THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Greece
Separate residence, vessel customs status and the actual ownership-transfer procedure.
This selling a boat non-resident Greece guide separates the seller's residence from the yacht's register, customs status and intended use after the sale. Official Mitos and AADE sources support specific transfer and temporary-importation checks; completion and representation planning are labelled recommendations. No universal foreign-owner exemption, automatic status transfer or standard non-resident tax rate is invented. A boat berthed in Greece and an owner living elsewhere still need the actual facts checked before payment and handover are agreed.
Use it to organise questions for the relevant registry, customs office and qualified adviser. Confirm who can sign, which documents apply and how the buyer's position differs from the seller's. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a qualified adviser, and keep written answers with the proposed agreement and original evidence. 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 ·Mitos lists the original existing nationality document among the stated transfer procedure's supporting documents. Mitos procedure updated 14 September 2026.
Mitos — National Registry of Administrative Procedures ·For the stated limited Transit Log route AADE describes 18 months and a requested extension of up to 6 months, with a 24-month maximum. Current AADE guidance referencing VAT Code Law 5144/2024 and digital Transit Log Decision 1124/2024.
AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) – Current habitual-residence definition, specif ·AADE 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) – Current habitual-residence definition, specif ·For the stated tax rule AADE describes boats over 7.5 metres delivered within 3 months of first service or before 100 sailing hours; those conditions are alternatives. Current AADE guidance referencing VAT Code Law 5144/2024 and digital Transit Log Decision 1124/2024.
AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) – Current habitual-residence definition, specif ·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. Our guide on whether you pay VAT on a boat in Greece covers a related point.
Boat on a marina berth being prepared for sale.
Receiving transfer service
Section 2
AADE's private-boat guidance describes a specific temporary-importation route involving the vessel's flag, customs position and the relevant person's habitual residence. It defines habitual residence using at least one hundred and eighty-five days in a twelve-month period and personal and professional ties. Our recommendation is to ask customs how the actual seller, buyer and intended use fit that guidance. Being described as a non-resident seller does not by itself establish every condition for temporary importation or prove that the purchaser can continue the same arrangement.
For the stated limited Transit Log route, AADE describes an eighteen-month period and a requested extension of up to six months, with a maximum of twenty-four months. Our recommendation is to check the particular log, its validity and the authority's instructions before agreeing an ownership or user change. Those periods belong to the specified customs route; they are not a selling deadline, a general permission for every foreign yacht or evidence that a sale can take place without first addressing the vessel's present customs status.
Our recommendation is to give customs the actual vessel identifiers, owner and user details, location and proposed change, then retain its answer with the sale file. Ask what procedure must be followed rather than assume the seller's permission is transferable. The guide does not establish a general exemption based on nationality or non-residence, nor a standard customs charge for every sale. Keep the residence test, vessel status and ownership procedure separate so an informal label does not replace the specific evidence the authorities need.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to check the actual log and give customs the seller, buyer and intended-use details before agreeing a change. Do not treat non-residence as a universal exemption or transferable permission. A related question is answered in our guide on how to transfer boat ownership in Greece.
Tablet showing a boat valuation beside a model yacht.
Habitual-residence test
Selling a boat in Greece and want help with the plan? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
AADE's current digital Transit Log manual describes modification requests for a finalised log, including owner, master, vessel name or flag details. Our recommendation is to ask customs whether and how the actual ownership change must be recorded before relying on an existing log. A screen allowing a modification request is not itself permission to transfer every customs status to another person. Keep the ownership-register procedure and the customs record distinct, with the receiving authority's answer identifying what applies to the boat's present and intended use.
The same manual lists representation authority and an owner's power of attorney among supporting document categories, as applicable. Our recommendation is to identify the person acting in each procedure and confirm the evidence the receiving authority requires. Someone helping with advertising, inspection or payment should not automatically be treated as authorised for every filing. Match the relevant names and vessel identifiers across the ownership instrument, register evidence and customs submissions, and ask about any inconsistency instead of assuming an informal explanation will be accepted later.
Our recommendation is to confirm insurance, permitted use, the buyer's berth arrangement and departure plans separately before taking the yacht into service. Ask the relevant authority or provider for a written answer where the existing arrangement names the seller or a different user. The sources here do not establish automatic berth transfer or automatic continuation of every customs permission after a sale. Retain the actual evidence in a handover file, with unresolved questions stated openly rather than describe the boat as fully transferred on the strength of one document. No universal Greek-flag ownership eligibility or general non-resident tax exemption verified. No automatic transfer of temporary customs status or berth arrangement established. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to ask customs about the actual owner or user change and confirm representation evidence. Check berth, insurance and departure arrangements separately, without assuming one register document settles every continuing arrangement. See also our guide on how to register a boat in Greece.
Signing a boat purchase agreement.
Transit Log modification request
AADE's current digital Transit Log manual describes modification requests for a finalised log, including owner, master, vessel name or flag details. Current AADE service-linked June 2026 file; PDF header dated 23 December 2025.
Source: AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) – Current service-linked Transit Log manualThe same AADE manual lists representation authority and an owner's power of attorney among supporting document categories, as applicable. Current AADE service-linked June 2026 file; PDF header dated 23 December 2025.
Source: AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) – Current service-linked Transit Log manualSection 4
AADE's guidance states that third-country boat imports are subject to VAT and distinguishes its stated temporary-importation route. Our recommendation is to ask a qualified adviser about the actual transaction before describing it as VAT paid, exempt or tax free. Locate the relevant original invoice, import or customs evidence and explain any gaps. A non-resident owner's address does not establish a universal tax result. The guide does not assign a transaction percentage or promise that a private sale has no tax consequences in every situation.
For its stated new maritime means-of-transport rule, AADE describes boats over seven and a half metres delivered within three months of first service or before one hundred sailing hours. Our recommendation is to have the dates and sailing-use evidence checked if that rule is potentially relevant. Do not substitute engine hours or rely solely on the seller calling the yacht used. This specific classification is a separate tax question, not a general test for whether a non-resident is permitted to sign the sale instrument.
Our recommendation is to obtain the relevant authority and adviser answers before releasing the balance or arranging departure. Agree who provides the authenticated sale instrument, original documents and evidence of the applicable register step. Confirm the buyer's berth and use arrangements separately, including any continuing customs record. No opened official source here establishes universal Greek-flag eligibility for every foreign buyer, an automatic transfer of temporary status or a complete non-resident tax schedule. Leave those questions explicit rather than replace them with assumptions about an international sale.
Broker tip: Our recommendation is to obtain case-specific tax and registry advice before final payment. Agree documentary completion evidence and confirm the buyer's intended use separately, without relying on nationality or address alone. Readers often go on to our guide on what it costs to sell a boat in Greece.
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 sale, put the right questions to the other side and spot gaps in the paperwork before you commit.
If you are selling a boat in Greece, tell us about the boat and where it is 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
No such general conclusion is established by the source. AADE describes a specified route involving flag, customs position and habitual residence, with the residence definition based on days and personal and professional ties. Our recommendation is to give customs the actual seller, buyer and proposed use details and ask which route applies before relying on the label non-resident. (AADE)
No. AADE's eighteen-month period and requested extension up to the stated maximum belong to its specified customs route. Our recommendation is to check the actual log's validity and ask about the intended ownership or user change. Do not treat those periods as a general yacht-selling deadline or permission for every foreign vessel. (AADE)
Our recommendation is to identify the representative and obtain the receiving authority's required evidence for each actual procedure. AADE's Transit Log manual lists representation authority and an owner's power of attorney among applicable document categories. That does not establish universal authority for anyone helping with marketing or payment, nor replace the applicable authenticated ownership-transfer instrument. (AADE; Mitos)
No universal exemption based on an address or non-residence was verified. AADE distinguishes import and temporary-importation treatment and states the relevant new maritime transport rule. Our recommendation is to have a qualified adviser review the actual transaction and evidence before using terms such as VAT paid or tax free, and keep unresolved tax assumptions explicit. (AADE)
No automatic continuation is established by the opened sources. Our recommendation is to obtain customs' answer about the actual owner or user change and confirm the buyer's berth separately. AADE's manual describes record-modification requests, while Mitos describes an ownership-transfer route; neither should be treated as automatically settling every continuing arrangement after the sale. (AADE; 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.
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Current stated transfer procedure: receiving authority, authenticated signatures and nationality document.
Current habitual-residence definition, specified limited-log period and tax classifications.
Current service-linked Transit Log manual: modification requests and applicable representation evidence.
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