Home / For international owners / Cruising
Chartering in the Dodecanese: can I sail the yacht across to Turkey?
Short answer
Can you sail a Dodecanese charter yacht across to Turkey?
Only if the charter agreement allows it,
and then with clearing out and in at official ports of entry.
Many bases rule the trip out altogether.
When chartering in the Dodecanese the Turkish coast is nearly always in sight: Kos to Bodrum, Rhodes to Marmaris or Symi to the Datça peninsula are only a few miles. So plenty of skippers wonder whether they can sail the yacht across for a day or two. The answer starts with the charter agreement. A Greek charter yacht may only leave the country with the base's express permission, and many agreements exclude foreign waters altogether. The yacht's own insurance is often limited to a set cruising area as well.
If the base does allow it, the trip is a proper border crossing. Greece is in the Schengen area, Turkey is not. You clear out at a Greek port of entry with the port police, passport control and customs, then clear in at a Turkish port of entry, where the yacht is issued a transit log. Coming back, the same happens in reverse. Which entry documents each crew member needs depends on nationality; British and Irish crews should check their own government's travel advice. Anchoring or berthing on the Turkish side without clearing risks fines on both sides.
So settle the question in writing with the base before you book: is a trip to Turkey allowed, what does it cost and which papers will the base provide? Allow time for the formalities, often half a day each way. If the answer is no, the Dodecanese is still a varied cruising ground, though with a strong meltemi in summer. Damage the yacht does to others falls on you as skipper on either side of the border, so make sure your own skipper liability insurance applies in the waters you plan to sail.
Worth remembering
Base agrees, papers cleared
trip above board, documents in order
Nipping across uncleared
fines, breach of contract, trouble at the border
In the Dodecanese Turkey is close, but every crossing is a border crossing.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Can I take a Greek charter yacht to Turkey?
Only if the charter agreement expressly allows it. Many bases exclude foreign waters. If it is allowed, you clear out in Greece and in at a Turkish port of entry, and the other way round on the way back.
What is a Turkish transit log?
The document that registers the yacht in Turkish waters. It is issued when you clear in at a port of entry, often through an agent, and closed again when you clear out.
What happens if I anchor in Turkey without clearing in?
You risk fines on the Turkish and the Greek side and will usually be in breach of your charter agreement. Even a quick swim stop across the line is not worth it.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “Chartering in the Dodecanese: can I sail the yacht across to Turkey?” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
Was this useful?
