Charter License in Greece: a brief introduction – Part 2
The process regarding the granting of a local Charter license includes actually two phases that they may run in parallel:
- The registration of the yacht before the local tax authorities, and
- The registration of the yacht before so called Greek “e-Register of Ships”
In the so called Greek “e-Register of Ships” are registered – amongst others – commercial pleasure yachts / vessels (i) under the flag of another EU or EEA member state AND/OR (ii) under the flag of a state, outside the EU or EEA, with an overall length of more than thirty-five (35) meters and construction material: steel or plastic or aluminum.
The registration of a vessel before the local tax authorities may take place either via the incorporation of a local subsidiary/branch of the owner company of the vessel or via a management agreement via a local company. For the completion of this phase, the following details/documents may be required: the details/documents of the local subsidiary/branch of the owner company of the vessel or via the management local company, purchase invoice, VAT non paid confirmation / import declaration, builder’s certificate, first transfer of title, bill of sale, registry certificate, foreign commercial pleasure vessel inspection certificate (“ΠΕΞΕΠΑ”). The last one must renewed every two years and must be specifically issued by a “Greek” Classification Society (RINA Greek branch, Lloyds Greek branch or a couple of other Greek Classification Societies). Also, all documents of the vessel should come properly attested/apostilled/certified and with a formal translation in Greek.
For the registration of the yacht before so called Greek “e-Register of Ships”, apart from the details/documents mentioned above, the following details/documents shall be required: original professional license, proof of insurance of the vessel, e-administrative fee of 500€.
As soon as both phases are completed, the vessel may be granted with a local Charter license valid for three years (or less in case of a shorter a management agreement).
Also, we would like to note that the law allowed for yachts of 35-metres and over to charter in Greece; by acquiring a ‘Specified Period Charter Permission’, yachts are entitled to charter within Greek waters for up to 21 days, plus a seven-day extension, in any one calendar year. This type of license is to (a.) approved by the Port Authority of the place of delivery of the vessel, when it is in the country, or by the first nearest Port Authority, when the ship enters the Greek Territory, when the place of delivery is abroad and (b.) be issued electronically, through the “e-CharterPermission” application.