Legal frame
Governing: law 4926/2022 arts 1–3 and 8 (ΦΕΚ Α' 82/20.04.2022, as amended to law 5111/2024). Builds on: nothing; start here.
The short answer
A foreign-flag yacht can earn charter money in Greece only if three things line up: the flag state classes it as commercial (professional), it meets the flag, length and hull test for its route, and it holds either an e-Μητρώο registration or a Specified Period Charter Permission. Everything else in this course hangs off that sentence.
Three definitions that decide the case
- Πλοίο αναψυχής (pleasure vessel): over 7 m LOA, sail or motor, used mainly for pleasure voyages (art. 1).
- Private or professional: decided by the law of the flag state, not by Greece. A yacht on a Cayman commercial registration is professional in Greek eyes; the same hull on a private registration is not.
- Επαγγελματικό πλοίο αναψυχής (professional pleasure vessel): exploited by whole-vessel charter (ολική ναύλωση), with passenger accommodation, carrying up to 49 passengers. Partial charter, tickets and cargo are banned (art. 3(3)).
The flag and hull test
| Yacht | Charter with delivery or embarkation in Greece? |
|---|---|
| Greek flag, professional | Yes, once in the e-Μητρώο |
| EU/EEA flag, professional | Yes, once in the e-Μητρώο with a Π.Ε.Ξ.Ε.Π.Α.; or under an art. 8 permit if over 35 m and of the right hull material |
| Non-EU flag, professional, over 35 m, steel, plastic or aluminium | Yes: e-Μητρώο registration or the art. 8 Charter Permission |
| Non-EU flag, professional, 35 m or less (or wooden) | No. Only charters that start and end abroad and pass through Greek waters, with the fee paid (art. 3(2)(β)) |
| Private yacht, any flag | No charter at all |
The art. 8 permit is open to any flag other than Greek ("ανεξαρτήτως σημαίας και πλην της ελληνικής"), so an unregistered Maltese or Italian yacht over 35 m can use it too.
What counts as a Greek charter
Greek law does not ask where the charterer lives or where the money is paid. It asks where the yacht is delivered and redelivered and where passengers first embark and finally disembark. If either end is in Greece, it is a Greek-connected charter and needs a Greek right to operate. If both ends are abroad, the charter may still pass through Greek waters, but only on the art. 3(2)(β) route with the fee paid for the days in Greece.
Private yachts: nothing to sell
Art. 3(3)(δ) prohibits the exploitation of a yacht classed as private, whatever its flag, and the advertising of that exploitation. The fine for chartering without a right to do so is €20,000–500,000 plus a sailing ban (art. 20(2)(ε)).
WARNING — "Just a few friends paying costs" If money changes hands for the use of a private yacht in Greek waters, expect the Port Authority to treat it as charter. Cost-sharing is not a defence written into the law.
Where law 4256/2014 fits
Law 4256/2014 was the old "tourist ships" law. Its arts 1–13 and 15 were repealed from 20 Apr 2022 by law 4926/2022 art. 86. Its 2014 text required non-EU yachts over 35 m to carry no more than 12 passengers; that condition is not in law 4926/2022.
CAUTION — Old texts online Broker guides, and even some consolidation sites, still quote 4256/2014 as if it were current. If a document cites 4256/2014 for flag rules, check it against law 4926/2022 before relying on it.
The decision in one line
Commercial registration + right flag/length/hull + registration or permit = may charter. Miss any one, and the only lawful commercial use is a charter that begins and ends outside Greece.