Recently, reports from British owners have been circulating on cruising forums on the Internet that they have been informed locally that the so-called Dekpa paper, a type of navigation permit for Greek waters, will be newly regulated from 2017 and that all previously issued documents will lose their validity.
The A4-sized form with stamp fields, which owners recently only had to have stamped by the harbour master at the start and end of the season and when leaving Greek waters, is now being replaced. This comes as a surprise, as the authorities only introduced a simplification in 2016. Previously, it was theoretically supposed to be stamped every time you visited a harbour. Around 40 fields were planned for this. In reality, however, neither skippers nor most harbour masters bothered. Most recently, it was even issued with unlimited validity.
But now everything is set to change. Owners must register with the Coastguard when entering Greek waters or for permanent berth holders at the beginning of the season. The following original documents must be presented there: registration of the yacht (international boat licence, flag certificate), proof of insurance and ID/passport of all crew members.
It is not entirely clear how high the costs will be. The Greek representative of the DSV's cruiser department, Achim Rollhäuser, reports a fee of 50 euros, while there is talk in forums of a fee based on length. As Rollhäuser does not yet have the wording of the new regulation, owners will probably have to wait a few more weeks for the issue to be clarified. The old Dekpa cost around 30 euros.
It is still completely unclear whether this new regulation is related to the long-running discussion about a tax on yachts in the area. The Greek authorities had passed a corresponding law that would have charged owners three-figure sums, or over 1000 euros for larger yachts, but it was not implemented. Industry associations were up in arms against the announcement.
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
