Yacht Registration in Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island state in the western Pacific Ocean, located on 29 atolls and 5 islands. The population is about 57 thousand people. Official languages are Marshal and English. The currency is the US dollar.

The Marshall Islands are in "Free Association" with the United States of America, in fact, a territory controlled by the USA. This provides many opportunities for the flag of the Marshall Islands, such as, favorable conditions for entering the waters of the United States and the EU. The Marshall Islands is one of the most popular jurisdictions for boat registration. The Merchant Fleet of the Marshall Islands is the 3rd largest in the world.

The whole process of registration can be done remotely. Registration is valid for life, once a year it is necessary to pay a small government fee – for yachts up to 24 meters it is 750 USD.

The radio license (MMSI, call sign) is issued for 4 years, then should be renewed.

Documents Required for Boat Registration

1. A completed Form MI-101U for yacht registration, where it is necessary to specify detailed information about the boat, its technical characteristics, the owner of the yacht info (his or her nationality, place of residence and contact details), to give an emergency phone number, to select the home port, etc. We will help you to complete the form. As we go forward, this form should be notarized.

2. Documents confirming the ownership of the yacht, such as:
- Builder Certificate,
- Bill of Sale,
- Protocol of Delivery,
- Sales Agreement,
- Invoice.

3. If the boat was registered earlier: Deletion Certificate plus Certificate of Registry from previous yacht registry.

4. Certificate of No Liens issued by previous registry (dated within 3 working days before registration). New boats are not obliged to receive one.

5. Declaration of Private Use – Not for Hire. A document in which you confirm that the yacht is for private use only, will not be rented or receive any benefit.

6. Completed Application for Yacht Radio Station License, where it is necessary to list all radio devices on your yacht and information of license or certificate of the radio operator. We will help you fill out the application.

7. Third-Party Liability + Hull & Machinery Insurance.

8. Confirmation of payment of registration fees for the first year of service.

9. A Power of Attorney on behalf of the company for yacht registration issued to an Authorized Agent. We will help you to prepare one.

During the registration process, the registry can request more documents about your yacht. Any requested technical details should be provided.

In most cases, a survey is not required. If the registry does request a survey, we will recommend some authorized professionals to you, so it won't be a problem.

Documents Required for Boat Registration

1. Change the name of the boat – 250 USD

2. Duplicated Certificates of Registry after registration – 300 USD

3. Certificate of Permission for Sale and Re-registration – 250 USD

4. Certificate of Cancellation – 200 USD

5. Certified copy of any document from the ship registry relating to the registration of the boat – 375 USD

6. DHL Courier Delivery – 150 USD

Registration of Private Yachts Over 24 Meters
Yachts for Commercial Use

In the Marshall’s Yacht Registry you can also register:

- private yacht 24 meters or more,
- commercial yacht,
- passenger yacht,
- yacht under construction.

All types of vessels, from pleasure yachts to passenger cruise liners and tankers, can be registered under the Marshall Islands flag.

Yachts for commercial use or yachts over 24 meters demand an individual attention. The bigger the vessel, the more inquiries. Contact us and we will start working with you.

More Information

International Registries, Inc (IRI)makes registration of yachts in the Marshall Islands. It’s headquarter is located in the USA, second major office is in Switzerland, with a total of 28 offices and 500 agents around the world. We have been working with IRI since 2012.

International Registries, Inc (IRI) is a private company that provides full administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries. The company was established in 1948, it is the largest non-governmental administrator of the national flag.

There are two home ports in the Marshall Islands: Bikini and Jaluit. Two yachts can be of the same name if they are registered in different home ports.

The minimum length of a private yacht must be more than 12 meters. For yachts from 12 to 24 meters, a survey is not required in most cases.

Usually, a private yacht can carry up to 12 passengers. The number of passengers can be increased under additional conditions.

If the boat is over 20 years old, an extra inspection by the Registry Administration of the Marshall Islands is needed.

Radio License (MMSI, call sign). For the period until the yacht is registered, you get a provisional radio license for a period of 90 days, its cost is 100 USD. During this time, you should meet all the requirements to obtain a permanent license. A provisional radio license can be prolonged several times: the first prolongation costs 125 USD, the second and subsequent ones – 150 USD.

A permanent radio license is issued for 4 years, then it is necessary to renew it. The price for a permanent radio license is 300 USD, the renewal price of the same is 200 USD.

Before the registration begins, it is better to show all the details regarding radio equipment on your yacht, your license or radio operator's certificate to the registry. We will send you a questionnaire and will help to fill it out.

The Marshall Islands is one of the best states to register a boat, especially for those yachts that plan to sail in the national waters of the USA and the EU.

Interesting Facts

The Marshall Islands is a tiny paradise that was transformed into radioactive hell.

The Marshall Islands have been a nuclear testing ground for the USA for years. A total of 67 atomic bombs were detonated here.

The first bomb ‘Able’ was exploded on July 1, 1946 at Bikini Atoll. The military wanted to find out if a nuclear bomb could destroy the whole fleet. For this purpose, they brought 95 real test ships, including captured Japanese battleship, to the Marshall Islands and exploded the bomb. However, they missed and the bomb hit the wrong place, as a result only 5 vessels sank.

It was decided to test the second nuclear bomb underwater. So, on July 25, 1946, the ‘Baker’ bomb was dropped from the ship and exploded at a depth of 27 meters. The ship that dropped the bomb was evaporated. 6 ships sank almost immediately, 3 more – over the next few hours. A column of water rose 2.5 kilometers into the sky, then collapsed in radioactive water mass onto the target fleet. The explosion created a tsunami 28 meters high that washed ashore some of the ships and covered them with sand. And still, half of the ships remained upon the sea.

In 1954, when testing the ‘Castle Bravo’ hydrogen bomb, scientists did not calculate its yield, as a result the explosion was equivalent to a thousand nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima. The explosion was ferocious. Resultantly, three tiny islands evaporated; in the lagoon – in the center of the test – a crater was formed more than three kilometers in diameter. Radioactive death ash fell out on the neighboring islands where natives lived, all of them got intense irradiation and took radiation sickness soon.

The bomb ‘Castle Bravo’ was the second most powerful device in history. The highest yield bomb of all the time was exploded by USSR in 1961. The ‘Tsar Bomba’ was 3 times more powerful than the ‘Castle Bravo’. That time the shock wave circled the planet thrice. In a small Soviet city, located a thousand kilometers from the explosion, windows were smashed out of houses. People in Norway and Iceland saw a second sun in the sky.

In 1963, the countries signed the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty – an agreement banning all tests of nuclear weapons.

People are so much guilty for harming our planet.