THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Greece
Use the applicable transfer route and qualified advice to make completion responsibilities clear.
A boat sale contract Greece file should explain which yacht is being sold, who can sign and how the applicable ownership-transfer step will be completed. Current Mitos guidance supports specific domestic procedures, while AADE addresses relevant tax and temporary-importation questions. Contract-drafting and payment checks in this guide are labelled as recommendations. It does not invent a standard deposit, cancellation right or warranty period, and it does not assume every foreign-flag yacht in Greece follows the same domestic route.
Use it to identify questions for a qualified lawyer and the relevant authority before signing or releasing money. Keep the inventory, inspection conditions, payment stages and required completion evidence visible. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a qualified adviser, particularly for cross-border parties, temporary customs status or a professional sale. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
Mitos names the port authority's registry department for the stated Greek ship and registered-small-vessel transfer procedure. Mitos procedure updated 14 September 2026.
Mitos — National Registry of Administrative Procedures – Current stated transfer procedure ·The stated procedure requires a seller-and-buyer sale instrument with signatures authenticated by a public authority or through gov.gr. Mitos procedure updated 14 September 2026.
Mitos — National Registry of Administrative Procedures – Current stated transfer procedure ·Mitos states that ownership does not transfer without ship-register entry for the stated transfer procedure. Mitos procedure updated 14 September 2026.
Mitos — National Registry of Administrative Procedures – Current stated transfer procedure ·AADE's private-boat guidance states that third-country boat imports are subject to VAT and distinguishes its stated temporary-importation route. Current AADE guidance referencing VAT Code Law 5144/2024 and digital Transit Log Decision 1124/2024.
AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) ·AADE's temporary-importation guidance defines habitual residence using at least 185 days in a 12-month period and personal and professional ties. Current AADE guidance referencing VAT Code Law 5144/2024 and digital Transit Log Decision 1124/2024.
AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) ·Section 1
Our recommendation is to establish the boat's actual register and recorded owner before promising that it is ready for sale. Mitos identifies the port authority's registry department as the receiving service for its stated Greek registered-ship and registered-small-vessel transfer procedure. Ask that authority which route and supporting documents apply to the specific boat and seller. A yacht kept in Greece is not necessarily Greek-registered. Keep the actual registration details visible rather than apply a domestic procedure to every boat solely because of its location.
The stated Mitos transfer route requires a seller-and-buyer sale instrument with signatures authenticated by a public authority or through gov.gr. Our recommendation is to establish who can sign and organise any representation evidence before negotiations reach completion. Match the person's authority and the vessel identifiers across the proposed agreement and existing record. If a broker helps with advertising or viewings, clarify that role in writing; attendance does not by itself establish authority to sign the owner's agreement or handle every administrative step.
The same procedure lists the original existing nationality document among the transfer documents. Our recommendation is to keep original title and registration material secure while preparing copies for early discussions, and ask the person handling the application what must eventually be delivered. Organise maintenance, mooring and survey records alongside the sale file, with clear labels for the question each answers. A service invoice explains work performed, while a mooring agreement concerns that arrangement; neither should be presented as a replacement for the applicable ownership evidence.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to confirm the actual registry route and authorised signatory before accepting an offer. Prepare clearly labelled copies while retaining the originals required for the applicable transfer file. A related question is answered in our guide on how yacht sale escrow works in Greece.
Signing a boat purchase agreement.
Receiving transfer service
Section 2
Our recommendation is to have a qualified lawyer review the actual proposed agreement rather than rely on a template without checking the boat's flag, register and parties. Describe the yacht by consistent identifiers and attach the agreed equipment list. State which documents have been provided and which remain outstanding. These are practical drafting recommendations, not a verified compulsory clause list. The guide does not supply a standard contract, decide which law governs every cross-border sale or promise that a familiar form will fit the particular transaction.
Our recommendation is to agree the inspection scope and the consequences of adverse findings before signing or ordering services. Identify who arranges a survey or trial, who operates the vessel and how the parties will communicate decisions. If an offer depends on specified checks, ask the lawyer to make the condition and decision process clear. Do not infer a universal right to cancel, a mandatory deposit size or a standard inspection deadline from ordinary brokerage practice. Those matters need attention in the actual agreement and applicable law.
Our recommendation is to specify the payment recipient, payment stages and evidence required before release of the balance. Confirm account details through a trusted contact method and ask the adviser how payment should coordinate with the applicable register entry and document handover. This is practical protection advice, not a statement that every deposit is legally protected or every intermediary provides escrow. Have the agreement explain what happens if required documentation is missing or completion cannot proceed, instead of relying on informal assurances about returning money later.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to obtain qualified review of the actual inspection conditions, payment stages and non-completion terms. Verify the recipient independently and avoid assuming a template supplies universal cancellation or deposit protection. See also our guide on how to transfer boat ownership in Greece.
Boat sale contract with a legal stamp.
Write the condition, inspection and paym
Buying or selling a boat in Greece and want a second opinion? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
Our recommendation is to prepare a written inventory before accepting an offer, identifying the equipment included and anything the owner intends to remove. Check it against the photographs and actual boat so the buyer is not left to infer exclusions. Agree the document originals, keys and operating information to be handed over. These are practical contract recommendations; the sources reviewed do not establish a universal inventory template for every yacht sale. Use the actual agreement to make the parties' intentions and handover responsibilities clear.
Mitos states that ownership does not transfer without entry in the ship register for its stated procedure. Our recommendation is to nominate the person preparing and lodging the applicable documents and agree how the parties will obtain evidence of the completed entry. Keep payment, physical handover and the register step separately visible in the plan. Do not assume that receipt of the balance or departure from a berth completes the legal transfer where the applicable official procedure expressly requires a registration action.
For the separate Small Craft Register procedure described by Mitos, the ownership certificate is issued on registration and on a recorded ownership transfer exceeding fifty per cent. Our recommendation is to have the authority establish whether that route applies before using its forms or terminology. Confirm the buyer's berth or departure arrangements separately and ask any appointed broker for clear written service terms. No standard commission, guaranteed selling timetable or automatic transfer of a mooring was verified. A prepared sale file should make those remaining questions explicit. No universal contract template, governing-law rule, inspection deadline, deposit percentage or cancellation right verified. No current universal hidden-defect warranty or compulsory yacht-sale escrow arrangement verified. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to agree the inventory, document handover and person responsible for the applicable registry filing. Check mooring arrangements separately and retain evidence of the completed administrative step. Readers often go on to our guide on how to register a boat in Greece.
Boat insurance and tax paperwork on a desk.
Register entry required
Mitos states that ownership does not transfer without ship-register entry for the stated transfer procedure. Mitos procedure updated 14 September 2026.
Source: Mitos — National Registry of Administrative Procedures – Current stated transfer procedureFor the stated Small Craft Register route Mitos describes ownership-certificate issue on registration and a recorded ownership transfer exceeding 50%. Mitos procedure updated 14 September 2026.
Source: Mitos — National Registry of Administrative Procedures – Current separate Small Craft Register ownershSection 4
AADE's current private-boat guidance distinguishes third-country importation from its stated temporary-importation route and says third-country boat imports are subject to VAT. Our recommendation is to have the agreement identify the documents and stated tax or customs assumptions on which the parties rely. Ask a qualified adviser which treatment applies to the actual sale and intended use. Do not put an unsupported blanket VAT-paid or tax-free statement into the contract simply because the yacht has been berthed in Greece or the seller describes it as private.
AADE's temporary-importation guidance uses habitual residence of at least one hundred and eighty-five days in a twelve-month period together with personal and professional ties. Our recommendation is to ask customs about any intended change of owner, user or use where the vessel has that status. The agreement should not assume that a permission applying to one person continues automatically for another. Keep the customs question separate from the ownership-transfer instrument: arranging signatures and a register entry does not itself establish the applicable import treatment.
Our recommendation is to list the unresolved legal and documentary questions before committing to final payment. Ask the adviser to address seller authority, recorded interests, disclosure, applicable law and any professional-sale consumer issues in the actual case. No current official source opened for this guide establishes a universal hidden-defect warranty, standard deposit percentage or compulsory yacht-sale escrow arrangement. Those gaps should remain visible. A useful contract makes the agreed scope and completion evidence clear without replacing case-specific advice with assumptions about what every Greek sale usually includes.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to have tax and customs assumptions checked for the actual parties and intended use. List outstanding document and legal questions before committing to a payment or completion sequence. Our guide on what a yacht broker agreement in Greece should say covers a related point.
Boat keys and documents handed over on a chart table.
Import-VAT distinction
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not a Greek lawyer: for Greek law and tax we refer you to a locally qualified adviser. What we can do is help you plan the transaction, put the right questions to the other side and spot gaps in the paperwork before you commit.
If you are buying or selling a boat in Greece, tell us about the boat and the area through the enquiry form on this page and a broker will reply. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
Mitos says ownership does not transfer without ship-register entry for its stated procedure, which also requires authenticated seller-and-buyer signatures. Our recommendation is to establish the actual flag and register and coordinate payment, document handover and the applicable entry in the agreement. Do not assume every yacht moored in Greece follows this domestic route. (Mitos)
No universal figure was verified in the opened official sources. Our recommendation is to have the actual inspection conditions, decision process and payment stages reviewed by a qualified lawyer. Keep those negotiated terms separate from the official transfer procedure, and do not assume a familiar brokerage form creates the same cancellation or deposit protection for every sale. (Mitos)
The current Mitos procedure requires a seller-and-buyer sale instrument with signatures authenticated by a public authority or through gov.gr. Our recommendation is to identify the authorised signatories and any representation evidence before signing. The person marketing the boat or attending a viewing should not automatically be treated as authorised to execute the owner's transfer documents. (Mitos)
The reviewed guidance does not establish that automatic continuation. AADE's temporary-importation route depends on specified vessel and residence conditions. Our recommendation is to ask customs about the intended ownership or user change and have the agreement identify the relevant evidence and unresolved assumptions before payment. Keep the customs position distinct from the ownership-transfer instrument. (AADE)
Our recommendation is to agree the equipment inventory, document originals, keys, payment evidence and responsibility for the applicable register step. Mitos describes both its stated ship-register transfer route and a separate Small Craft Register ownership-certificate procedure. Ask the authority which route applies, and confirm berth arrangements separately rather than assume the yacht's current place automatically transfers. (Mitos)
This guide only includes facts checked against official sources. For anything it does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information, and ask a locally qualified adviser to confirm the position for your own boat.
Ready when you are
Thinking of selling?
Get an honest view on price and how we would market your boat.
Sell your boat GreeceCheck it yourself
Current stated transfer procedure: receiving authority, authenticated signatures, nationality document and constitutive register entry.
Current separate Small Craft Register ownership-certificate circumstances.
Current import-VAT distinction and habitual-residence conditions relevant to stated temporary status.
Keep reading
Talk to European Yacht Brokers
Buying or selling a boat in Greece? Tell us what you need
Tell us about the boat, your budget and the area and a broker will reply.
