Greece and Turkey

Legal frame Greece: law 4256/2014 art. 8; Υ.Α. 3342/02/2004 (ΦΕΚ Β' 478/2004, as amended) on bareboat skippers; ΓΚΛ 50 art. 3(19) (2019) on speedboat licences. Turkey: private-boat regulation RG 33140 (17 January 2026), amended by RG 33299 (3 July 2026), both in force 17 July 2026, arts 5, 14, 15 and 18; it repealed the 2023 regulation (RG 32077). Deniz Turizmi Yönetmeliği art. 34. Neither state is on the Res. 40 list.

Greece: two tests

Greece is not on the UNECE list. What matters is which kind of boat you take.

Bareboat yachts up to 24 m. The 2004 ministerial decision accepts any certificate issued or officially recognised by a foreign state authority, a nautical or sailing club, or a sailing school abroad. Limits written on the certificate still apply.

• A non-EU certificate needs a Greek or English translation. RYA certificates are in English, so they pass as they are.
• Irish Sailing certificates are EU documents; no translation rule applies.
• The ICC fits the "issued or recognised by a foreign state" route on its face, though it is not named.
• A sworn statement is needed only the first time the port authority deals with a given club or school.

Speedboats, jet skis and motor boats above the licence thresholds. A foreign licence is accepted if issued or officially recognised by a state authority. At a check you need an official translation plus an embassy or consulate certificate confirming that the issuer is competent. Whether a UK ICC issued by the RYA counts as "recognised by a state authority" is not stated.

CAUTION — The second crew member Greek charter companies often ask for a second qualified person aboard. That requirement was not found in the law read; it is company practice. It is still a condition of your contract if they write it in.

Breaches of port regulations carry fines of €50–60,000 and possible departure bans (secondary source). For hire practice see Renting a Boat or Jet Ski in Greece and Bareboat Chartering in Greece.

Turkey: a certificate "from another country"

Turkey replaced its private-boat regulation on 17 July 2026. Article 14(3) of the new text lets Turkish citizens and foreign nationals in Turkey use, "within the powers conferred by a certificate obtained from another country", their own Turkish-registered boats, boats lent under the owner's written authorisation, and bareboat-chartered commercial yachts.

• The ICC is not named, but a UK ICC, an RYA certificate or an Irish Sailing card is a certificate from another country. The limits printed on it (length, area) still apply.
• The 2023 wording, "from their own country", has gone. A certificate from your country of residence now fits the text.
• If a harbour master doubts a certificate, it may ask the issuing administration to verify it online or by e-mail and refuse its use until confirmed (art. 14(4)). The ministry may also publish a reciprocity list (art. 15); none was found.
• Under the tourism regulation, a Turkish yacht carrying up to 12 passengers may go bareboat if at least one charterer holds "a licence of sufficient standard". The law asks for no second licensed crew member; companies may.

Turkish licences. The Amatör Denizci Belgesi (ADB) is now split: ADB 10 for private boats up to 10 m (age 16) and ADB 24 up to 24 m (age 18, after a year on ADB 10). It is open to Turks and foreigners with a Turkish residence permit. Boats under 10 hp need no licence. The KMT short-range radio certificate is separate and compulsory for ADB holders if a radio is fitted.

Fines and alcohol. Helming without a valid licence, or beyond its limits, now costs TRY 2,500 per metre of length overall: TRY 30,000 for a 12 m yacht. (Until 16 July 2026 it was a flat TRY 10,000, revalued yearly.) The new alcohol limit is 0.05 % blood or 0.25 mg/L breath. A Turkish holder loses the ADB for six months; a holder of an accepted foreign certificate pays TRY 2,500 per metre instead. Criminal law (TCK art. 179) can add up to two years for being unfit to navigate.

Foreign-flag private yachts are outside the regulation, so the flag-state rule applies by implication. They sail on a transit log (seyir izin belgesi), issued electronically since July 2024; the 2026 document fee for foreign yachts is €70, plus a length-based charge.