Cook Islands Yacht Registration | Private, Dual & Commercial
Maritime Cook Islands open registry. No size or age limit, no company needed, 1, 3 or 5 year registration.
Continuité
Choose 1, 3 or 5 years. A 3 or 5 year registration is paid in advance, with no yearly filings.
Obligation d'enquête
Private yachts under 24 m: self-assessment survey, no class needed. Over 24 m: approved surveyor or class. Over 500 GT: class.
Processus d'enregistrement
Online application plus a signed declaration. Provisional certificate after approval and payment, then permanent registration.
Validité
Provisional certificate valid for 3 months. Registration valid for the 1, 3 or 5 years you choose.
Exigence de résidence
None. Join the Cook Islands Yacht Squadron as part of the application; no local company or residence needed.
Cook Islands registration cost
Quoted per yacht. The registry fees and our service fee are shown separately, with no hidden costs.
Private yacht under 24 m
- Self-assessment survey; Small Yacht Code
- CIYS membership, no company
- 1, 3 or 5 year registration
- Provisional certificate valid 3 months
- Documents checked by Vessel Flag
Private yacht over 24 m
- Pre-inspection survey (approved surveyor or class)
- Large Yacht Code / LY3
- CIYS membership, no company
- 1, 3 or 5 year registration
- Class required over 500 GT
- Technical Department coordination
Commercial yacht
- Up to 12 passengers
- Small or Large Yacht Code survey
- Minimum safe manning approval
- P&I with MLC financial security
- Dual registration (private + commercial) available
- Annual inspection
Provisional Certificate
After approval and payment the registry issues a provisional certificate valid for 3 months. Permanent registration follows once the documents are in.
No Local Company Needed
Private owners and foreign companies join the Cook Islands Yacht Squadron as part of the application, with no company or residence required.
Private, Dual or Commercial
Register privately, commercially (up to 12 passengers) or dually, depending on how you use the yacht.
Open Registry, Any Size
The registry sets no size or age limit for yachts, so larger and older yachts can be considered too.
Mortgage Registration
A mortgage can be filed together with the provisional registration.
Flexible Terms
Choose 1, 3 or 5 years. The longer terms are paid in advance, with no yearly filings.
Why Choose Cook Islands Yacht Registration?
Maritime Cook Islands is the open ship registry of the Cook Islands, a Pacific nation in free association with New Zealand. A private owner or a foreign company can register a yacht by joining the Cook Islands Yacht Squadron as part of the application. No company and no residence in the Cook Islands is needed. Contact us with any questions.
Immatriculation des yachts aux Îles Cook
Open Registry of the South Pacific: Cook Islands Ship Registry
The Cook Islands registry accepts sailing and motor yachts of any size or age, for private use, commercial use or both. Registration runs for 1, 3 or 5 years, and the longer terms are paid in advance.
Private yachts under 24 m need a self-assessment survey. Private yachts over 24 m need a pre-inspection survey, and any vessel over 500 GT needs a class society. Commercial yachts are surveyed under the Small Yacht Code or the Large Yacht Code (LY3) and need a safe manning proposal. Commercial yachts can carry up to 12 passengers.
Cook Islands Ship Registry: How Registration Works
You send a signed declaration and the online application. After approval and payment, the registry issues a provisional certificate valid for 3 months. Permanent registration follows with the deletion certificate from the previous flag, a marking note with a photo, and an inspection where required.
Commercial yachts also need P&I cover with MLC financial security. A mortgage can be filed together with the provisional registration.
The registry sets its fees per yacht, so we request your quote from Maritime Cook Islands and send it to you with our own fee shown separately.
How Vessel Flag Helps
✓ We collect the vessel details the registry asks for
✓ We check your documents before submission
✓ We submit the application and follow it with the registry
✓ One contact from the first message to the permanent certificate
Register your yacht under the Cook Islands flag - valid for 1, 3 or 5 years
Send us the vessel name, IMO number if it has one, vessel type, length, gross tonnage, year of build, area of operation, current flag, the registered owner name and address and the ISM manager if there is one. We request the registration requirements and a quote from Maritime Cook Islands for your yacht.
Cook Islands Registration: Open to Private Owners, No Local Company
Register under the Cook Islands flag as a private owner or foreign company by joining the Cook Islands Yacht Squadron with your application. The registry accepts yachts of any size or age for private, dual or commercial use. Contact us with any questions.
Pourquoi Le pavillon des Îles Cook ?
- No local company or residence needed, you join the Cook Islands Yacht Squadron
- No size or age limit for yachts
- Private, dual or commercial registration
- Provisional certificate within the application process, valid for 3 months
- Choose 1, 3 or 5 years of registration
- Mortgage can be filed with the provisional registration
- Vessel Flag checks your documents before submission
- One contact from the first message to the permanent certificate
QUESTIONS FRÉQUEMMENT POSÉES
How much does Cook Islands yacht registration cost?
The registry quotes each vessel individually and does not publish a fee table. We request the quote for your yacht and send it to you with our service fee, with the registry fees and our fee shown separately.
Can a private person register a yacht in the Cook Islands?
Yes. You register in your own name by joining the Cook Islands Yacht Squadron (CIYS) as part of the application. No company and no residence in the Cook Islands are required.
Do I need a company or a local representative?
Not if you register through CIYS. A company is only needed if you prefer to own the yacht through a Cook Islands international company. The registry’s pages do not describe a separate local-representative requirement for yachts registered through CIYS.
What documents do I need?
For the provisional registration: the signed Cook Islands Declaration for Vessel Registration, a bill of sale or builder’s certificate, shareholding evidence if there are several owners, and the CIYS membership application. For the permanent registration: the CIYS letter, a marking note with a photo of the yacht, the deletion certificate from the previous flag and, where required, an inspection report.
How long does it take?
The registry does not publish a processing time. After approval and payment you receive a provisional certificate valid for 3 months, during which the permanent registration is completed. We confirm the expected timing in your quote.
Do I need a survey or a classification society?
A private yacht under 24 m needs a self-assessment survey. A private yacht over 24 m needs a pre-inspection survey by an approved surveyor or a classification society, and any vessel over 500 GT must be surveyed and certified by a classification society. Commercial yachts are surveyed under the Small Yacht Code or the Large Yacht Code.
Can I register a commercial or charter yacht?
Yes. Commercial yachts are limited to 12 passengers, must be surveyed under the Small or Large Yacht Code, need a minimum safe manning proposal approved before registration and must hold a P&I policy evidencing MLC financial security. A dual registration lets the same yacht switch between private and commercial use.
How long is the registration valid?
You choose 1, 3 or 5 years. A one-year registration is renewed every year. Three- and five-year registrations are paid in advance, with no yearly filings.
