Yachts in Bahrain

Bahrain's marinas: Amwaj, Durrat and Bahrain Bay

Amwaj Marina is Bahrain's only marina able to take a vessel over 75m. It holds 145 deepwater berths plus a dedicated 140m superyacht dock with room for four superyachts up to 75m, backed by 24-hour security, valet boat service, and fuel and water on the dock.

Durrat Marina, at Durrat Al Bahrain on the south coast, is planned for up to 400 berths for 33 to 85ft yachts once complete, with phase one already delivering around 100 berths for 10 to 26m boats. It is billed as the first mixed-use marina of its scale in the Middle East. Bahrain Bay and the Marassi Al Bahrain development add private-jetty and waterfront berths of their own, alongside the commercial port facilities the Ports & Maritime Affairs authority regulates directly.

Flagging and tax rules in Bahrain

Bahrain makes registration genuinely easy. Ports & Maritime Affairs runs it through the Marasi digital platform, open to owners of any nationality with no citizenship or residency requirement, and it has already digitized registration, licensing, renewals and ownership transfer for more than 25,000 users and 8,000-plus vessels.

Even so, many higher-value private yachts based in Bahrain remain flagged offshore, in the Cayman Islands or Marshall Islands, for the same charter-flexibility and resale reasons that apply across the wider Gulf.

On tax, Bahrain's standard VAT rate is 10%, raised from 5% in January 2022, and the 2025-26 state budget kept it there while raising selective taxes on other categories and introducing new carbon-emission fees. Duty follows the GCC Common External Tariff of 5%, though the exact HS classification should be confirmed with Bahrain Customs. Temporary-import arrangements exist through PMA for visiting pleasure craft, but the precise duty and VAT treatment of a specific yacht import needs confirming with a Bahraini customs broker before you commit. See our importing a yacht to the Gulf guide for how that 10% compares with Bahrain's neighbours.

• Authority: Ports & Maritime Affairs (PMA), via the Marasi digital platform
• Flag reality: Cayman Islands and Marshall Islands flags remain common despite easy local registration
• Import duty: GCC Common External Tariff, 5%, confirm the HS classification with Bahrain Customs
• VAT: 10% standard rate, held at that level in the 2025-26 budget

Yachts that suit Bahrain's islands

Bahrain's younger owners lean sportier than the Gulf average, and the boats reflect it. The Sunseeker Predator 65, an enclosed hardtop sports cruiser rather than a flybridge, appeals to exactly that younger Bahraini and Qatari buyer looking for a faster weekend boat.

The archipelago's shallow, island-studded inshore waters also suit a catamaran better than most Gulf coastlines. The Lagoon 55 is built for that stability and space, whether the owner is entertaining at anchor off Amwaj or crossing to Qatar's Pearl marina.

Gulf Craft's Majesty 62 is the local pride entry: heavily represented in Bahraini, Qatari and Kuwaiti fleets, typically priced below a comparable European-built flybridge of the same length.