{
  "destination": "greece",
  "name": "Greece",
  "question": "Do I need a licence to rent a boat in Greece?",
  "answer": "Yes in practice: charter companies and the RYA say the skipper of a bareboat in Greece needs a recognised sailing licence and recommend the ICC, but we could not find the Greek legal text, so this rests on secondary sources. Anchor lists the ICC, RYA Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster (practical), ASA 104, SLC and IPC as accepted and says Greek port police no longer accept the RYA Day Skipper, although its own summary still lists Day Skipper, so confirm with your operator.",
  "regime": "required",
  "regime_summary": "Licence or recognised certificate needed",
  "rests_on": "secondary",
  "rests_on_text": "secondary sources only (no official text found)",
  "canonical_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/licence-by-country/greece/",
  "markdown_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/licence-by-country/greece.md",
  "destination_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/greece/",
  "best_time_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/best-time/greece/",
  "fishing_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/fishing/greece/",
  "api_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/api/licences/greece.json",
  "book_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/go/samboat?dest=greece&pos=api",
  "checked": "2026-10-28",
  "summary": {
    "licence_needed": "Yes in practice; ICC safest (secondary sources only)",
    "vhf": "Not verified",
    "second_crew": "Competent co-skipper over 18 (secondary)",
    "licence_free": "Not verified"
  },
  "law": [
    {
      "text": "We could not find the Greek legal text (Hellenic Coast Guard or Ministry of Shipping) that sets who may skipper a bareboat charter. The Greek government pages we found cover licences for charter businesses and for high-speed craft, not the bareboat skipper.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "text": "Anchor says all bareboat charters in Greece require the skipper to hold one of: ICC, RYA Coastal Skipper (practical), RYA Yachtmaster (practical), ASA 104, the International Sailing License and Credentials (SLC) or IPC, or an equivalent from a recognised national body.",
      "status": "secondary",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "text": "Island Sailing says the skipper needs \"a sailing licence issued by a statutory authority\" and names the ICC for sail or an IPC as current examples.",
      "status": "secondary",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "lic_island_sailing",
          "name": "Island Sailing",
          "title": "Yacht charter Greece: qualifications",
          "url": "https://www.island-sailing.com/yacht-charter-greece/yacht-charter-qualifications/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Charter operator page (footer © 2020, mentions 2026 & 2027 seasons). Not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "certificates": [
    {
      "certificate": "ICC",
      "verdict": "accepted",
      "status": "secondary",
      "detail": "Listed by Anchor and named by Island Sailing; the RYA marks it \"recommended\" for Greece.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        },
        {
          "id": "lic_island_sailing",
          "name": "Island Sailing",
          "title": "Yacht charter Greece: qualifications",
          "url": "https://www.island-sailing.com/yacht-charter-greece/yacht-charter-qualifications/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Charter operator page (footer © 2020, mentions 2026 & 2027 seasons). Not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        },
        {
          "id": "rya_icc",
          "name": "RYA",
          "title": "Evidence of competence abroad (ICC)",
          "url": "https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc/evidence-of-competence-abroad",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "No page date shown. The RYA is the UK body that issues the ICC; it is a reference for acceptance by country, not a destination authority.",
          "tier": "reference"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "certificate": "RYA Day Skipper",
      "verdict": "conflict",
      "status": "secondary",
      "detail": "Anchor says \"Greek port police no longer accept RYA Day Skipper certificates\", yet its own summary still lists Day Skipper for the Mediterranean. Confirm with your operator.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "certificate": "RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster (practical)",
      "verdict": "accepted",
      "status": "secondary",
      "detail": "Listed by Anchor.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "certificate": "ASA 104",
      "verdict": "accepted",
      "status": "secondary",
      "detail": "Listed by Anchor. Island Sailing does not mention it for Greece.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "certificate": "IPC / SLC",
      "verdict": "accepted",
      "status": "secondary",
      "detail": "IPC and the International Sailing License and Credentials are listed by Anchor.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "icc_note": {
    "text": "The ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft, UNECE Resolution 40) is described by the RYA as \"a certificate which is intended to provide evidence of competence when requested by officials in foreign countries\"; whether it is needed and in what form is set by the boat's flag state and, if different, the coastal state, and the onus is on the holder to check.",
    "status": "secondary",
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "rya_icc",
        "name": "RYA",
        "title": "Evidence of competence abroad (ICC)",
        "url": "https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc/evidence-of-competence-abroad",
        "checked": "2026-10-28",
        "note": "No page date shown. The RYA is the UK body that issues the ICC; it is a reference for acceptance by country, not a destination authority.",
        "tier": "reference"
      }
    ]
  },
  "vhf": [
    {
      "text": "We could not confirm a VHF certificate rule for Greece. Anchor names only Croatia and Italy for the Short Range Certificate, and Island Sailing does not mention radio.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "second_crew": [
    {
      "text": "Island Sailing says \"the co-skipper should also be competent to assist the skipper\" and must be over 18. This is a charter operator's statement, not a Greek legal text.",
      "status": "secondary",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "lic_island_sailing",
          "name": "Island Sailing",
          "title": "Yacht charter Greece: qualifications",
          "url": "https://www.island-sailing.com/yacht-charter-greece/yacht-charter-qualifications/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Charter operator page (footer © 2020, mentions 2026 & 2027 seasons). Not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "text": "Anchor, a charter-industry guide, says you \"might need to have at least one other able adult crew member, preferably with a competent crew certificate\". This is general advice, not a rule it ties to any country.",
      "status": "secondary",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "licence_free_boats": [
    {
      "text": "We could not confirm an official Greek rule for licence-free boats.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "what_operators_ask": [
    {
      "text": "The RYA says evidence of competence is needed in Greece (\"Yes. ICC recommended\").",
      "status": "secondary",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "rya_icc",
          "name": "RYA",
          "title": "Evidence of competence abroad (ICC)",
          "url": "https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc/evidence-of-competence-abroad",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "No page date shown. The RYA is the UK body that issues the ICC; it is a reference for acceptance by country, not a destination authority.",
          "tier": "reference"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "skippered_charter": {
    "text": "Island Sailing, a charter operator, says on its Greece qualifications page that skippered or crewed yacht charters \"are ideal for those with little or no sailing experience\". With a professional skipper in command, the licence question is the skipper's, not yours (our reading; confirm the booking is skippered, not bareboat).",
    "status": "secondary",
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "lic_island_sailing",
        "name": "Island Sailing",
        "title": "Yacht charter Greece: qualifications",
        "url": "https://www.island-sailing.com/yacht-charter-greece/yacht-charter-qualifications/",
        "checked": "2026-10-28",
        "note": "Charter operator page (footer © 2020, mentions 2026 & 2027 seasons). Not an official source.",
        "tier": "secondary"
      }
    ]
  },
  "skipper_cost_note": "A skipper costs EUR 150-300 per day (The Globe Sailor, Sept 2026); seven days is EUR 1,050-2,100 (our arithmetic: 7 x the listed daily rate).",
  "not_verified": [
    "The Greek legal text on bareboat skippers, so every certificate verdict is secondary.",
    "Whether Day Skipper is accepted today (Anchor contradicts itself).",
    "A VHF certificate rule.",
    "Whether a second crew member is required by law.",
    "Licence-free boats."
  ],
  "status_legend": {
    "official": "Read in an official text (government, ministry, maritime authority or official gazette).",
    "secondary": "From a charter company, marketplace or sailing body; not official and not the law.",
    "not_verified": "We could not confirm it. We leave it open rather than guess.",
    "note": "verdict values: accepted, conditional (accepted within limits in the source), conflict (sources disagree), not_listed, unclear (the text does not name certificates). Our summaries (answer, summary) are written from the labelled facts."
  },
  "caveat": "Rules change and charter companies can be stricter than the law. Check with the operator before you travel.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "anchor_licences",
      "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
      "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
      "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
      "checked": "2026-10-27",
      "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
      "tier": "secondary"
    },
    {
      "id": "lic_island_sailing",
      "name": "Island Sailing",
      "title": "Yacht charter Greece: qualifications",
      "url": "https://www.island-sailing.com/yacht-charter-greece/yacht-charter-qualifications/",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "Charter operator page (footer © 2020, mentions 2026 & 2027 seasons). Not an official source.",
      "tier": "secondary"
    },
    {
      "id": "rya_icc",
      "name": "RYA",
      "title": "Evidence of competence abroad (ICC)",
      "url": "https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc/evidence-of-competence-abroad",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "No page date shown. The RYA is the UK body that issues the ICC; it is a reference for acceptance by country, not a destination authority.",
      "tier": "reference"
    },
    {
      "id": "moorings_levels",
      "name": "The Moorings",
      "title": "Experience guide: Level 3 sail",
      "url": "https://www.moorings.com/experience-guide/level-3-sail",
      "checked": "2026-10-27",
      "note": "Charter operator guide, not an official source.",
      "tier": "secondary"
    }
  ],
  "attribution": "Cite \"Catamaran Index\" with a link to the canonical_url of the page the figure comes from, and name the original source listed with it.",
  "affiliate_note": "book_url links go through /go/samboat, an affiliate link: Catamaran Index may earn a commission on bookings, at no extra cost to the traveller. It never changes the data."
}