The APA, or Advance Provisioning Allowance, is the running-cost fund on a crewed charter: you pay it before boarding, the captain spends it on fuel, food, drinks, and berths, and whatever is left unspent is refunded to you afterward. On the French Riviera it is usually 30 to 40 percent of the charter fee on a motor yacht, or 20 to 25 percent on a sailing yacht or catamaran, which burn far less fuel. Your contract states the exact figure.
Getting any unspent APA back is not something you should have to chase. The refund is written into your charter contract, and we stay with the settlement until the money is in your account.
Quick Answer
- The APA prepays your on-board expenses. It is not a fee, and it is not the security deposit.
- The captain administers it and keeps a running expense log you can ask to see at any point.
- At the end, the account is reconciled with the captain: you review an itemized breakdown, sign it, and only the unspent balance is refunded, by bank transfer or in cash on the day.
- We check the final account against your route and the yacht’s known fuel burn before you accept it.
What Does the APA Cover, and What Does It Not?
The APA pays for everything the yacht consumes while working for you: fuel for the engines, generator, and tenders, provisioning and drinks from your preference sheet, berthing and port charges, and local taxes along the way. A case of Provence rosé brought aboard in St-Tropez mid-week comes out of it too. You never reach for a card on board.
It does not cover the charter fee, VAT on that fee, or delivery charges if the yacht repositions to meet you. It also does not cover the crew gratuity, which is entirely your decision at the end and is worked out on the base charter fee, not the fee plus APA.
Here, 2 lines dominate the account: fuel, priced dockside well above anything ashore, and berthing, since a summer night in Monaco, St-Tropez, or Cannes during a major event is some of the most expensive real estate afloat.
A week hopping between marquee ports spends faster than one mixing harbors with nights at anchor off the Lérins islands, and we will tell you which week your budget is buying before you sign.
How Much APA Is Normal on the French Riviera?
The APA on a French Riviera charter is typically 30 to 40 percent of the charter fee for motor yachts, which make up most of the Riviera fleet. Most quotes land at 30 to 35 percent, with 40 percent on high-end charters. Only sailing yachts and catamarans go as low as 20 to 25 percent.
Those are the real numbers, not the friendliest ones. A lower figure reads well on a comparison page and then breaks the moment a genuine quote arrives, so we give you the honest percentage and explain what sets it. Older, thirstier hulls can justifiably run higher, while a few modern fuel-efficient motor catamarans are quoted lower, and we point them out when the budget is tight.
On a EUR 200,000 Riviera week at 35 percent, that is EUR 70,000 held for your expenses. It sounds like a lot until you price a full tank and 4 nights of high-season berths.
In our experience the APA usually lands close to what was quoted, and often leaves a little to come back to you at the end. We have been pricing these weeks for a long time, so unless the extras you add are genuinely out of the ordinary, you can plan on the figure we suggest at the start.
What moves the number is fuel. A long week of port-to-port cruising uses far more than a week spent mostly at anchor, and older hulls drink more than newer ones. We factor that into the percentage before you sign, so the figure holds.
Broker insight
We are very upfront about the APA and what percentage to set it at, depending on what you want on board. It follows your itinerary, how far you cruise and the fuel that takes, but also the wine list and the extras you would like waiting for you. We would rather set it honestly at the start than surprise you later.
Nadja Asmus
Charter Broker
Where Does Your Money Sit During the Charter?
Under the MYBA agreement used for most Riviera bookings, the APA is paid with your final balance, usually 4 to 6 weeks before boarding, and your contract states the exact date. It is passed to the captain before you step on, and from that moment it is your money in the captain’s care.
The captain provisions, settles port and provisioning invoices, keeps receipts for everything that has one, and maintains a running log.
Ask for the running balance at any point and you should get a current figure, including a close estimate of fuel used so far. Good crews volunteer it every couple of days, and if spending tracks hot the captain flags it early, so a top-up, if ever needed, is a planned conversation rather than a surprise.
How Is the APA Reconciled at the End?
The reconciliation happens on the final evening or last morning: the captain presents the APA account, a category-by-category breakdown of fuel, provisioning, beverages, berthing, and sundries, backed by the week’s receipts and supplier invoices where they exist. You review it together, query anything unclear, and both sign.
If you spent less than you paid in, the difference is yours. Small balances are often handed back in cash on the spot; larger ones return by bank transfer, usually routed through the broker or stakeholder account.
Our own process runs alongside that. On the last day of every charter, your DMA broker requests the final signed APA report with all receipts from the yacht’s managers, checks what was spent and what must come back, then agrees the refund and keeps you posted until the money lands.
There is no industry-mandated refund deadline, which is exactly why a broker matters. We push for the itemized account within days of disembarkation and chase the refund until it lands, so you do not have to.
Some guests ask for part of the refund to be redirected to the crew as the gratuity, which is a clean way to do it, but always your call.
One line usually has no receipt behind it: fuel. On most motor yachts it is a calculated entry, not a pump invoice. Our broker John Boullin has seen exactly how that works on an APA account:
Broker insight
They just calculate the hours run for each day and use a standard fuel rate, say 350 L/h.
John Boullin
Charter Broker
That is standard practice, not a red flag. It also makes the check simple arithmetic: the hours logged times the agreed rate should match the week you actually had. We run that math for you before you accept the account.
How Do We Keep the APA Straightforward?
Three things make an APA feel effortless: a percentage set correctly at the start, an account you can follow during the week, and a refund that arrives without chasing. We handle all 3.
We set the percentage honestly for the yacht you are on, even when a competitor quotes a lower one to look cheaper, and we stay with the settlement until your refund lands.
Because we know the distances between Riviera ports and the burn rates of the yachts we book, we can verify a fuel line against the route you actually sailed, and raise anything that looks off with the captain or the management company for you.
Our Recommendation
Treat the APA as part of the real price of the week. When you compare quotes, compare charter fee plus VAT plus APA, and treat an unusually low APA as a question worth asking, not a saving.
If your route reaches beyond French waters, contract type can change the tax picture; our note on chartering from France to Sardinia under an ECPY contract shows how much that can matter, and we advise on it case by case.
For the full budget picture, see our French Riviera yacht charter cost guide, and if you are earlier in the process, start with our guide to chartering a luxury yacht on the Riviera. Tell us which week you are pricing and we will set the APA where it belongs and stand behind the account at the end.
People also ask
Is the APA the same as a security deposit?
No. A security deposit protects the owner against damage. The APA is your own spending money, administered by the captain, and only the unspent part comes back. They are separate lines in the contract.
Do I pay VAT on the APA?
Not on the APA amount as such. French VAT applies to the charter fee, at the current standard rate of 20 percent for a typical Riviera charter, with relief possible for time outside EU waters. Purchases inside the APA carry their own VAT where it is not already paid at source.
Can I top up the APA mid-charter?
Yes. The captain raises it early, and the difference is settled by card, cash, or transfer against a signed invoice. When the percentage was set honestly at the start, it rarely comes to that.
Is the crew tip taken out of the APA?
Not automatically. It is separate money, entirely at your discretion and calculated on the base charter fee, though you can ask for part of your refund to be passed to the crew. Full detail in our guide to tipping the crew on a French Riviera charter.
How do I get my unspent APA back?
You do not have to do anything. At the end of the charter the captain goes through the account with you, and whatever is left is returned, usually in cash on the spot for smaller amounts or by bank transfer for larger ones. It is in your contract, and we follow it up until the money reaches you.
