Returning to Greece March 2017: The new DEKPA
With lots of rumors going about regards the new tax on boats cruising Greek waters and having to hand in your old DEPKA and buy a new one, this is what we found returning back to Greece in March 2017.
We returned in a different boat without a DEKPA.
Published 7 years ago, updated 5 years ago
Greece 2017!
With lots of rumours going about regards the new tax on boats cruising Greek waters and having to hand in your old DEPKA and buy a new one, this is what we found returning back to Greece in March 2017.
We returned in a different boat without a DEKPA.
Clearing-in in the Ionian, Preveza
On visiting the port police in Preveza we were given a form to take to the tax office next to the National bank of Greece on the waterfront. Within 10 minutes we had left that office with another document in the shape of an invoice to take to any bank and pay. The fee was 50 Euros.
With receipt in hand, we had to return to the port police.
We then had to produce the boat registration, insurance, skipper licence, crew list and passport – and a DEKPA was then handed over.
We also had to pay 15 Euros to the port police for entering Greece.
We were then told to return back next year for another stamp.
The new DEKPA
The new DEKPA is very different from the old one.
It only has five places where it can be stamped. In other words, it will only last five years.
There was no mention of any new tax.
We also know other cruisers in other parts of Greece who still had the old DEKPA. When reporting at the port police on arrival in Greece, they had their DEKPA stamped and were also told to return back next year for another stamp. No new DEKPA issued.
Since being here three weeks now, we have met and spoken to people who have returned to Greece like us. So far, everyone, we have spoken to have had their old DEKPA stamped. But that’s not to say this will be the case everywhere in Greece.
There are whispers that the reason for the new DEKPA is so every boat is on a register for when they decide to begin charging the new cruising tax fee.
Who knows – after all, this is Greece!
Bluewatersailor
For further information about the DEKPA see Noonsite/Greece/Formalities/Documents
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Hi there,
We got ours on 18th July 2018 from Lefkada and found it fairly straightforward…
I wrote the following blog post, with pictures to help future sailors.
Hope this helps –
https://www.thesailingnomads.com/log/how-to-get-a-depka-form-in-greece
Kath
I have just brought my yacht to Greece for the first time. Entering the country at Gouvia Marina (Corfu) on 06/05/2017. All formalities were completed at the marina.
The so-called DEKPA now appears to be called a Pleasure Craft Traffic Document, but details are as other postings, i.e. price 50 euros plus 15 euros fee, valid for a year.
It can be renewed within the year free of charge, but late renewal will attract another 50 euro charge. What I want to know is what is happening about this cruising tax??
We arrived in Corfu in August 2016 as first-time visitors to Greece.
The office did not have DEKPAs old or new to give us. We got a letter saying we had tried, but there wasn’t a DEKPA to give us.
When we arrived in Zakynthos the Harbour Master asked for our letter saying we hadn’t got a DEKPA. We wintered in Agios Nikolaos, Crete. Just before departing in March 2017 I went with a few others to the Port Police.
Some had old DEKPAs, some the letter like us, some nothing. In all cases, new DEKPAs were issued. The Policeman used either original certificates or old DEKPAs to fill in the details on the new one.
Getting a DEKPA:
We followed the routine as mentioned in previous postings. Go to the bank with code number and pay the fee (65 cents surcharge). Take receipt to Port Police.
As I had no old DEKPA, he wanted to see and take copies of the Ship’s papers. Insurance. What he called Driving Licence but he meant a skippers Certificate. I showed him my RYA Day Skippers practical certificate.
Passports – mine and my wife’s as joint owners. Any part of the form for which we had no documented evidence he left blank. For example, I know the beam is 3.96m, but it’s not shown on the SSR so he put a line through it. Lots of stamps and signatures.
We were told to return in 12 months (date written in red ink to remind me) for a new stamp. No one has asked to see the DEKPA until we went through the Chalkis bridge.
The Port Authority asked to see it and got quite excited to see a new DEKPA! All in all no fuss or bother. Port Police pointed us in the right direction to ensure all went smoothly.
We were in Heraklion 20th of April and got new stamps. They are valid for the next year the port police told us.
New DEKPA
Having over-wintered expensively in Turkey, we are returning to Greece (Rhodes) on May 11th. We too have an old DEKPA. The information we got in March was that basically there was chaos with no-one knowing what to do.
Our information since then from the clearing agent in Rhodes is that the chaos has gone away and that new DEKPAs are being issued without too much hassle. We confirm the €50 fee. Watch this space…