Greece: Find Out How to Register and Pay the New Cruising Tax (TEPAI)
(Updated May 17, 2019 – originally posted May 10, 2019) – Boat owners can now register and pay online for the new cruising tax (TEPAI) introduced by the Greek Government on 09 May, 2019. There are still however a few issues the Greeks need to overcome before the system functions properly. Find out all the details here.
Published 6 years ago
Update – May 17, 2019
With just one day to go until the grace period for boats in Greek waters expires, members of the CA have reported problems in Rhodes when attempting to file their ships papers to put their boat “out of use” and therefore exempt from the TEPAI.
Greek cruising tax – filing boat papers with the authorities to get “out of use” status.
Heads up for anyone whose boat is in the water but wants to file for “out of use” – the Port Police here in Rhodes have taken the position that the official grace period until May 18th only applies to PAYING the tax, not to filing your papers for an exemption if you are not using your boat.
Despite the fact we have an official statement from the boatyard where we are moored that the boat has been immobile in the water for 18 months (we’re doing a refit), when we tried to file our papers today the port police insisted we pay the tax for this month by tomorrow or face penalties of EUR1000 or more. This was confirmed by two separate agencies here with respect to other immobile boats trying to file their papers this week.
Hopefully, it’s only the Rhodes PP who are taking this position but thought it might be of use to let others know what the situation is here…
Our thanks to the CA for sharing this feedback with Noonsite.
Update – May 14, 2019
- There has been a number of teething problems with the online payment and registration system for TEPAI.
- As of May 14, payments were still not being processed and registration confirmation functioning properly online. The grace period for boats in Greek waters extends until May 18.
- The CA recommended that owners with boats not yet in Greek waters, wait until at least May 21 to register and pay, by which time the system may have been sorted out.
- Further updates when we have them.
- Be aware that not all ports (in particular the smaller clearance ports) know about this new tax, and some ports are not following the rules as outlined in the FAQs (see below).
- See the Cruising Association’s (CA) Press Release published on May 14, 2019.
News – May 10, 2019
Reports are now coming in that the new cruising tax is indeed live, and the online system to register and pay is working (albeit a little complicated).
Chris Robb of the Cruising Association (CA) has provided a step-by-step guide to help Skippers through the online registration and payment process.
Greek TEPAI Registration and Payment Instructions-Chris Robb
The two official documents produced by the Greek Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR) are also very helpful and both have been updated. The User Manual takes you through how to register and pay online, and the FAQ’s cover everything you need to know about the new tax, and also include a number of examples re. different size boats, different circumstances and if/how much/when – you need to pay.
TEPAI User Manual (in English)
Payment can be made prior to arriving in Greece, or at the latest on arrival. It is recommended not to make your first registration and payment by mobile phone.
Related News
Greece: Uncertainty Continues over the New Cruising Tax (TEPAI) (May 7, 2019)
Greece: New Cruising Tax – 19 days and counting (April 17, 2019)
Greece: TEPAI (New Cruising Tax) Official Information (March 29, 2019)
Breaking News: Greek Cruising Tax update – no payments until April 2019 (November 24, 2018)
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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.
Related to following destinations: Greece
Related to the following Services, Goods and Amenities: Clearance
Out of Use in the water – clarification from the CA
This is potentially confusing in the use of the word OUT OF USE. To port police, this is DEKPA talk – to put a vessel Out of Use when hauled out ONLY.
For the sake of clarity you must make your request to “Apply for exemption from the E-TEPAI. “
This useful feedback by SY DeDanann was posted on the Preveza page:
Tepai, New cruising tax.
We launched yesterday from the boatyards at Aktio, and crossed over to the new Preveza Marina, €87 per night for 15m, phoo!! It used to be €18 per night.
We engaged the services of (the agent) Sofia Gravini, she works out of the cafe under the Port police in Preveza. For €30 she did everything including going into the post office to pay the tax (€577 for five months), it took no more than 30 minutes and the only documents she required was our Boat Registration, and a copy of our Passports. You also must have access to an email address or have a smart phone with you for her to access a Greek registration number that they email to you instantly.
I have no expertise with computers and for us, this was a great solution to a very stressful operation.
We then went to the Port Police and she had our DEKPA stamped for the coming year.
Why do I stay in Greece? These people, apart from being the world’s greatest tax dodgers are also totally incompetent when it comes to commerce and financial transactions. It is only for the weather that I come here. Due to this totally unjustified tax robbery, which is just a charge to float on water, I have lost out, not only lost out financially but have no way of getting recompense from an illiterate and incompetent Greek tax regime. I paid them the appropriate tax as demanded but they have sent it back at a very poor exchange rate so I have not only lost out on 1.11 to the £ going out plus a £15 bank charge but the return payment was at 1.173. Been coming here since 1979 and have kept this boat here since 2001. I have seriously had enough. Sailing in Greece is now the pits.
A friend and me have proceed to immobilisation (“out of use”) yesterday in Corfu at main Port Police, as our boat is in the water in Gouvia. I explained that it was to avoid tepai as we won’t use our boat for a while, and it was no problem, very easy to do, a paper (in Greek) to fill and gave the documents of the boat.
We have just been told with insistance that then we are absolutely not allow to sail before removing the immobilisation of the boat and getting back our documents. It’s OK
I think that Rhodes Port Police has a problem.
Not all ports are informed about the Cruising tax,
We were at Karpatos, Pigadia and there the port police were very vague about this and told us that they were not a port of entry and as such could not help us.
Later they approached us at our boat and advised us to use Google for more info.
All the time they were very friendly.
Warning: Could you quickly publish a warning to people completing the registration – If using Good Chrome or any other browser that autofills a form – note that it overwrites already filled in fields such as Boat Name – overwriting with owners name! Mine is now called just plain Mr! Correction is not possible at the moment, but may be once the payment has been updated on their system as received.
Back soon with more!
Regards
Christopher Robb (CA)
Another WARNING I have just had the same experience as Christopher Robb (CA)
It seems the autofill function destroys your input, e.g. my shipsname is now my own name!
Also mixing Citynames where I live and have my house with the last harbor name.
Tomorrow, monday 13th of may I will go to the harbour athority here at Rhodes and see if they can help.
It is impossible to change the input yourself.
typical cheap technology I would have given it a shakedown test before I put it online!
Actually, it isn’t impossible. You have to first cancel the first application by logging on to ETAPI logon, go right down to the bottom of the page to “Payment Info”, at the bottom of which is a horizontal scroll bar. Move this all the way to the right and two coloured buttons appear. Hit the “Cancel” one and an acknowledgement of your cancellation will appear, two columns to the left. Then go back to the start. (I logged off just to check that the cancellation was accepted and it was) and start a new application but check box by box, TWICE!. You will get a different 20 character payment reference this time and can then go ahead and pay. If you do this through your own bank, on line then you may have to rely upon your bank’s receipt, which you should print off . However, Belgian friends of ours received an online receipt from the Greek Tax Office, three days after they paid. I had this “autofill” problem but now have completed the formalities and the payment so I hope I am bombproof.
Of course, the REAL additional expense to anyone cruising the Ionian is that over the winter and a little before it, just about every nook and cranny of a harbour, often with minimal or no facilities is now charging berthing fees. Sivota-Mourtos and Plateria both charging €29 a night and even Trizonia’s hitherto free uncompleted “marina” now has smart uniformed staff to remove some cash from you. How long will it be before they start charging for anchoring, I wonder. Of course, the Grecophiles amongst us declare that since Greece is a “Poor” country and we are all very rich Brits and other Western Europeans, we should welcome the opportunity to contribute both to the new tax and to the new mooring fees. What I find totally iniquitous is that my neighbour here in Gouvia with his 11.9 metre yacht pays the same amount of TE.PA.I for a year as I at 12.95, pay for three months.
Can be cancelled and re-done. See my reply to “peterpelo”