knots per hour.
What are the yacht registration requirements for Cyprus?
Any vessel to be registered in Cyprus needs to satisfy ownership requirements:
1) More than 50% of the ownership must belong to a Cypriot/ EU/ EEA citizen or to a third-country national (TCN) who has appointed an authorised representative in the Republic.
2) Legal persons registered and having an office in the Republic, registered within the EEA but have an authorised representative in the Republic, or registered in a third country but are controlled by Cypriot citizens or TCNs who have an authorised representative in the Republic. The applicant must submit the relevant form and documentation (see here at Documents required for the registration under the Cyprus flag - gov.cy) and pay the registration fee of €34.17.
Note that there are licensing fees for the small vessel, the operator and the radio. It is also necessary to comply with the safety standards set in the High-Speed Small Vessel Regulations 1999, P.I. 121/99.
What are the main reasons for registering a vessel under the Cyprus flag?
The Cyprus flag offers the protection of an EU member state and is classified in the white list of all the major MOUs (areas agreeing to port state control and safety standards).
Moreover, Cyprus is a tourist and commercial centre, ideal whether you wish to holiday, relocate or carry out a business. It has a favourable tax system and an environment excellent for entrepreneurs. Ports are safe and well-regulated, while the Mediterranean seascapes are astonishing.
Where should you register a yacht in Cyprus?
Applications must be submitted to the Registrar of Cyprus Ships at the head office of the Shipping Deputy Ministry in Limassol. Provisional registration may be effected abroad by a Cyprus consular officer.
Fees and taxes must be paid before registration.
Only lawyers licensed by and practising under the Cyprus Bar Association can draft the documentation and carry out the registration transaction.
What does it mean to register your vessel under an open registry?
According to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a country keeps an “open registry” when it allows foreign-owned or controlled vessels to use its flag.
There is no genuine link between the flag state and the vessel, yet the flag state allows registration. When the vessel is on high seas, it will fly the flag of that state, and the laws of that state will apply to the vessel and crew.
Open registries are often linked to lax state laws, substandard work conditions, and a lack of accountability for pollution, crimes, and other matters. The state flag is negatively named a “flag of convenience.”
Criticism has led some countries to abandon open registries and turn to closed registry states. Nevertheless, it does not mean a ship has bad conditions simply because it uses a flag of convenience.
What are the types of yacht registries?
Yacht registries are ship registries; there is no special registry for yachts, though countries like Cyprus keep small vessel records. There are open, closed and hybrid registry systems, though there is no harmonised international system or a single definition of a “genuine link” between vessel and state.
Open registries do not have nationality requirements for the vessel.
Closed registries have ownership requirements. They maintain the country’s regulatory standards and may have relaxed crew nationality rules.
International, or hybrid, systems allow for more flexibility but require a link between the state and the vessel owner.
Is parallel yacht registration possible in Cyprus?
Yes. Registering the bareboat charter of a foreign ship in the Republic in the Special Book of Parallel Registration (“parallel-in registration”) is possible.
It is also possible to register a Cyprus ship's bareboat charter in a foreign registry (“parallel-out registration”). In such a case, permission from the authorities of the foreign state is required.
Is it necessary to have the vessel in Cyprus for inspection before or during the provisional registration?
No. The ship must be at a port or anchorage during provisional registration to be inspected. The ship doesn't need to be actually in Cyprus.
George K. Konstantinou
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