Understanding the 12-Guest Rule for Yacht Charters

In general, the number of guests allowed on board a charter yacht depends on the license it holds to carry passengers for yacht charters. This can be anything from 4 up to a maximum of 12 guests, usually commensurate with the size of the yacht.

If you are looking to entertain extended family, host your huge social circle for the vacation of a lifetime, or a mix of the two, you might be wondering why most charter yachts do not allow a higher number of guests, regardless of their size. Even for seasoned charterers, the limits can still be a point of contention.

This is largely to do with international maritime regulations, as yachts that carry more than 12 guests are legally considered to be passenger ships, which means they have to meet a different set of criteria to cruise at sea under the Passenger Yacht Code (PYC).

This code sets out the technical, safety and operational standards for a yacht, including the number of passengers allowed on board. As a result, the code is made up of two parts;

• Part A – (updated version of the Large Yacht Code - LY3) applies to yachts 24 meters and over in load line length, in commercial use for sport or pleasure, do not carry cargo and not more than 12 passengers.
• Part B – (the updated version of the Passenger Yacht Code - PYC) applies to pleasure yachts of any size, in private use or engaged in trade (commercial charter), which carry more than 12 but not more than 36 passengers, and do not carry cargo.  

The REG Yacht Code Part B is a superyacht alternative to full compliance with the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) convention. The latter is a set of rules applicable to most merchant or cruise ships.

The REG criteria for yachts carrying more than 12 passengers sets out strict rules governing design and construction standards, as well as other important safety measures.

Yachts will usually need to undergo rigorous testing, extensive surveying, hire more crew and may even need to be completely refitted. Unsurprisingly, this can be inconvenient, time-consuming and often prohibitively expensive for the owner.

Consequently, many yacht owners decide to keep the maximum number of guests onboard to 12 (plus crew) for chartering. 

This means, for example, that an 80-meter yacht with 8 staterooms may well have the ability to sleep 16 guests while in private use, but on a commercial charter is only allowed to sleep 12 guests. 

If you do not secure a luxury yacht rental that accommodates all of your party, tandem yacht charters are a popular alternative.

A tandem charter involves two or more vessels being booked together, and can provide a lot more flexibility. For example, guests may decide to split itineraries between yachts for particular activities (one yacht could take a group sport-fishing, the other for a day's pampering) or divide the yachts up between adults and younger ones (with accompanying staff, if applicable).