MILGAUSS
ADMIRAL MILGAUSS is a recently refitted yacht (2023/2024) built by the renowned Admiral shipyard in Italy. Featuring a modernized aesthetic, low engine hours, and upgraded
THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Greece
Identify the transaction, new-boat test, current rate and documents behind a VAT claim.
Boat VAT Greece questions are best answered by identifying the transaction before applying a percentage. A private resale, a third-country import and a qualifying new boat acquired from another EU member state are different situations. The boat's flag and berth do not by themselves settle the answer. This guide uses official Greek tax and administrative pages, distinguishes verified general rules from an individual assessment and avoids claiming that every sale attracts the same charge.
It is for buyers and sellers who need to assemble evidence and ask the right authority or adviser a specific question. The guide covers the official new-boat definition, import arrangements and normal rate, then explains how to organise records. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a qualified adviser. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
The ministry places supplies for consideration within Greece by a taxable person acting as such within VAT's stated scope. Current ministry tax guide under VAT Code Law 5144/2024; includes provisions effective from 1 January 2026.
Ministry of Economy and Finance ·AADE states that acquiring a qualifying new boat from another EU member state for use in Greece entails VAT and a declaration to the competent customs authority. Current AADE guidance referencing VAT Code Law 5144/2024 and digital Transit Log Decision 1124/2024.
AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) ·The ministry expressly states that its described island VAT-rate reduction does not apply to means of transport. Current ministry tax guide under VAT Code Law 5144/2024; includes provisions effective from 1 January 2026.
Ministry of Economy and Finance ·AADE states that customs clearance does not automatically require a Greek flag and describes retaining a third-country flag under the stated arrangements. Current AADE guidance referencing VAT Code Law 5144/2024 and digital Transit Log Decision 1124/2024.
AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) ·Mitos states that ownership does not transfer without register entry for its stated registered-ship transfer procedure. Mitos procedure updated 14 September 2026.
Mitos — National Registry of Administrative Procedures ·Section 1
Boat VAT in Greece starts with the transaction, not the wording of an advertisement. The Ministry of Economy and Finance identifies taxable supplies made for consideration by a taxable person acting as such, imports, and the stated intra-community acquisitions within VAT's scope. Our recommendation is to establish who is selling, in what capacity, where the boat is coming from and where it will be used. An invoice, private agreement and customs declaration answer different questions; none should be substituted for the others without checking applicability.
The ministry also states that an intra-community acquisition of a new means of transport is taxable regardless of the status of the person established within the country. A private buyer should therefore not assume that buying from another private person settles the tax question. Our recommendation is to provide the adviser with the boat's delivery history and navigation records as well as the seller's details. The official customs guidance gives a specific maritime definition, so the everyday description of a boat as new or second-hand is insufficient.
Our recommendation is to distinguish a seller's assertion that VAT has been paid from evidence that addresses the present transaction. Ask for the underlying invoice and relevant customs papers, identify the vessel on them and have the adviser assess what they demonstrate. This is a recommended evidence check, not a promise that a single document settles every future tax issue. The opened official pages do not establish a universal used-boat VAT certificate or an exemption for every private resale; this guide does not invent either.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to give the adviser the seller's capacity, boat location and intended movement together. Asking whether the boat is VAT paid is less useful than identifying the transaction to be assessed. A related question is answered in our guide on how to import a boat into Greece.
Boat insurance and tax paperwork on a desk.
Taxable supply scope
Section 2
AADE's private-boat customs guidance states that an import from a third country is subject to VAT, while a boat placed under the stated temporary-import regime on entry does not incur that VAT liability. The same guidance requires permanent customs clearance where the boat is intended to remain permanently in Greek territorial waters. Our recommendation is to ask customs to confirm the existing status and the effect of a proposed sale. A temporary arrangement should not be described to the buyer as proof of permanent import clearance.
For a qualifying new boat acquired from another EU member state for use in Greece, AADE states that VAT is payable and a declaration must be submitted to the competent customs authority. Its definition concerns boats over seven and a half metres, delivered within three months of first entry into service or before completing one hundred hours of sailing. Our recommendation is to check those alternatives carefully: the official wording uses sailing hours, not an unsupported substitution of engine hours, and does not require both newness conditions to be met.
AADE identifies different taxable-value provisions for the two situations: Article 25 of the current VAT Code for imports and Article 24 for the stated new EU acquisition. Our recommendation is to ask the authority or adviser to confirm the relevant calculation and supporting records, rather than applying VAT to a price without establishing the proper base. This guide does not calculate an individual liability or supply an invented filing deadline. Keep the declaration, payment evidence and identification of the boat together once the applicable process has been completed.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to check the delivery date and sailing record before calling an EU purchase second-hand for VAT purposes. Ask customs to confirm the applicable declaration route before the boat moves. See also our guide on how to register a boat in Greece.
Port customs office at a harbour.
Third-country import VAT
Buying or selling a boat in Greece and want a second opinion? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
The ministry's current tax guide states that the normal VAT rate is twenty-four per cent. That is a verified general rate, not a determination that every boat transaction in this guide is taxable at that rate. Our recommendation is to establish scope, taxable value and any properly supported exception before calculating a budget. A qualifying import, an acquisition and a seller's taxable supply require their own analysis. Do not treat a rate printed on a guide as evidence that all used boats incur a fresh charge.
The same ministry guide describes reduced island rates but expressly excludes means of transport from that reduction. Our recommendation is to have a qualified adviser check the classification and actual transaction before relying on a marina's location to propose a lower rate. This guide does not reproduce a list of islands as a shortcut to a yacht tax answer. The geographical provisions and their conditions are distinct from the boat's documented status; changing where a viewing takes place is not presented here as creating eligibility for an exception.
The ministry identifies specific types of ships among the categories whose delivery and import may be exempt, but the general guide does not establish that a particular private yacht qualifies. Our recommendation is to ask for the actual official provision and an explanation of how its conditions fit the vessel before accepting an exemption claim. Do not replace that check with the word commercial in an advertisement. This fact pack deliberately leaves out unverified exemptions and transaction-specific rates rather than presenting a broad tax summary as personalised advice. No universal used-private-boat VAT exemption or VAT-status certificate established by the opened pages; none asserted. No individual tax liability, filing deadline or private-yacht exemption calculated without transaction-specific verification. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to ask for the official basis of any proposed exemption or reduced-rate treatment. A location or seller's label should not replace checking the transaction and vessel against the stated conditions. Readers often go on to our guide on how to buy a boat in Greece.
Tablet showing a boat valuation beside a model yacht.
Normal VAT rate
The ministry's current tax guide states that the normal VAT rate is 24%. Current ministry tax guide under VAT Code Law 5144/2024; includes provisions effective from 1 January 2026.
Source: Ministry of Economy and FinanceThe ministry expressly states that its described island VAT-rate reduction does not apply to means of transport. Current ministry tax guide under VAT Code Law 5144/2024; includes provisions effective from 1 January 2026.
Source: Ministry of Economy and FinanceThe ministry's general VAT guide lists delivery and importation of specific types of ships among exempt transactions, without establishing eligibility for every private yacht. Current ministry tax guide under VAT Code Law 5144/2024; includes provisions effective from 1 January 2026.
Source: Ministry of Economy and FinanceSection 4
The current Mitos procedure for the stated registered-ship ownership transfer lists a bill of sale with authenticated signatures and additional tax-related documents. It describes tax-office endorsement of the agreement for VAT payment or non-payment for ships above ten net register tons, and a different stated endorsement for those below that threshold. Our recommendation is to ask the authority and tax adviser which documents fit the actual vessel. This is a description of the published document list, not an independent confirmation that every legacy charge named there remains payable.
Our recommendation is to organise the ownership and tax evidence as related but distinct parts of completion. Mitos says ownership does not transfer under its stated registered-ship procedure without register entry. AADE's customs guidance separately says customs clearance does not automatically require the boat to fly the Greek flag. Those official statements show why a change of flag, a sale agreement and an import payment should not be treated as interchangeable events. Agree who supplies each document and what verification must happen before funds are released.
Before signing, our recommendation is to obtain a concise written tax explanation identifying the boat, the transaction, the documents relied on and any unresolved point. Keep it with the contract and relevant declarations. No opened source establishes one universally accepted VAT-status document for every boat offered in Greece, and this guide does not promise one. If the authority's procedure appears to refer to a legacy tax or contradict another official instruction, seek current confirmation rather than improvising. That targeted question is more useful than assuming the commercial timetable decides the legal answer.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to reconcile the tax advice with the receiving authority's document list before completion. Ask about any legacy terminology or apparent inconsistency rather than assuming it proves a charge is payable. Our guide on what it costs to sell a boat in Greece covers a related point. Owners living abroad can read our guide on whether a non-resident can sell a boat in Greece.
Boat registration at a marina office.
Tax endorsement above threshold
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
The ministry's current tax guide states a normal rate of twenty-four per cent. That general figure does not establish that every boat sale is taxable at that rate. Our recommendation is to check the transaction's scope, taxable value and any supported exception before calculating liability; an invoice or advertisement using a percentage is not a substitute for that assessment. (Ministry of Economy and Finance)
AADE's maritime definition covers boats over seven and a half metres delivered within three months of first entry into service or before completing one hundred hours of sailing. The alternatives need checking against records. Our recommendation is to use the stated sailing-hours test and delivery history rather than assume the everyday description second-hand resolves the VAT classification. (AADE)
No, the guidance distinguishes temporary import from permanent customs clearance. AADE states that no VAT liability arises on entry under the stated temporary-import regime, while permanent presence requires customs clearance and corresponding duties and taxes under the applicable provisions. Our recommendation is to have customs assess the existing arrangement and the effect of the proposed purchase before relying on it. (AADE)
No, the ministry expressly excludes means of transport from its described island VAT-rate reduction. Our recommendation is to obtain an assessment of the actual vessel and transaction instead of relying on its berth or viewing location. The guide's normal-rate statement and geographical provisions do not establish a specific boat's tax treatment without checking scope and any supported exception. (Ministry of Economy and Finance)
No, AADE states that customs clearance does not automatically create an obligation to fly the Greek flag. Its guidance describes retaining a third-country flag under the stated arrangements. Our recommendation is to keep customs evidence separate from registration and ownership documents, and ask the competent authorities what each part of your proposed purchase requires before planning completion. (AADE)
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.
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Check it yourself
Current VAT Code guide: scope, normal rate, ship-exemption category and transport exclusion from island reduction.
Private-boat imports, temporary import, qualifying new EU boats and taxable-value references.
Registered-ship transfer document list and ownership register-entry requirement.
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