Malta - Customs
Arriving by Yacht:
Only yachts arriving from outside the EU and departing to outside the EU, need to see Customs on arrival and departure.
Customs officers charge overtime rates after 13:30 in summer and 17:00 in winter.
EU regulations apply concerning temporary importation. See EU VAT section on Schengen page for more information.
Other items:
Firearms will be taken into custody on arrival and returned prior to departure, or sealed on board if there is a suitable locker.
Last updated: May 2022
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We arrived in Malta and anchored at Birzebbuga. Caught the bus the next morning (Sunday) to Valletta to check in. We went to the Valletta Waterfront where the cruise ships dock and got directions to the arrival office from the Tourist Information Kiosk. The immigration and customs officers are in the same building. Our crew list was stamped (not passports) and we had to complete a form for customs as we were arriving from outside the EU. We were not asked for ships store, crew effects or health declarations, or any other documents. There were no charges. Very easy check in.
Thanks for this great feedback. Do keep in touch as you cruise Malta with more updates and info. – it’s very much appreciated.
July 2022 – SV Joline. Came in from Tunisia ( Non EU), checked in at Mgarr Gozo. We anchored outside the Marina and went in the dinghy. Customs is right next to the Maina Office and it was very easy. The very pleasent and professional customs officer range the police who came to the office to do the immigration formalities. They stamped the offical crew list not the passports (UK passport holders).
Checking out we went to Grand Harbour, very diffcult to find and located at Laguna marina. If arriving by dinghy make sure call Marina on channel 13 and ask permission to enter (we called and entered at the same time and got told off, they also gave us incorrect instrucations on where to find Customs and Immigration due to relocation). You have to go to the main security gate for the curise liner terminal. Once through the security gate on the sea side of the marina, just keep walking, about 1km over a little bridge to the end of the old customs and immigration building, at the end of this building you will find immigration office, it looks deserted, we went in and shouted and a helpful offier appeared. You get your crew list stamped and then he points you in the right dirrection to customs who are in a small portocabin to the right of the old building. In our case the customs officer was very grumpy. He stamped the crew list, kept it and we departed.
What is stated here about non-EU boats having to clear Customs and Immigration in Malta regardless of the fact that they are coming from another Schengen area country is not true.
On April 30th 2022 we arrived to Malta from Sicily, US flagged boat with US citizens crew, and Customs and Immigration told us it wasn’t necessary to clear in. Please update the Formalities page on Noonsite to get rid of that nonsense.
Thanks so much for your useful feedback. Unfortunately, as with many countries, Malta is not consistent. The Customs and Immigration in Valletta are not concerned about seeing you if you are coming from an EU port, however if you dock at Msida Marina for example, they insist that all yachts report to Customs and Immigration on site, the only difference being that if you come from another EU port you don’t need to do it immediately. I have updated our Formalities page to better reflect the situation and once again, thanks so much for reporting your experience.
Also, Re: Malta, and this might be important for people coming from Greece. No where in Malta can you place a boat into Customs Bond, as one does in Greece, to avoid VAT time from accruing on unpaid VAT-eligible boats. So if you intend to put your boat into Bond in Malta, think again. Sicily doesnt do it, Malta doesnt either. The good news is that to get to Tunisia isnt very far to reset the clock, should you require.
We cruised Malta for a week July 2021. We found the marinas to be too expensive tbh, but there were plenty of places to anchor or pick up an unused buoy so it turned out to be fine. One of the biggest challenges was finding places to provision that were not bare bones convenience stores. Malta is geared towards cars!
Mar 15, 2019 10:35 AM
In answer to your comment about the VAT paid status of a boat you are planning to buy. Yes, as the purchase is within the EU by an EU citizen, the boat does retain its VAT paid status.
To register the boat under a UK flag, you need normally need to be a U.K. citizen who is ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK (i.e. resident for a minimum of185 days per year) . This is the rule for the Part 3 registration which is the one used for most private yachts under 24m.
If you are neither resident nor a U.K. citizen, then anyone can register with U.K. Part 1 registration. This is very much more expensive and requires an extensive amount of paperwork tracing back to the original builder and all owners in between, plus evidence of any mortgages or loans secured on the boat. Basically it is for larger yachts, company owned vessels or commercial shipping.
I am afraid I do not know anything about the rules for registration in Malta.
Mar 08, 2019 09:41 PM
Hi Sue I’m a Canadian and also have a British passport. I’m buying a boat in Europe that has VAT paid in Malta. Can I register the boat in Malta or UK and retain the VAT paid status. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Feb 07, 2019 10:51 AM
To be legal, a UK registered boat must comply as follows -:
your boat must be less than 24 metres long
you must be a private individual (not a company)
you must live in the UK for at least 185 days of the year
your boat must have a name
This is for what is known as Part 111 registration, which is the usual one for most private yachts. Part 1 registration (which allows for non-UK nationals) is much more complicated (and expensive) and is mainly for super-yachts and commercial vessels.
If you re-register it as a Canadian vessel it will lose it VAT-Paid status, but you can keep it in the EU for 18 months at a time without paying VAT. After 18 months you only need to prove the boat was outside the EU for a night or more and then it can return for yet another 18 month period.
You personally as a Canadian citizen, what ever flag state the boat is registered to, would be limited to being in the Schengen Area for 90 days in any 180 day period, unless you are eligible for a long-stay visa of some type.
Malta is part of the Schengen Area.
Part I registration
Register your boat on the Part I register if you want to:
prove you own the boat
prove your boat’s nationality
use the boat as security for a marine mortgage
register a pleasure vessel
get ‘transcripts of registry’, which show the boat’s previous owners and whether there are any outstanding mortgages
Your boat must have a unique name to be registered.
It costs £153 to register for 5 years.
Jan 29, 2019 03:28 AM
Having survey for boat to purchase in Malta. Am Canadian. Where should i register her? U.K. Registered now. Can the boat stay in Malta long term? Stephen.
Andrew Brock says:
Nov 15, 2018 11:18 AM
We spend time at the start and end of the Med season in Malta and find it good for getting things ready for the Atlantic crossing. The workforce usually speaks English and there are a couple of exceptionally good management companies. But the Rigger Nick Samut who I depend on to check, repair, and update my rigging and deck equipment needs a special mention again this year. After working with Italy and Spain, I will always trust the Malta teams with there we will sort attitudes.
As far as the area for cruising. You could spend a week but will run out of places to see if longer. Blue Grotto, Blue Lagoon, Popeyes, Valletta.
Marina di Valletta – this is the newest marina in Valletta, the clubhouse is still under development and washrooms are in a small trailer (but plentiful hot water). Because it is the “last addition” to the marinas in Valletta, there is a concern about the protection in the marina. We have stayed in the marina in late April/early May 2018 and were very happy.
We entered with 25knt NE wind and 2m swell and had no problems. Once past the entrance to the harbour, the waves calm down and there is plenty of space to take sails down before entering the marina. While on the dock, we also experienced 35knt W winds with no problem.
The marina has a great location, it is a short uphill walk to the old town or one can take a bus that stops very close to the marina. Prices are in line with other Valletta marinas, perhaps a touch lower but still quite expensive.
Kalkara Marina is probably the cheapest in the Grand Harbour. It is also a boatyard, so you can easily fix any kind of problem.
Posted on behalf of anonymous:
We’re cruising Malta right now, so a few impressions: marinas are very expensive, at least in the summer, but they respond well to email enquiries, so you can always check their long-term winter rates. English is one of the state languages, so that’s helpful as well.
Most foodstuffs out of season come from the continent, so unless shopping at a farm, provisioning costs a bit more. Though their selection is excellent with a very good mix of English, Italian, and French assortment.
Chandleries are very good, with excellent quality, quantity, and exuberant prices. Marine technicians are knowledgeable and most speak excellent English.
The islands themselves are gorgeous with an anchorage for every weather, history behind every turn (even more so than in Turkey IMHO), and colourful people. However, I don’t think we’d be able to handle being the whole season here as it’s quite small.
The charts are the best sound we’ve seen in The Med yet (out of France, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, and Turkey).
Most European destinations are via Rome or Sicily, except for destinations covered by Air Malta. Most fresh produce is Sicilian as well.