How to start a SUP, kayak, jet ski or boat rental in Malta
Thinking of renting out SUPs, kayaks, jet skis or boats in Malta? Here is what we found — 17 points, each linked to the text it comes from and checked on 17 October 2026 — plus what we could not confirm yet and who decides (6 official bodies).
Registering the business
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Companies are registered with the Malta Business Registry (MBR), the central authority for commercial entities, through its online portal (BRO).
Original wording
“the Malta Business Registry (MBR) is the central authority for all commercial entities in Malta”
Permits to rent out watercraft
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Anyone who hires out small ships needs a licence from Transport Malta (the Authority), whether the craft are motorised or not and whether the hirer drives or not. The same applies to running a boat-driving school, a water-ski school or water-ski facilities. The applicant must be 18. The licence lists the registration number of every craft covered and must be displayed at the office.
Original wording
“No person shall run or operate a mechanically driven small ships’ school or a water skiing school, or provide water skiing facilities, or hire any small ships, whether mechanically driven or not, to be driven by the hirer or otherwise, unless he is in possession of a licence for that purpose by the Authority.”
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A craft may only be hired out if its registration number is entered on the hire licence. Customers may only hire from a licensed operator.
Original wording
“No person shall hire or rent to any other person any small ship for any purpose whatsoever unless the registration number of such small ship is entered on the hirer’s licence.”
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Transport Malta may suspend, cancel or revoke any licence at any time without giving reasons, and may bar any craft it considers unseaworthy. Licensees must follow its directives on the safety of skiers and craft, collision avoidance and general control of navigation.
Original wording
“The Authority may at any time without assigning any reason therefor, suspend, cancel or revoke any licence granted or renewed by it under these regulations.”
Using the beach, shore or quay
Nothing confirmed from an official text yet — see “Not confirmed yet” below.
Your duties as an operator
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Safety equipment: a small ship cannot be registered unless it carries the safety equipment Transport Malta requires; see VesselSOS Kit Finder (/kit-finder/).
Original wording
“No small ship shall be registered unless the small ship is equipped with such safety equipment as may be required by the Authority from time to time.”
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Briefing: licensed operators must give boating safety instructions to everyone hiring a motorised craft without a valid nautical licence. Before the rental, every hirer must receive in print the craft's operating characteristics, the local boating rules for the rental area, and on-water courtesy and environmental effects.
Original wording
“All licensed operators must administer boating safety instructions in compliance with existing regulations to all persons hiring mechanically driven small ships who do not have a valid nautical licence. (4) In addition, the licensee must supply to any person hiring a small ship in print, prior to rental: (a) the operational characteristics of the hired small ship, especially of a mechanically driven small ship; (b) the boating regulations peculiar to the area of rental; and (c) the common courtesies of operating a small ship”
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Hire register: keep, for every motorised craft hired, the date and times of departure and arrival, and the name and nautical licence number of the driver, or of the hirer if they drive.
Original wording
“Any person who holds a licence under regulation 32 shall keep a register showing the following information: (a) the date, and the time of departure and of arrival, of any mechanically driven small ship hired from him; and (b) the name and the nautical licence number, where applicable, of the driver”
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Speed limit: 10 knots inside harbours, within 300 m of any sandy beach and within 200 m of any other foreshore. Include this in jet ski and motorboat briefings.
Original wording
“No person shall cause, suffer or permit any mechanically driven small ship to proceed at a speed in excess of ten knots - (a) inside any harbour; or (b) in any place within 300 metres of the foreshore of any sandy beach; or (c) in any place within 200 metres of any other part of the foreshore”
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Instructors teaching motorboat driving or water skiing need an instructor's nautical licence (minimum age 18).
Original wording
“No person may act as an instructor in the driving of a mechanically driven small ship or in water skiing unless he is in possession of an instructor’s nautical licence issued by the Authority.”
Customer age and licence rules
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Motorised craft, including jet skis, may not be hired to or operated by anyone under 18.
Original wording
“Any person licensed to hire small ships in terms of regulation 32 may not lease, hire or rent a mechanically driven small ship to, or for operation by, any person under eighteen years of age.”
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Driving a motorised small ship normally requires a Transport Malta nautical licence (18+) and third-party insurance. The regulation also allows driving 'under the specific conditions laid down in regulation 36', i.e. hire from a licensed operator with a safety briefing, which is how licence-free rental to tourists works.
Original wording
“No person shall drive any mechanically driven small ship, or tow any person for the purpose of water skiing, in the internal and territorial waters of Malta unless he is in possession of a nautical licence issued by the Authority, and is covered by a policy of insurance … or under the specific conditions laid down in regulation 36.”
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The nautical licence is only issued to applicants aged 18 or over who are competent to drive a motorised small ship.
Original wording
“The Authority shall not issue a nautical licence unless the applicant is eighteen years old and is competent to drive a mechanically driven small ship.”
Insurance
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Third-party insurance is compulsory for motorised small ships. A craft cannot be registered without a policy approved by Transport Malta, and nobody may use or let others use a motorised craft unless the user is covered.
Original wording
“it shall not be lawful for any person to use or to cause or allow any other person to use a mechanically driven small ship unless there is in force in relation to the user of the mechanically driven small ship by that person or that other person, as the case may be, such a policy of insurance in respect of third party-risks as complies with the requirements of regulation 5.”
Registering and marking the craft
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Every small ship (under 24 m: jet skis, dinghies, paddleboats, canoes and other craft, private or commercial) used in Maltese waters must be registered with Transport Malta, unless it is registered elsewhere as the regulation allows.
Original wording
“No small ship shall be used in the internal and territorial waters of Malta unless such small ship is registered with the Authority under these regulations”
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The exemption for canoes and engineless open sailing dinghies up to 5.2 m covers personal, non-commercial use only. Rental kayaks and canoes must therefore be registered.
Original wording
“The following small ships, which are for personal use only and not used in a commercial manner, are exempted from registration under this regulation: (a) canoes; and (b) open sailing dinghies, without engines, not exceeding 5.2 metres in length overall.”
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Registration marks on hire craft are painted white on a black background; private craft use black on white.
Original wording
“small ships owned by private individuals shall have their letters and numbers painted in black on a white background, whereas those used for hire shall be painted in white on a black background.”
Inland waters and the sea
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The Small Ships Regulations cover the internal and territorial waters of Malta. A small ship is a craft under 24 m used solely within Maltese territorial waters.
Original wording
“"small ship" means a craft under twenty-four metres in length employed solely in the navigation within the territorial waters of Malta, whether mechanically driven or not, and whether privately or commercially used”
Season
Nothing confirmed from an official text yet — see “Not confirmed yet” below.
Not confirmed yet
What the research could not confirm from an official text. Ask before you rely on it.
- Not found
Beach/foreshore concessions for rental stands (Lands Authority concessions, local councils, MTA beach management) and jet ski launching lanes
- Not found
Whether the Malta Tourism Authority licenses watersports centres separately (Malta Travel and Tourism Services Act, Cap. 409)
Check with Malta Tourism Authority
- Not found
Swimmers' zones and their seasonal dates (Transport Malta local notices); season not sourced
- Not found
The current hire-licence fees and application form (transport.gov.mt blocks automated fetching)
Check with Transport Malta – Ports & Yachting Directorate (small ship registration, nautical and hire licences)
- Not found
Sole-trader / self-employed registration (Jobsplus, Commissioner for Revenue)
Official bodies
Who decides. Ask them before you open — rules and fees can change every season.
- Transport Malta – Ports & Yachting Directorate (small ship registration, nautical and hire licences)transport.gov.mt ↗
- Legislation Malta – S.L. 499.52 Small Ships Regulationslegislation.mt ↗
- Malta Business Registry (MBR)mbr.mt ↗
- Lands Authority (government land and foreshore)landsauthority.org.mt ↗
- Malta Tourism Authoritymta.com.mt ↗
- Armed Forces of Malta – RCC Maltaafm.gov.mt ↗
Quick answers
Do I need a permit to rent out SUPs, kayaks, jet skis or boats in Malta?
Anyone who hires out small ships needs a licence from Transport Malta (the Authority), whether the craft are motorised or not and whether the hirer drives or not. The same applies to running a boat-driving school, a water-ski school or water-ski facilities. The applicant must be 18. The licence lists the registration number of every craft covered and must be displayed at the office. Source: legislation.mt, checked 17 October 2026.
Are there special rules for renting out jet skis in Malta?
Motorised craft, including jet skis, may not be hired to or operated by anyone under 18. Source: legislation.mt, checked 17 October 2026.
How do I register a watercraft rental business in Malta?
Companies are registered with the Malta Business Registry (MBR), the central authority for commercial entities, through its online portal (BRO). Source: mbr.mt, checked 17 October 2026.
Is insurance compulsory for a watercraft rental in Malta?
Third-party insurance is compulsory for motorised small ships. A craft cannot be registered without a policy approved by Transport Malta, and nobody may use or let others use a motorised craft unless the user is covered. Source: legislation.mt, checked 17 October 2026.
Do rental craft have to be registered in Malta?
Every small ship (under 24 m: jet skis, dinghies, paddleboats, canoes and other craft, private or commercial) used in Maltese waters must be registered with Transport Malta, unless it is registered elsewhere as the regulation allows. Source: legislation.mt, checked 17 October 2026.
Next steps
What each craft must carry
The safety equipment a rental SUP, kayak, jet ski, motorboat and sailboat must carry in Malta, from the law.
Safety rules for rental fleets Kit Finder on vesselsos.com ↗Free tools for your dock
Print them, no account needed. Only the PDF asks for your email.
Safety briefing cardRental agreement & waiver templateDock poster All free toolsThen run the day with VesselSOS Fleet
Fleet is the rental dashboard we are building with pilot operators for the 2027 season. Your customers' phones are the trackers — no hardware.
Fleet does not replace any permit, licence or duty on this page.