The 12-person rule is simple: a yacht on a commercial day charter in Spain may carry a maximum of twelve guests, regardless of how large the yacht is. A 30-metre superyacht takes twelve. So does a 20-metre motor yacht. Crew are counted separately and do not use up guest places.
That single number shapes almost everything about chartering here, and it catches out more groups than any other detail. People assume capacity scales with length, book on that assumption, and find out late that the boat they were quoted cannot legally take their group. It is worth ten minutes of understanding before you send a single enquiry.
Why twelve, and why it does not move
The distinction is between carrying guests privately and carrying passengers commercially. Once a vessel takes more than twelve guests on a commercial basis, it moves into a different regulatory category with heavier survey, safety and crewing requirements — the category that ferries and licensed passenger vessels sit in. Charter yachts are not built or certified for it, so the industry standard worldwide settles at twelve.
This is why every boat in our fleet is licensed for twelve or fewer. The Leopard 107 is 30 metres long and takes twelve guests. The Sunseeker 64 is 20 metres and also takes twelve. You are not buying more seats when you move up the fleet; you are buying more space, more shade, more comfort and more crew for the same twelve people. That is a better deal than it sounds, but only if you understand what you are actually paying for.
What it means when a listing advertises twenty guests
You will see them. There are three usual explanations, and it is worth knowing which one you are looking at.
- It is a shared trip. You are buying seats on a boat alongside people you have never met, not chartering the boat. Perfectly legitimate, and much cheaper per head, but it is not a private charter.
- It is a licensed passenger vessel. Larger catamarans and party boats certified to carry passengers commercially can take far more than twelve. They also run fixed routes and fixed timings.
- It is a static booking. The vessel stays alongside in the marina and does not sail, which changes the rules entirely and also changes the day quite a lot.
None of these is wrong. They are simply different products, and the price difference between them is not the bargain it appears to be until you know which one is on offer.
Do children count towards the twelve?
Assume yes and plan on that basis. Guest counts on a charter licence are counted by head, not by age, so a family of ten adults and three children is a group of thirteen. If you are close to the line, tell us the exact composition when you enquire and we will confirm rather than let you find out at the pontoon.
What to do if there are more than twelve of you
Take two boats. This is the answer nobody wants to hear and almost everybody is happy with afterwards. Two boats leave the marina together, run the same route, and raft up side by side at anchor so the two decks become a single space for swimming and lunch. Everyone returns to their own boat for the run home.
The cost is less alarming than it sounds, because the second boat does not have to match the first. A larger boat paired with a smaller one carries twenty-plus guests for well under twice the price of the larger boat alone. We set this up regularly, and it is covered in more detail on our private boat party page.
The practical upshot
If your group is twelve or fewer, the whole fleet is open to you and the only real questions are budget, comfort and speed. Our boats take between seven and twelve guests, and the full fleet with capacities and seasonal prices is published so you can work it out before you speak to anyone.
If your group is larger, the honest answer is two boats rather than one large one, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling you a different product than the one you think you are buying. Send us the number and the date and we will tell you plainly which of the two situations you are in.
Common questions
Can a yacht in Ibiza take more than 12 guests?
Not on a private day charter. A commercial charter yacht in Spain is capped at twelve guests however large she is, so a 30-metre superyacht and a 20-metre motor yacht both take twelve. Crew are counted separately and do not use up guest places.
Do children count towards the twelve-guest limit?
Assume they do. Guests are counted by head rather than by age, so ten adults and three children is a group of thirteen. If you are close to the line, tell us the exact composition when you enquire and we will confirm it before you book rather than let you find out at the pontoon.
Why do some Ibiza listings advertise twenty or more guests?
Because they are usually a different product. It is either a shared trip where you buy seats alongside people you have not met, a licensed passenger vessel running fixed routes and fixed timings, or a static booking where the boat stays alongside in the marina and does not sail. All three are legitimate; none of them is a private charter.
What do we do if there are more than twelve of us?
Take two boats. They leave the marina together, run the same route, and raft up side by side at anchor so the two decks become one space for swimming and lunch. The second boat does not have to match the first, so a larger boat paired with a smaller one carries twenty-plus guests for well under twice the price of the larger boat alone.
How many guests do your boats take?
Between seven and twelve, depending on the boat. The full fleet is published with each boat's licensed capacity and its low, mid and high season prices, so you can match the boat to the group before you speak to anyone.
