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Boat third-party insurance in Greece

DigiCare Insurance, online insurance agency for Greece, arranges stand-alone third-party liability cover for pleasure craft over 7 m and speedboats of 7 m or less in Greek waters, as Law 4926/2022 requires, at or above the Greek legal minimum. It pays other people for injury, damage and pollution you cause, never your own boat; for that, see yacht insurance.

  • Injury or death of other people: at or above €150,000 per person and €700,000 per event
  • Damage to other people's property and sudden pollution: at or above €150,000 each per event
  • Legal costs and the removal of a wreck you are liable for, paid inside the same limit

One combined limit per occurrence, set in your Schedule; terms and IPID in writing before you pay.

Get a liability-only quote

Reviewed by Costas Matheou, licensed insurance agent

Law 4926/2022, Art. 17

The Greek legal minimums and what our liability policy pays

Greek law requires liability insurance for every pleasure craft over 7 m, sail or motor, with no exception for foreign flags (Law 4926/2022, Art. 17), and for speedboats of 7 m or less (Art. 74). It applies while sailing, moored and at anchor, and has been in force since 1 June 2022. The minimums below are for craft under 300 gt; day-trip passenger boats have higher ones and are outside this cover. Our policy has one combined limit per occurrence, quoted at or above the Greek minimum.

Death or bodily injury

Greek legal minimum
€150,000 per person, €700,000 per event, €2,100,000 per insurance period

Our policy

Inside the combined limit in your Schedule

Damage to property (pontoons, moorings, quays)

Greek legal minimum
€150,000 per event, €450,000 per insurance period

Our policy

Inside the combined limit

Pollution, fuel spill included

Greek legal minimum
€150,000 per event, €450,000 per insurance period

Our policy

Pollution section, included in every liability-only quote we send: sudden and accidental pollution, known within 72 hours and notified to the underwriter within 7 days, inside the combined limit

Legal and defence costs

Greek legal minimum
Not set

Our policy

The underwriter settles or defends the claim; costs count toward the limit

Removal of a wreck

Greek legal minimum
Not set

Our policy

Removal-of-wreck costs you are legally liable for count toward the limit

Medical costs of guests hurt on board

Greek legal minimum
Not set

Our policy

Optional section; what it pays reduces the liability limit for the same incident

Crew you employ

Greek legal minimum
Not set

Our policy

Optional crew extension, inside the combined limit

Charter or fare-paying guests

Greek legal minimum
Not set

Our policy

Optional passenger extension, with the underwriter's written approval

Your own boat, engines and gear

Greek legal minimum
Not required

Our policy

Not covered: see yacht insurance

Sailing uninsured (Art. 20; Art. 74(3) for speedboats): the owner is fined €150 per metre of length and the skipper €100 per metre (€150 per metre if the owner is the skipper); a separate €50 fine applies if the certificate is not on board. A pleasure craft over 7 m may not leave port until the certificate is shown (Art. 20).

Your Confirmation of Cover is in English, which Greek law accepts, and states your liability limit. The port authority checks that insurance is in force and the certificate is on board; if you want each sum stated on it, say so in the quote form and we ask the underwriter.

Cost

Liability only or full cover: what each pays

There is no fixed tariff: the underwriter prices the boat and her engine power, her use, where she is kept, the skippers, any extensions and the limit you choose. A liability deductible per event is set in your Schedule and shown in the quote. Full cover adds the boat herself at an agreed value.

  • 12-month cover, paid by bank transfer
  • Quote from one questionnaire
Get a liability-only quote

  • You damage a marina pontoon while berthing

    Liability only
    Pays the marina's repair, if you are liable
    Full cover
    The same, plus your own repair

  • A guest (not family or household) slips on board and you are liable

    Liability only
    Pays the claim against you, inside the limit
    Full cover
    The same

  • A sudden fuel spill

    Liability only
    Pays the clean-up you are liable for, inside the limit
    Full cover
    The same

  • Your boat sinks at her mooring

    Liability only
    Pays nothing for your boat
    Full cover
    Agreed value; salvage charges are paid up to the hull sum

  • A named windstorm damages your boat

    Liability only
    Pays nothing
    Full cover
    Repair, less the named-windstorm deductible of 10% of hull value

  • Your outboard is stolen

    Liability only
    Pays nothing
    Full cover
    Paid with visible signs of force

  • Port police check

    Liability only
    Certificate on board
    Full cover
    Certificate on board

About three in four boat policies written by insurers established in Greece are liability only: 40,989 stand-alone liability contracts and 12,777 package policies in 2025 (ΕΑΕΕ boat insurance survey 2025).

Placed in the London insurance market through London Marine Insurance Services Ltd, a Lloyd's-accredited broker.

Who must insure

Which boats must have third-party insurance in Greece

A pleasure craft (σκάφος αναψυχής) is a vessel over 7 m long, sail or motor, used mainly for leisure (Art. 1(1)). The test is length and type, not flag. At 7 m or less a private boat is caught only if it is a speedboat under the port regulations, defined by engine power (ΓΚΛ 20, Art. 2(1)), or a motor boat you hire. For hull cover on a small motor boat see speedboat insurance.

Sailing yacht or motor yacht over 7 m, private use
Must be insured: Required (Art. 17)
Catamaran over 7 m
Must be insured: Required (Art. 17)
Foreign-flag pleasure craft over 7 m in Greek waters
Must be insured: Required: the law has no flag exception; carry the certificate
Speedboat of 7 m or less: outboard over 30 HP, petrol inboard or sterndrive over 40 HP, diesel inboard over 70 HP
Must be insured: Required (Art. 74)
Inflatable, V-hull or multihull of 7 m or less: outboard over 15 HP, petrol inboard or sterndrive over 30 HP, diesel inboard over 50 HP; water-jet boat of 7 m or less over 15 HP
Must be insured: Required (Art. 74)
Motor boat hired from a rental business
Must be insured: Required: the hirer insures (Art. 74(1)(β))
Jet ski
Not required or not on our policy: Required by law at 7 m or less (Art. 74), but outside our policy
Motor boat of 7 m or less under those engine limits, sailing dinghy or rowing boat
Not required or not on our policy: Not required by Art. 17 or 74; check your papers or ask the port authority
Traditional wooden boat with an inboard engine, 7 m or less
Not required or not on our policy: Not a speedboat, so not required
Yacht used for charter
Must be insured: Required; charter guests need the passenger extension and the underwriter's approval
Boat under the Russian flag, or an owner on a sanctions list
Not required or not on our policy: Not accepted on our policy

Sources: Law 4926/2022 Art. 1(1), 17, 20 and 74 (ΦΕΚ Α' 82/2022); ΓΚΛ 20 Art. 2(1) (ΦΕΚ Β' 1929/2018).

Exclusions

What liability-only cover does not pay

  • Your own boat, engines, tender and gear
  • Injury to your spouse, your family or anyone living in your household, and claims by you
  • People being towed, such as water-skiers or a towed ring, from leaving the boat until back on board; with the water-skiing endorsement, cover while towing is capped at USD 25,000 for injury, USD 25,000 for property and USD 50,000 per incident
  • Divers using breathing apparatus from the boat, from entering the water until back on board
  • Charter or fare-paying guests, unless the passenger extension is on your Schedule
  • Crew or anyone you employ, unless the crew extension is on your Schedule
  • Fines and penalties from any authority, port police included
  • Punitive damages and intentional acts
  • Liability you take on by contract beyond what the law puts on you, such as a marina's indemnity clause
  • Damage to reefs, coral or sea life
  • Liability while the boat is towed on her trailer, except launching or hauling out with an insured person in charge
  • Races and speed trials not agreed in writing; a skipper who is not a named operator

Source: the London Marine policy wording we place (Yacht Insuring Agreement LMI18M0136-5), third-party liability exclusions p.6; water-skiing endorsement in the clauses p.6.

4 steps

How to buy liability-only boat insurance online

  1. 01

    Fill in the boat questionnaire

    Third-party liability only is preselected: boat, length, flag, where she is kept, use, skippers and the limit you want.

  2. 02

    Get the terms and the IPID

    Before you pay, with the price and the limit in writing.

  3. 03

    Pay by bank transfer

    Cover runs 12 months from the start date in your Confirmation of Cover.

  4. 04

    Keep the certificate on board

    Greek law accepts the insurance certificate in Greek or English, kept on board (Art. 17(1)).

Documents: registration or flag certificate, skipper licences, marina contract or mooring address, previous claims record.

  • Registration
  • Skipper licence
  • Mooring
  • Claims record

Foreign owners

Already insured at home? What to check before you sail in Greece

Greek law asks for insurance in force with the Greek minimum for each risk and a certificate in Greek or English on board; Art. 17 and 74 do not say where the insurer must be based. Check four things: the cruising area includes Greece, the certificate states each Greek minimum (many policies, ours included, show one combined sum; ask your insurer, or us, to have each sum stated), it is in Greek or English, and pollution is covered. We never confirm another insurer's policy; we quote our own.

  • Certificate in Greek or English on board
  • Each Greek minimum stated
Get a liability-only quote

FAQ

Questions about boat third-party insurance in Greece

Is boat insurance compulsory in Greece?
Yes. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory in Greece for every pleasure craft over 7 m, sail or motor, and for speedboats of 7 m or less (Law 4926/2022, Art. 17 and 74). The minimums are €150,000 per person, €700,000 per event and €2,100,000 per insurance period for injury, and €150,000 per event and €450,000 per period each for property damage and for pollution. They apply since 1 June 2022; older figures quoted online are out of date. Hull cover is your choice: see yacht insurance.
My boat is under 7 m. Do I need it?
Only if it is a speedboat under the port regulations (ΓΚΛ 20, Art. 2(1)): an outboard over 30 HP, a petrol inboard or sterndrive over 40 HP or a diesel inboard over 70 HP; on an inflatable, V-hull or multihull, an outboard over 15 HP, a petrol inboard over 30 HP or a diesel inboard over 50 HP; any water-jet over 15 HP. A sailing dinghy, a rowing boat or a small motor boat under those limits is not caught, though cover is still sensible. If in doubt, check your boat's papers or ask the port authority.
Does a foreign-flag boat need Greek third-party insurance?
Plan on it. Law 4926/2022 (Art. 1(1)) defines a pleasure craft by length and use, with no flag condition. You need insurance with the Greek minimums and a certificate in Greek or English on board. We arrange cover for Greek and foreign-flag boats, subject to the underwriter; boats under the Russian flag and owners on a sanctions list are not accepted.
What happens if I sail without insurance?
Both the owner and the skipper are fined per metre of length (Law 4926/2022, Art. 20; Art. 74(3) for speedboats): for a 10 m yacht, €1,500 for the owner and €1,000 for a separate skipper (€1,500 if the owner is the skipper). Not carrying the certificate is a separate €50 fine. A pleasure craft over 7 m also may not leave port until the certificate is shown. Our policy does not pay fines.
Does liability-only cover my own boat?
No. It pays other people. Damage to your own boat, sinking, storm, fire and theft need full cover: see yacht insurance.
My UK, German or Polish policy covers the Mediterranean. Is it valid in Greece?
The port authority decides, not us. Ask your insurer for an English certificate that states each Greek minimum; a certificate only in German or Polish is not enough. We do not confirm another insurer's policy.
How much does boat third-party insurance cost?
There is no fixed tariff on our policy. The underwriter prices the boat's type, length and value, her use, where she is kept, the skippers, the claims history and the limit you choose. The free quote shows the premium for your boat.
How fast do I get the certificate?
Once the underwriter accepts the boat and your bank transfer arrives, you receive the Confirmation of Cover with the start date. Print it or keep it on board; that is the document the port police ask for.
Are my family and guests covered if they are hurt on board?
Guests who are not family or household members, yes, inside the liability limit when you are liable; an optional medical-payments section also pays their medical costs, and what it pays reduces the liability limit for the same incident. Injury to your spouse, your family or anyone living in your household is excluded. So are people being towed and divers.
Someone is claiming against me. What do I do?
Do not admit liability or promise payment. Write to us as soon as possible with the place, time, people involved and photos, and forward any letter or summons at once. The underwriter settles or defends the claim with its own lawyers, and you must cooperate. A fuel spill must have become known within 72 hours and be notified within 7 days.
Is it better to buy online, through a local agent or a marina broker?
Online with us you get the terms and the IPID before paying, and London Marine handles claims for the insurers on your policy. A local agent sells the Greek insurers it represents. A broker compares several insurers for you under a written mandate and may charge a fee.
Can I take charter guests on a liability-only policy?
Only with the underwriter's prior written approval and the passenger extension on your Schedule; without it, charter and fare-paying guests are excluded. A private yacht may not be commercially exploited in Greece, whatever its flag (Art. 3(3)(δ)).
Important information

Cover is placed in the London insurance market through London Marine Insurance Services Ltd, a Lloyd's-accredited broker, and underwritten by the insurers named in your policy Schedule. Terms, exclusions and limits are in the policy documents (IPID and policy wording) provided in English before purchase. Liability-only policies run 12 months.

The policy is governed by English law; disputes go to arbitration in London.

Greek law requires third-party liability insurance for pleasure craft over 7 m (Law 4926/2022, Art. 17) and for speedboats of 7 m or less (Art. 74). Keep your insurance certificate on board.

DigiCare Insurance is a licensed insurance intermediary. Legal information · How we review content

Complaints: contact us first; you can also turn to the Consumer Ombudsman (Συνήγορος του Καταναλωτή).

Reviewed by Costas Matheou, licensed insurance agent · Last updated: