THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Turkey
Separate seller identity, the yacht's flag and customs status before agreeing a cross-border sale.
Selling a boat non-resident Turkey requires the parties to separate the seller's personal status from the yacht's registration and customs position. A foreign owner, a foreign-flagged yacht and a boat in the Turkish binding register are different questions. The published documents explain identity requirements and the effect of an ownership change on a transit log, but they do not establish a universal tax exemption or a single sale route for every overseas seller.
This guide focuses on the evidence to obtain before completion and on the points requiring confirmation from the receiving authority. It covers foreign-national documents, registered-ship formalities and foreign-yacht permissions. Practical advice on coordinating the file is distinguished from official rules, and unverified tax rates and completion deadlines are omitted. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
Ministry of Trade guidance states that foreign-yacht entry and exit customs procedures are declared on the transit log.
Ministry of Trade, updated 22 Mar 2023 ·The Ministry states that a captain change is entered on the transit log and does not itself require replacing that document.
Ministry of Trade, updated 22 Mar 2023 ·Çeşme lists company signature circulars, authority evidence, register publication and tax declarations for company parties.
Çeşme Harbourmaster ·Commercial Code 6102, Article 964, requires changes in registered ship particulars to be notified by petition.
Official Legislation Portal, updated 14 Feb 2011 ·The Ministry states a captain cannot use the yacht for recreation without its owner and describes limited permitted collection or drop-off voyages.
Ministry of Trade, updated 22 Mar 2023 ·Section 1
The Ministry of Trade explains that a foreign-flagged yacht's Turkish entry and exit customs formalities are declared on its voyage-permission document, known as a transit log (seyir izin belgesi). That document is relevant when the yacht is sold while in Turkish waters. As practical seller advice, give the buyer copies of the registration, entry documents and current log before accepting an unconditional offer. Explain which person is recorded as owner or operator and ask customs how the proposed sale affects the file.
The same guidance states that the transit log ceases to be valid when the owner or operator changes. It also ends when the yacht leaves the Turkish customs territory or the document is lost. Completion therefore needs a permissions plan as well as a signed sale contract. Ask the harbourmaster and customs authority what the buyer must obtain before moving the yacht after the change. Do not pass the old document across as though its remaining printed validity authorises the new owner.
The Ministry distinguishes a captain change from an owner change: a captain change is recorded on the permission document rather than requiring its replacement on that ground alone. This distinction helps avoid treating a new skipper as equivalent to a completed sale. As practical advice, describe the proposed transaction precisely when asking the authority for instructions. State whether ownership, operating responsibility, captain or flag is changing so the written answer addresses the real arrangement rather than a different movement of the boat.
Broker tip: Give customs the actual owner, operator and flag details together with the proposed buyer's intended use. Request instructions tied to that yacht before setting the payment-release and departure conditions. Our guide on whether you pay VAT on a boat in Turkey covers a related point.
Boat on a marina berth being prepared for sale.
Entry exit declarations
Section 2
Çeşme's published binding-register sale checklist specifies passport and residence-permit documents for foreign nationals on both the buyer and seller sides. This is a local document requirement, not proof that any non-resident can use the same registration category. Ask the receiving harbourmaster to confirm the proposed seller's identity evidence and the buyer's eligibility separately. If either party cannot supply the listed residence document, obtain an answer before assuming a representative or a translated passport will resolve the difference.
For a company party, Çeşme lists signature circulars, authority documents, commercial-register publication, tax information and an activity certificate within the stated age limit. As practical sale planning, identify the company that owns the yacht and the person authorised to sign. A brand name, an employee's business card or a broker's listing does not establish that authority. Send the corporate evidence to the receiving office in advance and ask which originals, translations or certifications it will accept for the particular company.
Fethiye's official sale application contains separate representative fields for buyer and seller where a power of attorney exists. The form demonstrates that representation is contemplated in its binding-register procedure; it does not set out a complete overseas notarisation or apostille route. If the seller is abroad, ask the office to approve the intended authority document before signing it. Keep the authority to sell, the person who attends and the company or individual owner aligned throughout the application.
Broker tip: Before organising overseas signatures, send the intended office the owner's documents and proposed power of attorney. Ask it to confirm acceptance so the seller does not travel with an unusable file. A related question is answered in our guide on how to transfer boat ownership in Turkey.
Tablet showing a boat valuation beside a model yacht.
Foreign party documents
Buying or selling a boat in Turkey and want a second opinion? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
For a Turkish ship-register vessel, the Commercial Code requires an ownership-transfer agreement and transfer of possession. The written agreement needs notarised signatures or can be made at the registry office. A seller's residence abroad does not itself explain how those requirements will be met. As practical closing advice, have a locally qualified lawyer and the receiving registry confirm the execution route, then write the agreed delivery location and possession arrangements into the completion instructions the parties use.
The Code requires changes to recorded ship particulars to be notified to the registry by petition. Ownership changes also require presentation of the ship certificate and any certified summary. Identify who retains those originals and who submits them at completion. Where the seller is using a representative, confirm that the representative can undertake the actual registry work. Keep copies of the signed deed, submission evidence and updated certificate in the same file rather than treating the bank payment as the final administrative record.
Çeşme requires the original binding-register licence in its seller file and the original duty receipt for qualifying transactions. Those instructions concern that local registration route; they do not supply a tax conclusion for a foreign-flagged yacht. Separate authority charges from questions about the sale's tax treatment and customs clearance. As practical planning, get each answer from the responsible body and state who bears the resulting charge in the contract, without describing an unverified exemption as a settled benefit. No non-resident seller tax exemption, transaction-specific tax rate or foreign-flag sale customs-clearance route verified. No complete overseas power-of-attorney notarisation, apostille or translation checklist verified. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Make release of the balance match the agreed deed, possession and permissions steps. Have the parties and any independent fund holder work from the same written closing instructions. See also our guide on how to register a boat in Turkey.
Signing a boat purchase agreement.
Registered ship execution
Commercial Code 6102, Article 1001, requires agreement and possession transfer, with written notarised signatures or agreement at the registry office.
Source: Official Legislation Portal, updated 14 Feb 2011Commercial Code 6102, Article 964, requires changes in registered ship particulars to be notified by petition.
Source: Official Legislation Portal, updated 14 Feb 2011Commercial Code 6102, Article 971, requires presentation of the certificate and any certified summary for ownership changes.
Source: Official Legislation Portal, updated 14 Feb 2011Çeşme requires the original binding-register licence and the original duty receipt for qualifying sales.
Source: Çeşme HarbourmasterSection 4
The Ministry of Trade says use of a foreign yacht by people other than its owner or operator without permission can lead to sanctions. This matters when a seller living abroad allows a prospective buyer, broker or delivery crew to move the yacht. As practical advice, obtain the authority's permission requirements before arranging a trial or relocation. A seller's informal consent should not be described as a complete substitute for the maritime or customs documents governing the actual movement.
The Ministry's guidance says a captain cannot use a yacht for recreation without the owner aboard. It describes a specific owner-instruction and harbourmaster-permission arrangement for collecting or dropping the owner or family at another port. That is not a general buyer sea-trial exemption. Ask the harbourmaster to approve the proposed viewing or delivery case in its own terms. Make clear who will be aboard, who owns the vessel at that stage and why the trip is being undertaken.
The Ministry also identifies sale or transfer of onboard fixtures or personal belongings and failures to complete required entry or exit paperwork among matters attracting sanctions. Repairs to foreign yachts are under customs supervision and control. If equipment is being removed or a repair is planned before delivery, disclose the work to the relevant office and ask for instructions. Practical completion planning should cover the boat's actual state and the permission record, including the point when the previous owner's log ceases to apply.
Broker tip: Ask permission questions before booking a sea trial or delivery crew. Keep written authority responses with the current transit log and record when ownership changes so movement documents stay consistent. Readers often go on to our guide on what it costs to sell a boat in Turkey.
Boat keys and documents handed over on a chart table.
Unauthorised other users
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 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 Turkey, 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.
Peter Mattey
Yacht Broker, European Yacht Brokers
BA (Law). Expert in marine law
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
An ownership or operator change ends that document's validity under the Ministry's guidance. Ask the harbourmaster and customs authority to confirm the replacement permissions for the actual sale before the buyer moves the yacht. The date printed on the old document does not resolve the ownership-change issue, and the sale contract should align handover with the required administrative steps. [Ministry of Trade]
No. Çeşme's checklist lists passport and residence-permit documents for foreign-national parties, but it is not a universal statement of registration eligibility. Ask the intended office to confirm the seller's identity evidence and the buyer's proposed registration separately. Do this before an unconditional contract or overseas signing appointment rather than assuming every foreign owner follows the same route. [Çeşme Harbourmaster]
Fethiye's official sale form includes representative fields where a power of attorney exists. It does not specify the full acceptance requirements for a document signed overseas. As practical planning, have the receiving authority approve the proposed representation document and signatory details before execution, then keep the named representative consistent with the owner shown in the registration file. [Fethiye Harbourmaster]
A captain change alone does not require replacement on that ground under the Ministry's guidance, but it must be recorded on the document. An owner or operator change has a different consequence and ends validity. Tell the authority exactly which change is happening so its instructions cover a sale rather than only a skipper substitution. [Ministry of Trade]
Do not assume a general permission from the seller is sufficient. The Ministry restricts recreational use by a captain without the owner and describes a limited collection or drop-off arrangement requiring owner instructions and harbourmaster permission. Ask the authority to confirm the proposed delivery or trial case before departure, with the ownership stage and people aboard accurately stated. [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.
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Sell your boat TurkeyCheck it yourself
Official consolidated Commercial Code 6102: ship transfer formalities and public commercial-register checks.
Local sale checklist for vessels in the binding register.
Foreign-yacht customs declarations, transit-log validity and use restrictions.
Official local binding-register sale application and supporting documents.
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