All pleasure boats under Greek Flag have an Official Registration, Class A. This part of the Greek Registry allows for an easy check to whether the boat has a mortgage, and any other legal bindings or restrictions. However, a boat under Greek Flag cannot be Deleted from the Greek Registry Records without the specific procedure required. Therefore, reassuring that the boat is free from all encumbrances, maritime liens and any other bindings.
This way, the purchase of a boat under Greek Registry is totally legitimate and safe, and the Buyer can feel 100% safe.
The time necessary for the purchase of a Greek Flagged boat is pending on the Registration Port and the Tax Office of the seller(s).
For boats registered in most Greek ports, except the ones currently registered in ports Registries around Athens area (like Piraeus, Saronikos, Elefsina, Lavrion…), the time is about 40 working days after all inspections, the acceptance of the boat by the buyer, and the signing of the Bill of sale.
The owners of boats currently registered in Piraeus Port Registry records, are obliged to apply for the most basic document (Tax Clearance) in the relevant Tax Office in Athens. Due to the number of the boats that are currently registered in Piraeus port Registry (about 20 times more than the other Greek Ports, considering the cargo ships also), the issuing of the Tax Clearance in Athens Tax Office, takes more than 3 months. The same applies in all Registries around Athens area. Due to these delays, and the mater that there are 3 more important documents to be issued from other Public Authorities, the total time for the sellers to hold ready the necessary documents for the transfer of the ownership, can reach 80 working days (or even more in some cases).
The boats currently registered in other Greek Ports (Corfu, Preveza, Crete….) apply for these documents in the local Public Authorities. Due to the sufficient lower number of entries, the local Public Authorities, issue such document far quicker.
This delay is definitely not in favor to the sellers, since they can get the purchase price ONLY after they hold ready the documents for the cancellation from the Greek Registry or, the transfer of the ownership to a Greek physical person of company.
Athens - 32 Lochagou Chronopoulou, 17 455 Alimos, Greece
Tel: +30 6974 069 357
Contact Person: Yiannis Drimousis
e-mail: [email protected] (We reply within 24hrs)