The Blue Lagoon pass: free, compulsory and with a time slot

Since May 2025 Comino’s Blue Lagoon has a capped access system (the AMS, Access Management System). In the official site’s words: “no one can step on land at the Lagoon without it”. It is free, booked online and delivered as a QR code. No cruise includes it: you do it yourself, and it takes two minutes if you know how.

How to book it, step by step

  1. Go to blcomino.com (Government of Malta site; English only).
  2. Choose the date and one of three slots: morning 08:00–13:00, afternoon 13:30–17:30 or sunset 18:00–22:00.
  3. Enter the number of people: four per booking at most. Children under 5 need no pass if accompanied.
  4. Leave your email: the QR arrives by email. It works on your phone or printed. If it does not arrive, check spam.
  5. On landing it is scanned and you get a wristband, which must be returned before you leave.

The rules that matter

PriceFree. “Do I need to pay for the QR code? No, access is free.”
How far aheadUp to two months ahead. Same day too, “depending on availability”: in summer, do it early.
ChangesA booking cannot be modified. If plans change, book another. The QR can be passed to someone else if it has not been scanned yet.
Without a pass“Can I just show up? No.” The area is not fenced but there are gatekeepers, and anyone inside without a pass “may be removed”.
Arriving lateYou get access for the time left in your slot. If you arrive early, you may be asked to wait.
Leaving and re-enteringYes, within your slot, wearing the wristband.
Private boat or cruiseStill needed. “Anyone who steps on land at Blue Lagoon needs a QR code, including locals.” The ferry or cruise is paid separately and is not linked to the system.
Just swimmingIf you stay aboard or swim from the boat without setting foot ashore, none is needed (the cruise listings say so). Buying something at the kiosk and returning to the boat straight away, neither.
Bad weatherIf the boat does not go, the pass is lost: the system “is not responsible”. Check the weather before choosing the day.

Matching the slot to the boat

This is what many people miss: the pass and the boat are two separate bookings, and the pass slot has to match the time the boat drops you at the lagoon. The morning cruises from Buġibba (9:00–11:00, 90-minute crossing) fall in the morning slot; the 10:00 Sliema ferry, depending on your choice, in morning or afternoon; the 16:30 Buġibba departure, in the afternoon one. The official site warns that ferry companies “try to align their time with the AMS time slots”, but it is not guaranteed. The five boats, with their times.

BOOK THE FREE PASS (official site) → AND THE BOAT (€40) →

Rules read verbatim from the blcomino.com FAQ on 6 September 2026. The official site does not publish the daily cap figure, so it does not appear here either. The list of authorised vessels is on the site itself (PDF). System contact: info.bluelagoon@blcomino.com.