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Boating schools in Greece
In short
A recognised certificate is required above 30 hp outboard, and the port authorities accept the ICC almost everywhere.
When a certificate is required
For inflatables above 15 hp, other boats with an outboard above 30 hp, petrol inboards above 40 hp and diesels above 70 hp.
Duration and minimum age
Visitors need no separate training if they hold a recognised certificate. 18 for yacht charter.
What a course costs
The cost arises in your home country, not in Greece.
Who issues the certificate
Ministry of Shipping, enforced by the port authorities, www.ynanp.gr
Finding a school
Where the boating schools in Greece are listed
No list of single schools, it dates within a season. We name the bodies that keep the registers.
Sailing association
Hellenic Sailing Federation
Sailing schools and clubs recognised by the ministry.
www.eio.grAuthority
Harbour authorities
The port authorities decide on the spot which certificate is accepted.
www.ynanp.grThe certificates
What each certificate covers
ICC
Accepted by the port authorities almost everywhere
Sportbootführerschein See mit SKS
The usual combination brought by visiting skippers for the Aegean
Sportseeschifferschein SSS
For larger yachts and longer passages
UKW-Funkzeugnis
Checked at handover
Context
How training works in Greece
Greece examines more than it teaches. Most people taking a yacht out there hold a certificate earned in Germany, Austria or the United Kingdom. So the Greek question is never where you learn, but what the port authority at the pontoon will accept.
In practice the answer is stable: the ICC, a sea certificate with a coastal certificate, an offshore certificate, plus a radio ticket. What goes wrong is paperwork. The original has to be aboard, some authorities want a certified translation, and on many yachts a second crew member has to show a certificate too.
Recognition, charter, cover
What the certificate means outside the classroom
Recognition abroad
Port authorities accept the ICC, the German sea certificate together with the coastal certificate, the offshore certificate and most EU documents. Authorities may ask for a certified translation and a covering letter.
What the charter base asks for
The original document is checked at handover, a copy is not enough. On many yachts a second crew member has to show a certificate as well.
All countries at a glanceWhat matters for cover
Greece is the second largest charter ground in Europe. Chartering calls for deposit cover, skipper liability and trip cancellation, not for boat insurance.
All countries at a glanceQuestions and answers
Common questions about boating in Greece
Which certificate do I need for Greece?
The ICC or a sea certificate with a coastal certificate, plus a VHF radio ticket. The port authority decides on the spot.
Is a copy of my certificate enough?
No. The original is checked at handover, and on many yachts a second crew member has to show a certificate too.
From what engine power is a certificate required?
Inflatables from 15 hp, other boats with an outboard from 30 hp, petrol inboards from 40 hp and diesels from 70 hp.
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026. The authority of the country you boat in has the final word.
We insure boats whose owner or flag is in Germany, Austria or Spain.
Other countries
Do you run a boating school?
A training boat runs commercially, with a liable instructor: that needs its own arrangement.
