To buy a boat for charter in Panama, choose your licence route first, then a boat that fits it. Selling trips or seats needs AMP commercial registration, an AMP passenger inspection and ATP registration. Whole-yacht charter runs under AMP Resolution J.D. 089-2020 through a licensed operating company. A pleasure-registered boat cannot take paying guests on its own.
Pick the licence route before the boat
Panama has two legal routes for paid trips, and they ask different things of the boat. The detail is in which boats can charter in Panama; the short version:
- Marine tourist transport. You sell trips or seats: Taboga runs, sunset cruises, fishing days. The boat needs AMP commercial registration and a passenger inspection; the company needs ATP registration under Decreto Ejecutivo 82 of 2008 and an AMP operating licence.
- Yacht chartering under J.D. 089-2020. A client hires the whole yacht. A company holding an AMP operating licence manages it under a notarised contract, and the yacht gets a charter navigation permit valid up to 12 months.
Every permit you need is in charter licences and permits.
Registration class: the line on the patente that matters
Look at the boat's current patente de navegación before anything else.
- Pleasure (recreo). Under Ley 57 de 2008 (Art. 97) a pleasure boat is registered on a sworn declaration that it will not be used commercially. Its patente runs two years (Art. 98). On that registration alone it cannot charge guests. Its only charter door is placement with a licensed company under J.D. 089-2020.
- Commercial interior service. Already set up for paid work in Panamanian waters. Check that its inspection certificate is current and what capacity it states.
- Foreign flag. A yacht in transit can charter only through a licensed local company and a special charter permit (Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025, Art. 16), or after full import and Panamanian registration. See foreign-flagged boat charter.
Changing a boat from pleasure to commercial service is possible, but it has to meet the new service's requirements. Do not assume it is a form-filling exercise; see pleasure vs commercial registration.
Inspection and passenger capacity
For tourist transport, the AMP inspection certificate fixes how many passengers you may carry. That number, not the builder's plate or the seat count, is your legal limit and the number your business plan rests on. Before you buy:
- Ask the seller for the current certificado de aptitud and its stated capacity, if the boat is already commercial.
- Brief your surveyor to check the boat against the items AMP inspectors look at: life jackets for everyone aboard, life rings, lights, extinguishers, flares, compass, anchor and radio. See the safety inspection guide.
- For J.D. 089-2020 charter, the technical standard is the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code, and Decree 18 of 1984 for yachts of 6 to 24 m carrying fewer than 12 passengers. A foreign-flag yacht whose flag rules are lower than Panama's needs an inspection and a Statement of Compliance.
Then check the economics against passenger limits.
Buying a boat that already charters
A boat that is already working looks like a shortcut, but not every licence travels with it.
| Document | Belongs to | On a sale |
|---|---|---|
| Patente de navegación and radio licence | The vessel and its owner | New provisional patente in the buyer's name through the AMP transfer |
| Inspection certificate and capacity | The vessel | Stays valid until it expires, if nothing changes on the boat |
| AMP operating licence | The operating company | Does not pass with the boat; the buyer's company applies |
| ATP registration and aviso de operación | The company | Does not pass with the boat |
Some sellers offer the company instead of the boat. Buying shares brings the licences, but also the company's debts, staff obligations and tax history. Have a lawyer check it, and read setting up a charter company.
Costs and contract conditions
The purchase price is the smaller decision. Budget for the AMP operating licence, inspection, licensed captain and crew, and insurance; J.D. 089-2020 asks charter yachts for cover against 13 listed risks, from hull and third-party liability to wreck removal and air ambulance. AMP fees change, so confirm current amounts with the AMP. Use charter costs and pricing to test the numbers.
Write the purchase contract so you can walk away if the boat fails the inspection or the AMP will not certify the capacity you need. Add the usual lien check and survey conditions. The Florida comparison is buying a charter boat in Florida, where the questions are coastwise endorsement and inspected vs uninspected status instead.
Your practical starting checklist
- Decide between tourist transport and J.D. 089-2020 whole-yacht charter.
- Check the boat's registration class and any current inspection certificate.
- Have a surveyor check it against AMP inspection items and the capacity you need.
- Ask the AMP what a change of service or charter permit would require for this boat.
- Make the purchase conditional on survey, clean title and inspection.
- Apply for your company's ATP registration and AMP operating licence while the sale closes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a pleasure boat and charter it in Panama?
Not on its pleasure registration alone. Either change it to commercial service and pass the passenger inspection, or place it with a licensed charter company under J.D. 089-2020.
What size of boat suits a Panama City charter?
It depends on the product. Short Taboga or bay trips suit smaller boats with a high certified capacity; overnight trips to Las Perlas need a yacht with cabins, range and the charter permit route. Fit the boat to the licence and the trip, not the other way round.
Do the charter licences come with the boat?
The vessel's papers transfer through the AMP. The operating licence and ATP registration belong to the company, so a new owner applies for them unless they buy the company.
Can a foreign-flagged boat I buy be chartered?
Only through a licensed local company with a special charter permit under Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025, or after import and Panamanian registration.
¿Qué revisar antes de comprar una embarcación para charter en Panamá?
La clase de registro en la patente, el certificado de inspección y la capacidad de pasajeros, y qué licencia aplica: transporte turístico (ATP y AMP) o arrendamiento de yates según la Resolución J.D. 089-2020.
The next question to answer
Flag, class and inspection for paid trips. Read Which boats can charter.
Every permit a Panama charter needs. Read Charter licences and permits.
The whole process, from listing to AMP transfer. Read How to buy a boat in Panama.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare Buying a Boat for Charter Use.
Official resources
Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.
- AMP: Resolución J.D. 089-2020, yacht chartering auxiliary maritime service ↗
- Ley 57 de 2008, Marina Mercante (Justia copy of Gaceta Oficial 26100) ↗
- Gaceta Oficial: Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 11 February 2025 (nautical tourism) ↗
- AMP: Puertos e Industrias Marítimas Auxiliares, services and fees ↗
- AMP: Registro Público de Naves, tipos de inscripción ↗