Licensing requirements for private boat visiting Greece.

[B23iL23]

Anyone know the licensing requirements for 20m private boat visiting Greece? Have someone trying to tell me that minimum is a Yacht Masters that complies with STCW class 5 deck officer licenses.


For clarification. This is a private yacht with the owner and family on board. Not a charter, no paying guests.



Ta

[Jenneau Owner]

On entering Greece you will have to clear in and visit the Port Police and obtain a DEPRA form. There is also a cruising tax being implemented but the details of this are unclear.
If the boat is registered in a EU member state qualifications from that country should suffice.
A ICC certificate is acceptable.
I have been cruising in Greece for several years and only been asked for sailing qualifications twice! Ironically the second time was only last week in Skopolos.

[yeloya]

Whatever licence is required in yr own country will be required. If the boat was registered commercial, this would have been a different matter.
I also sailed a lot in Greek waters and I was never asked any certificate.


Cheers


Yeloya

[mikedefieslife]

You are supposed to need an ICC or equivalent to get the DEKPA. I didn’t present one and got my DEKPA (which no one ever looked at again). Another guy on my pontoon (a us citizen) couldn’t produce one and was refused a DEKPA. It was the same guard and admin girl that saw both of us.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

You are supposed to need an ICC or equivalent to get the DEKPA. I didn’t present one and got my DEKPA (which no one ever looked at again). Another guy on my pontoon (a us citizen) couldn’t produce one and was refused a DEKPA. It was the same guard and admin girl that saw both of us.

Attitude of the skippers often affect the outcome..
Courtesy and compliance trumps arrogance and rudeness every time.
Also, say Yes dont just nod.. a nod means No in Greece..

[WimH]

I, unfortunately, had a grounding accident in Greece. Because one of my crew members hit her head and had a big cut, I contacted the coast guard. When arriving in the next port, the port authorities were waiting for me. I was taken to the office and I can assure you that it then is better to have all your paperwork in order. DEKPA, ICC are super important. You will be confronted with a lot of red tape getting all necessary documents and paying the fees, but you definitely need to do the effort.

[hellosailor]

In my limited knowledge, it is international custom, if not law, that a "short term" visiting vessel only can be required to conform to the laws of its flag state. If your vessel is not flagged with Greece--you only need the credentials that your own flag state requires of you. Same thing goes for the safety equipment aboard the boat.

How any port official chooses to honor or challenge that--perhaps looking for bakshish and knowing they're wrong anyway--is something else again.

As the OP has reason to be concerned, I would recommend contacting the Greek government offices to find out the appropriate one and the actual regulation, and then make sure to take a copy of that with you. Some guy in a uniform on a dock, doesn't always know what the real laws are. And sometimes they just want to write their own.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

I would recommend contacting the Greek government offices to find out the appropriate one and the actual regulation, and then make sure to take a copy of that with you. Some guy in a uniform on a dock, doesn't always know what the real laws are. And sometimes they just want to write their own.

Greek port police knows what the laws are but often ignores them to your benefit.
Personally I would not try to teach them what the law is. That's not likely to end the way you want it.

[hellosailor]

"Personally I would not try to teach them what the law is."
And if they told you to go home and leave Greece because you didn't have a certification that you were not required to have? Really looking for a bribe? Or simply mistaken?
I don't try to teach, but I have been in the position to say "You've been misinformed. If I have to call my CO and he has to call your CO, I know which one is going to chew who out. Are you sure you don't want to believe this letter from your chief isn't right?"
There are times to be adamant in order to be reasonable, instead of bending over.

[yeloya]

Originally Posted by Anders

Greek port police knows what the laws are but often ignores them to your benefit.
Personally I would not try to teach them what the law is. That's not likely to end the way you want it.

If you say that every port police (I am not intending only Greece but any country) knows the laws, I could only say that you didn't sail to enough country.
I have been to more than 30 countries around the world with my boat and haven't seen yet any officials that knows all laws and regulations, not even all lawyers know or agree on these extremely confusing and complex international/local laws and which one supercede the other one and under which conditions..

Cheers

Yeloya

[karabil]

Visited customs to collect our stored transit log on Monday and couldnt get transit log untill the etapai (cruising permit) completed and paid for. Then to,port police to get transit log stamped, they wouldnt stamp until they had a phototcopy of marine licence in their files. We were not asked for licence 2 years ago, i think the Greeks are following procedure more stringently now, there have apparently been many coast gaurd inspections over the last month and if you dont have up to date fire extinguishers or your papers all up to date including etapai you will be fined.

[B23iL23]

Thanks.


Assuming in Europe that means having an ICC as the license.

Originally Posted by karabil

Visited customs to collect our stored transit log on Monday and couldnt get transit log untill the etapai (cruising permit) completed and paid for. Then to,port police to get transit log stamped, they wouldnt stamp until they had a phototcopy of marine licence in their files. We were not asked for licence 2 years ago, i think the Greeks are following procedure more stringently now, there have apparently been many coast gaurd inspections over the last month and if you dont have up to date fire extinguishers or your papers all up to date including etapai you will be fined.

[karabil]

Originally Posted by B23iL23

Thanks.


Assuming in Europe that means having an ICC as the license.

They would have accepted my husbands Australian marine licence (equivelent to car driving licence) but it had expired in March and we didnt have the new one with me. I told them we had sailed most of the way around the world crossing both Atlantic and Pacific oceans, he told me it was Greece and they needed a paper. I was panicking until I realised I had his coxswains certificate in the back of our boats passport which is a much higher certification. They told me they needed to copy whatever licence to operate a boat in my country so make sure you bring something.

[hellosailor]

Since there is no "marine license" in the US, I suppose I'd just have to ask my Congressman for Letters of Marque and Reprisal. That ought to translate well.