Following a number of incidents in the last three months, Michalis Roditis (of Roditis Yachting Agency) has some words of advice for anyone currently in Greece with a Delaware USA or UK registered vessel and who may be planning a change of flag.

Published 1 year ago

To all Yacht owners in Greece

Following many incidents the last three months, please find below my recommendation to yacht owners who are currently in Greece and have their yachts registered in Delaware or UK and plan to change the flag to Polish or any other EU Flag State.

When you are currently in Greece and your yacht is under UK or Delaware Registration, holder of a Valid Greek Transit Log and for some reason (some self explanatory) you wish to change the flag –

PLEASE !!!  – first make an exit to a Non EU State like Turkey with the current flag and re-enter in Greece with the New EU Flag .

The reason is that when you change the flag in Greece to Polish or other EU state, then it is advisable and compulsory to change the status of your stay in Greece and among other formalities you should visit a Customs office to Terminate the Transit Log due to the Change of Flag to EU.

This procedure is no longer smooth in most Customs offices to do this, as they are now raising questions about the VAT fulfillment and even if the Transit Log is closed at any Customs Office which is not raising VAT questions, the Head Office where the Transit Log will be Archived will raise the question of VAT and this will result in placing the yacht – even under Polish or EU Flag – on the list of VAT Due vessels in Greece.

Polish Authorities are not registering the Vessel at the Common Procedure of the EU Flag States especially when it comes to VAT, as their Registration is Permanent therefore is unconditional.  However this is something that Italian and Greek Custom Authorities do not accept when it comes to changing the current status of the yacht which is in the country at the Flag Change.

For now, at least, the safest course of action will be  – when the new EU Flag is issued – to Exit the Country (Greece) and Terminate the Transit Log. Subsequent Re-Entry as an EU Flag Yacht will be a straightforward procedure.

Of course sources of ours in the Ministry and Customs are mentioning that soon questions will be sent to Poland as they did in the past to Austria, France and the Netherlands .

We are currently monitoring the subject and will inform you with the latest developments

Best regards / Cordiali saluti / Meilleures salutations / Iyi calismalar /

Michalis Roditis
Roditis Yachting Agency

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Related Links:

• Roditis Yachting Agency

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.

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