THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Turkey
Use Fethiye's official sale checklist and distinguish local register transfers from foreign-yacht permissions.
Selling a boat Fethiye starts with the yacht's registration, the recorded owner and the authority that will process the transfer. Fethiye publishes its own binding-register sale application, with a useful supporting-document checklist. That local file is relevant to eligible boats in that register; it should not be copied onto every foreign-flagged yacht in the bay. A seller can make the transaction easier by preparing the correct originals and explaining the intended handover before accepting a firm closing date.
This guide uses the Fethiye form, the district's description of harbourmaster responsibilities and national foreign-yacht guidance. It explains what the published documents actually request and how to organise the completion file. It does not invent local berth prices, survey waiting times, seasonal delays or sale taxes that the official sources do not publish. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
Fethiye District Governorate lists binding-register vessel sales among Fethiye Harbourmaster's responsibilities.
Fethiye District Governorate ·Fethiye's form includes a request field identifying the port to which the binding record is to be transferred.
Fethiye Harbourmaster ·Fethiye requires the original tonnage certificate for commercial vessels in its sale checklist.
Fethiye Harbourmaster ·Fethiye lists individual identity copies and foreign-national passport and residence-permit copies.
Fethiye Harbourmaster ·The Ministry identifies unauthorised use by people other than yacht owner or operator as a potential sanction matter.
Ministry of Trade, updated 22 Mar 2023 ·Section 1
The district government describes Fethiye Harbourmaster as responsible for sales of vessels entered in the binding register (Bağlama Kütüğü). Begin by showing the office the existing licence rather than describing the boat only by length or marina. As practical planning, ask whether the proposed transfer belongs to that procedure and whether the buyer can retain the intended registered use. A yacht lying in Fethiye does not itself establish that the published local binding-register form is the correct instrument for its sale.
The harbourmaster's official application asks for the vessel name, type, binding port and register number. It also asks for the sale price in Turkish lira. Prepare those entries from the original records and the actual agreement rather than from an old listing. If the parties negotiate in another currency, ask the office how it wants the transaction stated on the application. This guide does not supply an exchange rate or a conversion rule absent from the published form.
The form contains an express request field for moving the binding record to another port. That is useful when the buyer intends a different administrative home after purchase. Identify the proposed port before completing the application and ask the authority how it coordinates that request with the sale. As practical advice, keep administrative transfer and physical delivery clearly described: the buyer's future berth, the recorded binding port and the place where possession is handed over need not answer the same question.
Broker tip: Get the existing licence checked by Fethiye before preparing a closing appointment. Agree the intended binding port, physical delivery place and register route so the parties submit a consistent application. A related question is answered in our guide on how to prepare a boat for sale in Turkey.
Boat on a marina berth being prepared for sale.
Local sale responsibility
Section 2
The Fethiye form requires the original binding-register licence. For commercial vessels it also requires the original tonnage certificate. Locate those documents at the start of the sale and check their particulars against the boat. As seller advice, tell the buyer immediately if an original is missing or the registered use has changed. Ask the authority for the correction or replacement process before promising a date, rather than presenting a photocopy as though the form had accepted it instead of the original.
Fethiye asks for colour prints of boat and engine photographs showing the vessel name, its full appearance and the relevant serial numbers. Its checklist identifies the hull serial number and engine serial number as part of the evidence. Take clear current images for the file and compare them with the recorded particulars. Practical care is especially useful where an engine replacement is under discussion: explain the actual installed unit to the office instead of sending older images that no longer identify it.
A proposed name change is addressed separately in the form: the checklist requests a name application through Umurbey when the name will change. Decide whether the buyer wants that change before the final papers are prepared. Keep the current registered identity and requested new identity distinct in the document index, then have the authority confirm how it processes the request alongside the sale. A new name painted on the hull should not be treated as evidence that the register has already changed.
Broker tip: Photograph the hull and engine identifiers clearly and compare them with the originals. Ask Fethiye to resolve any mismatch before the buyer pays against a file describing different equipment. See also our guide on boat valuation in Turkey.
Tablet showing a boat valuation beside a model yacht.
Original local licence
Selling a boat in Turkey and want help with the plan? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
Fethiye asks for an original duty receipt for vessels subject to duty, with payment to the tax office. That is the document requirement the published form verifies; it does not provide a current complete sale-cost total. Ask the office to calculate the applicable charge from the actual yacht's particulars and requested transaction. As practical advice, identify the payer in the sale agreement and keep the authority payment separate from the price balance, survey bill and any brokerage invoice.
The checklist requires identity copies for individual parties and passport and residence-permit copies for foreign nationals. Its foreign-national line also states that commercial-vessel registration cannot be made in that case. Do not overlook that restriction when a prospective buyer intends charter or other commercial use. Ask Fethiye to confirm the buyer's eligibility and the exact registered category before signing an unconditional agreement. Foreign ownership questions deserve a transaction-specific answer rather than an assumption based on other yachts in the marina.
For company parties, the form lists a signature circular, commercial-register publication, tax record and a recent activity certificate. The document age is specified in the checklist. Have the company assemble that evidence and identify the signatory before completion papers are circulated. Practical seller advice is to keep the company's full legal identity consistent throughout the sale. The entity shown on the licence, the party named in the agreement and the person authorised to sign should be checked together by the receiving office. No official current Fethiye sale-fee total, berth availability, seasonal delay or survey waiting time verified. Published local form bears a 2022 date; Fethiye must confirm current acceptance and buyer eligibility. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Send the buyer's intended use and company or individual documents to the office before agreeing unconditional completion. Obtain the current fee calculation and keep the original payment evidence ready. Readers often go on to our guide on how much yacht broker commission is in Turkey.
Signing a boat purchase agreement.
Original duty receipt
Fethiye requires the original tax-office duty receipt for vessels subject to duty.
Source: Fethiye HarbourmasterFethiye lists individual identity copies and foreign-national passport and residence-permit copies.
Source: Fethiye HarbourmasterFethiye's foreign-national checklist line states that commercial-vessel registration cannot be made in that case.
Source: Fethiye HarbourmasterFethiye lists company signature circular, register publication, tax record and an activity certificate issued within the previous 3 months.
Source: Fethiye HarbourmasterSection 4
For a foreign-flagged yacht, the Ministry of Trade states that an ownership or operator change ends the voyage-permission document's validity. That document is known as the transit log (seyir izin belgesi). A sale in Fethiye therefore needs an answer about the buyer's movement permissions as well as an answer about ownership documents. Ask the harbourmaster and customs authority how the file will be updated, and do not assume the old owner's document remains usable just because its printed period has not ended.
The Ministry identifies unauthorised use by people other than the owner or operator among matters that can attract sanctions. Viewings, trials and delivery trips should be described accurately when asking for permission. As practical advice, tell the authorities who will be aboard and whether the transfer has already occurred. Do not make the trial date dependent on an informal promise that any broker or skipper can take the foreign yacht out while the seller is absent.
The Ministry states that foreign-yacht maintenance and repairs in Turkey are under customs supervision and control. It also identifies fixtures or personal-item transfers and failures in entry or exit paperwork as potential sanction matters. If the seller removes equipment or undertakes repairs before handover, include the actual work in the permission questions. Agree a completion checklist covering the boat, its equipment and the documents authorising the next movement, so the buyer receives a coherent file rather than unrelated receipts and expired permissions.
Broker tip: For a foreign-flagged sale, obtain customs and harbourmaster instructions before trial or delivery. Put the permission update, equipment changes and payment-release conditions into the same agreed closing checklist. Our guide on what a yacht broker agreement in Turkey should say covers a related point.
Boat keys and documents handed over on a chart table.
Sale ends transit log
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not a Turkish lawyer: for Turkish 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 Turkey, 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
Yes. Fethiye Harbourmaster publishes a binding-register vessel sale application with the yacht's identifying entries, party details, sale price and supporting-document checklist. Use it only after the office confirms that the yacht and proposed buyer belong to that registration procedure. A foreign-flagged boat lying locally needs its own registration and customs questions resolved before completion. [Fethiye Harbourmaster]
It requests the original binding-register licence and, for commercial vessels, the original tonnage certificate. Its supporting file also includes colour boat and engine identity images. Find and check those originals early, compare the identifiers with the actual vessel, and ask the office about discrepancies rather than assuming an incomplete file will be accepted at the closing appointment. [Fethiye Harbourmaster]
The published form provides for a name-change request and specifies a vessel-name application through Umurbey where that change is wanted. Ask Fethiye how it combines the request with the sale. Keep the current licence details distinct from the proposed new name in the file, rather than treating a name painted on the yacht as an already completed registry amendment. [Fethiye Harbourmaster]
The form verifies the need for an original duty receipt for qualifying vessels, but it does not establish a current complete sale-cost total. Ask the office for the applicable amount using the yacht's particulars and transaction. Identify the payer contractually and keep the authority receipt separate from the purchase-price settlement and other professional invoices. [Fethiye Harbourmaster]
An owner or operator change ends its validity under the Ministry's guidance. Obtain instructions from customs and the harbourmaster for the buyer's subsequent permissions before arranging departure. The local binding-register sale form does not settle a foreign-flagged yacht's customs position, and a remaining printed validity period does not remove the ownership-change consequence. [Ministry of Trade]
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 TurkeyCheck it yourself
Foreign-yacht customs declarations, transit-log validity and use restrictions.
Official local binding-register sale application and supporting documents.
Local harbourmaster responsibilities for binding-register sales and seaworthiness surveys.
Keep reading
Talk to European Yacht Brokers
Selling a boat in Turkey? Tell us about it
Tell us about the boat and where it is and a broker will reply.
