Yacht charter licence, boat, berth and captain first
A yacht charter licence in Dubai pairs your trade licence with Dubai Maritime Authority approval of every yacht, captain and charter route.
- Usual route
- Usually mainland
- Extra approval
- DMA permits
- Timeline
- Weeks to months
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A yacht charter licence in Dubai is a DET or free zone trade licence with the leisure yacht rental activity. The Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA) licenses each yacht, which needs liability insurance, and each captain on a commercial licence. A marina berth and an approved route come before its activity permit, and a foreign-flagged yacht needs a separate operating permit.
- Covers
- Private charters, shared cruises and fishing trips with a captain
- Not covered
- Jet ski hire, water taxis, land tours and yacht sales
- Premises
- A marina berth for each yacht, plus a registered office
- Timeline
- Weeks to months, set by vessel licensing and DMA inspection
What can a yacht charter company sell?
A charter company sells time on a yacht it controls. The boats and captains carry most of the file.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by Jet ski or water sports rental
- Covered by Passenger transport under an RTA permit
- Covered by Tour operator
- Covered by Ships and boats trading
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
Jet ski hire is a second activity with its own DMA permit, so we add it before filing if guests will ride.
Where the charter company is licensed
Guests book and board in Dubai, so most charter companies hold a DET licence. DMA rules apply on both routes.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tourists and residents booking from a marina | Mainland (DET) | Bookings, card payments and boarding all happen in the Dubai market |
| Companies booking a yacht for events | Mainland (DET) | Event clients across Dubai sit on the mainland |
| Overseas agents selling your trips abroad | Either route | Agents pay from abroad, and the yacht still needs DMA permits here |
A free zone charter company taking bookings from Dubai residents needs a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Charter fees from individuals sit outside QFZP qualifying income.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Yacht charter licence and DMA permits
DET or the free zone issues the trade licence. The Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA) does the rest. It licenses each yacht and its captain, and inspects the operation before its activity permit lets you take paying guests.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone
The licence
- Licence with yacht rental activityDET or the free zone
Alongside the licence
- Yacht inspected, insured and licensedDubai Maritime Authority (DMA)
- Commercial licences for captainsDMA
- Marina berth contract signedThe marina operator
After the licence
- Activity permit after inspectionDMA
- Visas for captains and crewGDRFA Dubai
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We check the berth and route before the yacht is bought.
What will you run on the water?
Tick what you plan to offer in your first season. The heaviest item shows what sits on top of the trade licence.
A yacht bought abroad and kept on its foreign flag follows a different permit from a Dubai-registered one, so we settle the flag before purchase.
Tick everything you plan to offer
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| a charter brokerage activity, selling time on boats other owners run | |
| the yacht rental activity, a DMA-licensed and insured yacht, a commercial captain and the DMA activity permit | |
| the yacht rental activity, a DMA-licensed and insured yacht, a commercial captain and the DMA activity permit | |
| the yacht rental activity, a DMA-licensed and insured yacht, a commercial captain and the DMA activity permit | |
| a jet ski or water sports rental activity, with its own DMA permit | |
| a DMA operating permit for the foreign-flagged yacht, arranged through a licensed marine agent | |
| an RTA permit for carrying passengers on set routes |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
How banks look at charter income
Bank viewStandard; yacht purchases abroad and seasonal deposits draw questions
Banks treat yacht charter as a leisure business. Income is seasonal, mostly card payments and deposits. The questions come at the start, when a large payment leaves for a yacht bought or leased abroad, or when the yacht sits in the founder's own name. We put the DMA vessel licence, the berth contract and the purchase or lease papers into the account file together.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Why yacht charter licences stall
Buying the yacht before the berth
The DMA activity permit is tied to a marina berth contract and an approved route. The authority inspects before it issues. A yacht bought with nowhere approved to moor earns nothing while the berth is found.
A captain on a private boat licence
Paying guests need a captain with a commercial DMA licence, which adds a practical test to the private one. Owners answer for whoever takes the helm, so we check each captain's licence before hiring.
A foreign-flagged yacht treated as local
A yacht registered abroad takes paying guests in Dubai only under a DMA operating permit. A licensed marine agent applies, and the yacht is inspected first. Owners bringing one in for the season wait for it before chartering.
Questions about a yacht charter licence
A question about your plan? Describe your yacht charter plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a yacht charter licence cost in Dubai?
How to start a yacht charter business in Dubai?
Can I rent out my yacht in Dubai?
Do yacht captains need a commercial licence in Dubai?
Can a free zone company run yacht charters in Dubai?
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Is your berth lined up before the yacht? The DMA permit needs it first
Fifteen minutes with a senior advisor on your yachts, the berth and the trips you plan to sell. You leave with the activities, the route and the order of the DET and DMA steps.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written quote before any work starts
