Annual fee
Annual fee across every register we track for yachts.
What is meant by annual fee?
The recurring charge for keeping a vessel registered once it is entered.
Why does annual fee matter when choosing a register?
Annual cost compounds across an ownership period, so a low entry fee paired with a high standing charge can be the more expensive choice over time.
Every register for yachts, side by side
Where a register has not published an answer, none is shown, and where the only figure available is an estimate, it is labeled as one.
| Register | Answer |
|---|---|
| British Virgin IslandsVirgin Islands Shipping Registry | Yacht annual fees run US$100.00 to US$1,000.00 by length and tonnage band, due on the registration anniversary.Statutory Instrument 2008 No. 41, Statutory Rates, Fees and Charges (Amendment of Schedule) Order, 2008, Part 28 'Merchant Shipping Fees and Charges' - Government of the Virgin Islands, archived copy of the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry schedule of feesbvi.gov.vg (web.archive.org) · Schedule of fees (scanned), Part 28, transcribed by OCR, Regulations 5 and 7 and Schedule 2 (Commercial Yachts) and Regulations 5 and 8 and Schedule 3 (Pleasure Vessels), printed p. 3Retrieved 2026-08-27Effective 2008-07-17Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| Cayman IslandsCayman Islands Shipping Registry | The annual tonnage fee is US$600 up to 400 GT and US$800 from 401 GT, plus US$0.30 for each gross tonnage unit of 400 GT, payable by 31 January each year.Shipping Notice 04/2026 (Rev 1.1), Notice of Fees and Charges for Vessels which are Commercial and Pleasure Yachts, Tenders or Submersibles, Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islandswww.cishipping.com · Schedule, Section 1, A.3, item 15Retrieved 2026-08-29Effective 2026-04-01Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| GibraltarGibraltar Yacht Registry | Renewal costs £29, £80 or £125 for each year applied for, by class.Fees Brochure, effective from 1st August 2026, Gibraltar Maritime Administrationgibraltarship.com · p. 4Retrieved 2026-08-27Effective 2026-08-01Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| Isle of ManIsle of Man Ship Registry | Annual fees run £312 to £1,260 for pleasure yachts and £1,290 or £2,570 for commercial ones.Merchant Shipping (Fees) Order 2026, Statutory Document No. 2026/0043, made 13 February 2026 by the Department for Enterprise with the consent of the Treasury under s. 17(1) of the Merchant Shipping (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1996, laid before Tynwald 17 March 2026, as published by the Isle of Man Ship Registrywww.iomshipregistry.com · art. 23, Table 9Retrieved 2026-09-01Effective 2026-04-01Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| JerseyJersey Ship Registry | No annual registration fee; the only recurring charge is a £125 renewal every ten years.JR30, The Benefits of Jersey as the Port of British Registry, January 2021, Registrar of British Ships, Ports of Jerseycdn.ports.je · point 7Retrieved 2026-08-12Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| MadeiraMadeira International Shipping Register (MAR) | The annual fee is €500 for a private yacht up to 24 meters, or €1,000 plus a gross tonnage charge for a commercial yacht.Portaria n.º 145/2003, de 29 de outubro (amends articles 2.º, 4.º and 5.º of Portaria n.º 135/94, de 1 de agosto, the fee regime for recreational craft registered in MAR), Jornal Oficial da Região Autónoma da Madeira, I Série, n.º 122joram.madeira.gov.pt · Portaria n.º 145/2003, art. 1.º (Portaria n.º 135/94, art. 2.º(2)(b))Retrieved 2026-08-29Effective 2003-10-29Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| MaltaMalta Ship Register | A pleasure yacht under 24 m pays €200 a year (€25 basic fee plus €175 register fee) and a commercial yacht under 24 m pays €400, under the First Schedule rates for ships not declared tonnage tax ships; paying after the anniversary adds 10 percent.Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 234, Laws of Malta), consolidated text at point in time 04/04/2025, legislation.mt (Office of the State Advocate)legislation.mt · First Schedule, para A.i, rows (i)b and (i)c; columns Fee on Registration, Basic Fee, Register FeeRetrieved 2026-09-12Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands Maritime Registry | Recurring charges include a US$1,000 yacht service fee and a US$250 security fee; private yachts pay neither.RMI Marine Notice 1-005-2, Consolidated Fees for Official Yacht Documents and Services, Rev. Jul/2025, Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administratorwww.register-iri.com · §12.2, fee columnRetrieved 2026-09-12Effective 2025-01-01Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| PanamaPanama Ship Registry | No separate annual fee; pleasure yachts pay one biennial charge of US$1,000 or US$1,500.Information on the Panama Yacht Registry, Requirements & Cost, published by the Consulado General de Panamá en Marsella (Panamanian Merchant Marine Consulate)www.consulatgeneraldepanamamarseille.comRetrieved 2026-08-27Corroborating source, not the register's own publicationOpen sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| St Vincent and the GrenadinesSt Vincent and the Grenadines Maritime Administration | Annual Tax on a yacht is a flat US$250.00 per year.Fees and Taxes, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Maritime Administration (registry fee schedule published at svg-marad.com/fees.asp) (archived copy)www.svg-marad.com (web.archive.org) · Annual TaxesRetrieved 2026-08-27Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
| United KingdomUK Ship Register | No annual fee; renewal costs £72 every five years.The Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1104), Schedule 1 Part 8 (Registration, Transfer and Mortgage of Ships (other than Fishing Vessels) and Related Matters), latest available revised text - legislation.gov.ukwww.legislation.gov.uk · Schedule 1, Part 8, Table of fees, item 3Retrieved 2026-08-27Effective 2018-11-13Open sourceInformational only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Contact a qualified professional for current information. |
Where to go next
This item is one of many that bear on the choice. Set it beside the rest before you choose a register, and tell us if a register you need is not covered yet.