The Blue Lagoon landing pass

What the pass is

The Malta Tourism Authority describes a new visitor booking system for Comino’s Blue Lagoon, which it calls a Natura 2000 site. It is a free online system. People who arrive by private or commercial vessels must pre-book to set foot there. Visit Gozo says the booking system began in 2025 and requires free pre-booked time slots to protect the site. Boat operators call it a landing pass, because it is what lets you land. Without it you can still swim from the boat and stay aboard, but you cannot step onto the shore.

Who needs it

Anyone landing at the Blue Lagoon from a boat, whether the boat is a private one or a commercial one. On a Comino boat trip that means you, if you want to walk ashore at the lagoon. If you would rather stay on the boat, swim from the ladder or the slide and sit in the shade, you do not use the pass. The authority describes its checks as happening at the coastal and land access points, so the pass is about the shore, not the water.

What it covers, and what it doesn’t

A report on TVMnews quotes the authority’s chief executive saying the booking system applies exclusively to the Blue Lagoon area. Visitors who disembark elsewhere around the island are not required to book, and the report names Santa Marija Bay as an example. The chief executive adds that the lagoon represents only a small portion of Comino. So the pass is not a ticket to the island. It is permission to land on one small, protected stretch of its shore.

How booking works

According to the authority, you book online, receive a unique QR code and show it at the access points. You also receive a unique wristband that grants access for the length of the booked slot. There are several daily time slots, and the authority sets a cap on the number of visitors who can be at the lagoon at one time. On a boat trip you do not choose the slot at random. The operator emails the correct slot the day before the sailing, and the pass is booked for that one.

What happens without a booking

The authority says access without a valid booking will not be permitted and that an infringement may be subject to a fine. Operators and guides therefore tell passengers to book in advance. If you reach the lagoon without a pass, the safe assumption is that you will be staying on the boat. That is a perfectly good way to see the lagoon, because the swim, the sunbathing and the slide are all available from the vessel.

The rules have changed before

Press coverage has followed the system since it began. Newsbook reported that boat operators asked a court to halt it soon after launch and that the authority put it on hold until the court decided. Lovin Malta later reported the booking system back in force, with renewed concerns about overcrowding as the reason. The detail can change again. For the current slots and rules, use the authority’s own page, and treat anything printed here as background rather than as the rule on the day.

Who this guide isn’t for

If you are sailing with a private skipper or on your own boat, the operator’s email described here will not reach you, so the booking is yours to make through the authority’s system. If you are travelling on a different trip, check that operator’s instructions, because each sets its own steps for the pass. This guide covers the Comino catamaran day and is independent of the operator and the authority.

A short checklist

Before the sailing, keep these points in mind. They cover the email, the pass, the code and the fallback if you cannot land, and none of them takes more than a few minutes once you know what to look for.

• Watch for the operator’s email the day before, and check junk mail
• Book the free pass for the slot the email gives
• Keep the QR code on your phone, with the phone charged
• Expect to stay on the boat if you have no pass
• Check the authority’s page for the current rules