Progreso Yacht Charter Contract — APIPROG Port Fees, IVA Tax and Cancellation Clauses

What you are actually signing

A Progreso charter contract — whether for a 3-hour sunset sail, a full-day fishing charter or a multi-day Alacranes overnight — is a Mexican commercial maritime services contract, formally a contrato de servicios náuticos turísticos. It exists in a regulatory framework that pulls together federal maritime law (SEMAR and the harbour-master), the federal transport ministry (SCT, registration of commercial passenger vessels), the port authority (APIPROG for Yucatán), the federal tax authority (SAT, for IVA application), and — when applicable — CONANP for park entries. None of this is unusual; it is the same framework that applies in Cancún, La Paz, Cozumel and every other commercial yachting port in Mexico. What is unusual about Progreso is that the contract is often simpler than its Caribbean equivalents — operators here are smaller, more direct, and the negotiation happens by WhatsApp and email rather than through a booking platform.

The contract should be in writing (not just a verbal agreement on the dock). Read carefully who the contracting parties are: a legitimate operator contracts as a corporate entity (S.A. de C.V. or S. de R.L. de C.V.) with an RFC tax ID, NOT as an individual person. If the contract is signed by an individual without a corporate vehicle, you are dealing with an informal operator and the consumer-protection mechanisms (PROFECO, civil liability, insurance) are weaker. This matters most on overnight and offshore charters where the financial exposure is larger.

The full cost breakdown — what is in the rate, what is on top

Charter pricing in Progreso is usually quoted as a base rate per hour or per day for the vessel, with a list of line items invoiced separately. The breakdown below is what a reasonable contract looks like for a 40-ft motor yacht on a full-day charter, all figures in USD or MXN as appropriate.

The single most common misunderstanding is the fuel cap. Operators include a "reasonable" fuel allowance in the base rate (typical 6–8 gph for a 40-ft motor yacht, multiplied by charter hours). If the charter pushes the boat harder (planing speed all day, long offshore run), fuel exceeds the cap and the surcharge appears on the invoice. Ask in writing what the cap is before signing.

APIPROG port fees — what they are, who pays

The Administración Portuaria Integral de Progreso (APIPROG) is the Yucatán port authority that manages the Puerto de Abrigo de Yucalpetén and the commercial mole at Progreso. Every commercial vessel docked or operating from these facilities pays a per-foot port fee calculated on the registered length of the vessel, billed monthly to the operator. For a 40-ft motor yacht running daily charters, that monthly fee runs in the low thousands of pesos and is essentially a fixed operating cost embedded in the day rate. You will not see it as a separate line item on most charter invoices because it is already in the base rate.

What you might see, particularly on overnight charters or on charters that use the cruise-ship pier facilities, is an incremental APIPROG charge — a per-passenger embarkation fee or a special dock use fee. These are real and refundable to the operator only if the charter happens. Get the line item in writing if the operator anticipates it. APIPROG documentation is published on the official port authority website and operators can show you the rate schedule on request.

IVA — Mexican VAT and the legitimate operator test

IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) is the Mexican Value Added Tax, applied at 16% on the net invoice value for most goods and services. Yacht charters fall under "servicios náuticos turísticos" and are subject to IVA. If you receive a formal CFDI (Comprobante Fiscal Digital por Internet, the Mexican tax invoice) from the operator, IVA will be itemised on it — that is the test of a legitimate operator. If you are quoted a price "without invoice" that is 16% lower than a quoted price "with invoice", you are being asked to participate in tax avoidance, and on the operator side it usually correlates with weaker insurance, weaker permits, and a weaker legal recourse if something goes wrong.

For corporate clients (any company chartering for a team day, a client event, or a media production), the CFDI is mandatory if the cost is to be expensed. For individual travellers, asking for the CFDI signals you want a legitimate operator and tends to filter out the bottom of the market. The CFDI specifies the operator's RFC tax ID and your own RFC (or generic public RFC if you do not have one). For a deeper read on Mexico's invoicing standards, see CONANP operator handbook references and SAT documentation.

Cancellation clauses — the section worth re-reading

The cancellation clause is the most variable section across Progreso operators and the section where bad contracts hide. There are two cancellation scenarios — weather cancellation by the operator/authority and client cancellation — and a good contract addresses both clearly.

Weather cancellation: When SEMAR closes the port to small craft on a Norther alert, or when an NHC tropical advisory is active, the charter cannot legally depart. Reasonable contracts offer a full refund or reschedule to a later date at no charge. Watch for clauses that allow only "reschedule, no refund" with a vague window — that means if you cannot return to Yucatán later in the year, the operator keeps your money. Push back on this clause; legitimate operators will agree to a 90- or 180-day refund window.

Client cancellation: The market standard for Progreso is roughly: more than 7 days before, full refund minus a 10% admin fee; 48–72 hours before, 50% refund; inside 24 hours, no refund. For Alacranes overnight charters where the operator commits supplies and crew days in advance, the deposit (typically 30–50%) is non-refundable from booking. Read this clause carefully. If you are booking a high-season Saturday in February or December, expect tighter cancellation terms than a low-season Tuesday in September.

A clause worth fighting for in either scenario: captain discretion is binding. If the captain on the morning of departure decides conditions are unsafe (even if SEMAR has not closed the port), the contract should honour that decision as a weather cancellation, not a client cancellation. Captains are legally responsible for vessel safety and will scrub a marginal day; you want the contract to back them up.

Captain credentials, crew certifications and what to verify

Mexican commercial captains operate under SEMAR licensing. The credentials in order of authority:

• Libreta de mar: The sea-time logbook issued by SEMAR. Every commercial sailor needs one.
• Patrón de yate / patrón costanero: A coastal master licence valid inside 25 nm of the coast. Sufficient for all west-coastal, east-coastal and intra-bay Progreso routes.
• Capitán de altura / oficial náutico: An offshore master licence valid beyond the coastal zone. Required for Alacranes (70+ nm offshore).
• STCW certifications: International Convention on Standards of Training for Seafarers — relevant for larger vessels and crew members. IMO publishes the framework.

Ask before booking whether the captain holds offshore credentials if your charter goes to Alacranes — it is the single clearest filter between legitimate offshore operators and coastal-only ones who should not be running 130 km offshore. For a charter to Sisal, Chuburná or Telchac, the coastal-master licence is the correct credential and offshore is overkill. See our Progreso routes overview for the route-to-credential matchup.

Liability, insurance and what is NOT covered

Operator-side insurance on a legitimate Progreso charter operator includes Protection & Indemnity (P&I) covering passenger liability, hull insurance covering vessel damage, and (for some operators) crew workers' comp. None of this is medical insurance for the passenger. If you have a heart attack at Alacranes, the operator's P&I might cover a transfer to the nearest port, but it will not pay your medical bills.

What this means in practice: buy travel insurance separately, and confirm in writing that medical evacuation by air ambulance is covered. Standard credit-card travel insurance often excludes water-based activities or has a per-person cap that does not cover a real evacuation cost. A dedicated travel-medical policy from a reputable provider (World Nomads, Allianz, GeoBlue) costs $30–80 for the week and is the most cost-effective insurance line you can buy for a multi-day charter trip.

For Alacranes specifically — where the nearest hospital is 130 km away by boat — a working VHF and satellite phone aboard, plus an emergency action plan filed with SEMAR before departure, are the actual safety net. Confirm both are aboard before paying the final balance.

Gratuity, payment terms and how to actually pay

The gratuity (propina) for the captain and crew is a separate cash payment at the end of the charter, customary at 10–15% of the base charter rate for a normal day, and 15–20% for an outstanding day (great fishing, great service, custom itinerary). It is paid in cash, in MXN or USD, distributed by the captain to the crew. It is not on the invoice and not subject to IVA. Some operators have started offering propina-via-card with a small surcharge; cash is still standard.

Payment terms vary by operator and trip length. The market standard:

• Day charter: 50% deposit at booking, 50% balance on charter day morning.
• Overnight charter: 30–50% non-refundable deposit at booking, balance 7 days before departure.
• Alacranes 2–3 day: 50% deposit at booking (often non-refundable inside 30 days), balance 14 days before, propina at end.

Payment methods: bank transfer (SPEI for Mexican accounts, international wire for foreign), credit card with a 3–5% surcharge for processing fees, or PayPal with a 4–6% surcharge. Avoid cash-only operators on large bookings — the lack of a paper trail correlates with informal operation and weaker recourse if anything goes wrong.