Malta Flag State Endorsement For Yacht Crew: What Malta Now Requires

Transport Malta’s Merchant Shipping Directorate has issued Commercial Yachting Notice 15, providing structured guidance on when a Malta Flag State Endorsement is required for a Certificate of Competency (‘CoC’) held by crew serving on Malta-flagged commercial yachts. The notice, issued on 24th April 2026, aligns with the Commercial Yacht Code (‘CYC’) 2025 and the Small Commercial Yacht Code (‘sCYC’), and includes a decision flowchart alongside detailed operational notes.

For yacht owners, operators, managers, and their advisers, this is an important reference, particularly when onboarding crew with qualifications from different flag states. Getting endorsement requirements wrong can lead to problems in operations and during Port State Control inspections in foreign ports.

Malta Flag State Endorsement, Written Confirmation, or Neither

The notice sets out three pathways depending on the crew member’s role and the type of qualification they hold:

• Officers holding non-Maltese STCW Certificates of Competencyrequire a mandatory Malta Flag State Endorsement, applied for through the Seafarer Portal under MS Notice 92 Rev.2. If the yacht’s specifications exceed any limitation on the CoC, written confirmation from the Directorate must be obtained first.
• Officers holding non-STCW qualifications(such as Master of Yachts, Yacht Master, or AEC) do not require an endorsement, but do require written acceptance from the Directorate on a case-by-case basis.
• Non-officer crew membersare not subject to endorsement requirements, though STCW basic training and security awareness obligations still apply.

Transport Malta reiterates that all original certificates and endorsements must be retained on board and available for inspection at all times.

Key Points for Managers and Crew Agents

The notice includes several operational details that are easy to overlook but critical in practice:

• STCW CoCs must come from an administration recognised by Malta and any unrecognised certificates are not acceptable for officer positions.
• Deck officer endorsements must be paired with a valid GMDSS General or Restricted Operator’s Certificate.
• Even where not strictly mandatory, Malta Endorsements for Assistant Engineers holding STCW certificates are strongly recommended to avoid foreign PSC complications.
• Any officer on board with a non-Maltese STCW CoC must hold a valid endorsement even if their position is not required by the Minimum Safe Manning Certificate.
• Officers holding both STCW and non-STCW certificates need to follow both pathways: endorsement for the STCW certificate, written confirmation for the non-STCW one.
• Dual role positions under CYC 2025 Section 17.6 require formal written confirmation.
• Security awareness certification (STCW Reg. VI/6) is mandatory for all crew on yachts of 500 GT and above, including hospitality staff.

View the full CY Notice here.