Large yachts are registered on Part 1 of the register. When an owner intends to register on Part 1 and the vessel is currently outside of British waters, you may apply for a 3-month provisional registration. Whilst a vessel is provisionally registered, regardless of its intended future use it cannot operate commercially, and provisional registration gives no entitlement to register a vessel under the Merchant Shipping Act.  

A provisional certificate is valid for 3 months from the date of issue, until the yacht's arrival in the UK or termination by the Registry on request from the owner, whichever is sooner. It’s important to note that this certificate cannot be renewed.

Once a provisional registration is granted, a vessel cannot be provisionally registered again within one year of the date of the original certificate.

If registration onto the UK Ship Register is not completed before the certificate expires, your large commercial yacht will cease to be recognised as British.

If you want to apply to provisionally register your vessel, you can use the online UK Ship Register service.

You will need to provide supporting documents and pay the appropriate fee.

Documents needed for Large Commercial Yacht (Part 1) Provisional Registration

• Application to Register MSF 4740 (A)
• Declaration of Eligibility MSF 4727
• Copy of Certificate of Incorporation (if the owner is a body corporate)
• A letter signed by the owner confirming the vessel is outside of UK waters
• Online payment of £175 for three months paid through GOV.UK, premium services are also available

The Application to register and Declaration of Eligibility forms are not required if submitting your application online.

Please note that you will need to print off and sign any documents, as we cannot accept digital signatures.  

Also, any documents used to support your large yacht application for (Part 1) Registration, if not in English, must be accompanied by a notarised translation.