Greece:   Port Police Protocol

Greek yacht paperwork is a bore. Although the law states an onerous reporting regime for all vessels in Greece (details below; it's made to suit their enormous merchant fleet) its application has been relaxed for leisure vessels since the beginning of 2006. There are inconsistencies between the information available from the Greek National Tourist Office (GNTO), the actual maritime law, and (the very relaxed) practice. Individual port police officers are therefore inconsistent in their advice. Important conditions are not always clearly communicated on arrival, especially to non-EU yachts and crews, and this creates later mis-understandings. Penalties and fines are, however, very rare indeed, except where indicated below. If you ever face a demand for any unusual payment, smile, make sure a third party is present, take both names and ask for a receipt. Spurious demands then evaporate.

Yachts are treated according to which of three categories they are in:
        EU yachts in transit,
        Greek or EU yachts based in Greece, and
        Non-EU yachts.

Normal Routine.

Over six years I've often cruised for several weeks without needing to visit any officials. Busy harbours prefer to ignore yacht traffic. Some have no port police. However, one or two harbours used to insist on all arrivals going through a rigid routine (Rhodes and Symi in 2006 come to mind) and one or two may ask about 'gaps' between your port police stamps. Keep to the following un-official rules (checked 2007) and you'll have an easy time:

Disclaimer. These rules are my way of handling yacht paperwork. It works a treat. Don't hold me liable if it turns to worms.

1.   At your first port in Greece (make it a port of entry), obtain boat papers, and ask what the routine is for booking into ports for your boat. If you're under 10m, there's usually no requirement and no paperwork.

2.   If any official reminds you to check in with the port police, do so. Also, don't leave a gap of longer than 30 days between a port exit stamp and the next entry stamp.

3.   Once checked in, you must also check out and pay your bills (nice offices will do both in one go; other offices will insist you come and join the queue next morning with a legion of Greek excursion vessels).

4.   If (in transit) you're asked about those long periods at sea with no harbour stamps and you're over 10 metres, recall the succession of empty bays and tiny hamlets you passed through. The easiest way to do this is to shrug your shoulders with your palms facing up, raise your eyebrows with an innocent expression and say: 'no port police?'.

Finally, a suggestion to help you along with No 4 above: when you're briefed by a port policeman that you need only report every 30 days, ask him if he could write that on a note with the office stamp and phone number. He probably won't, but, hey! Nothing ventured!

Details: Arrival/Documents.

Arrive in a port of entry (see map above) and report to the port police office. All vessels should carry their Registration Certificate, and a Greek language certificate of insurance for third party cover. Rarely, an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) may be asked for. All vessels should carry or create a crew list on request, which will include nationalities, passport numbers and dates of birth.

Non-EU crews must report to immigration to obtain an entry stamp and visa. Please remember that your personal visa is likely to be valid for only 90 days. Fines may be levied when you leave the country if you have no entry stamp, also if you over-stay your visa's validity.

All EU (including Greek) leisure vessels over 10m (GNTO implies 7m) will be issued a Greek 'DEKRA'  (€30) —  an official log of entry and exit from ports, loosely translated as a Private Pleasure Maritime Document or Bulletin. This is valid for 60 entries - enough for up to three years unless you're a chronic stamp collector. 

Non-EU yachts will be issued a transit document (instead of a DEKRA) which is valid for only 6 months, but extendable up to 18 months. This is a permit to cruise (€80 in 2002). Your first three months of stay are free, but to stay for each subsequent three month period (even if it's only one day) non-EU yachts must pay 'cruising tax' in advance (about €200 for a 12m yacht in 2006). Don't miss this payment or pay late, or you may be fined. (I don't know the rules about non-EU yachts under 7m). If the crew leave the country, it is usually possible to put the vessel into bond to 'stop the clock', extending the validity of your transit document. This does not postpone your cruising tax liability, and you will have to make arrangements to pay cruising tax during your absence, or risk a fine for late payment on your return.

Port Routine

 - The Law. The law, designed for large commercial vessels, requires that on arrival at any harbour or anchorage all vessels over 7m report to the port police with documents within one hour, and report again two hours before departure. Infringing the law gives the port police the power to fine you, and if that's not paid, the power to impound your boat. However, this law is clearly absurd. It makes visits to the large number of small ports, islands and anchorages without port police illegal. This would force those populations into isolation. The port police recognise this and since 2006 do not expect vessels to meet its demands. Occasionally they may remind you of the rules. Don't take this as a threat - it's not.

 - The Reality. The normal routine in Oct 07 was for all vessels to be asked to visit a port police office with their papers at least once every 30 days while cruising, and always to visit an office if called upon to do so. On such a visit your DEKRA will be stamped in an 'entry' box and your papers will be checked and some details recorded. If you have an entry stamp for a port, when you leave, you must obtain an exit stamp. To obtain the exit stamp you pay a port entry fee (€4–5  for 12 metre yacht), and yachts in transit (It's often assumed that all foreign flags are in transit) will pay a similar additional berthing fee . This berthing fee is not payable by EU flagged yachts with marina contracts, but is still often charged in error. Take your contract with you if you want to challenge it! Finally, you may be asked to leave a crew list. If you haven't got one, make it out on the spot (passport nos, date of birth).

Quayside Staff. 

In some harbours the port police may come round the boats and collect fees without insisting on stamps on your DEKRA. In others, quayside staff arrange water and electricity supplies, and have been delegated to collect entry fees on behalf of the port police. Smile. This simple practice is spreading.

Understanding It All.

The port authorities are manned by permanent staff who fill a spectrum between two extremes; keen young ones looking for promotion, and older hands relaxing as their pension day draws closer. Manning levels were set a long time ago. Thus Pylos has some 20 to 30 staff (it used to be a busy bunkering station for commercial vessels) and now handles about five or ten movements a day. Levkas had rather fewer staff  — now handling hundreds of yacht charter and leisure movements a day.  As you can imagine, procedures for (and interest in) leisure yachts vary widely . . . be tolerant. Harbours with little leisure traffic and lots of commercial business will chase the paper; most ports with substantial leisure activities (the Inland Ionian especially) are very relaxed.

Reports are welcome:  email me please