GREEK TRANSIT LOG ISSUE - IMPORTANT

[Fil Brown]

I left the UK in August 2018 and have never left the EU since having sailed around to Greece ariving in April 2021 (Spain, Portugal, Spain again, Sardinia, Scicly, Italy then Greece directly from Italy)
Corfu PP demanded that we get an 18 TL which we had till we spent the winter in Lefkas. We visited the customs office there and were told that we didnt need a TL so handed it back in when we left Lefkas in late April. Since then i've only been asked for it once in Nidri but after explaining the Lefkas position they let me go.
Having seen the latest postings im now concerned that i could end up getting fined for having no TL.
I also understand that the TL document only needs to be shown "on demand" yet some have been fined for not having it stamped.

 

[Crisby]

I left the UK in August 2018 and have never left the EU since having sailed around to Greece ariving in April 2021 (Spain, Portugal, Spain again, Sardinia, Scicly, Italy then Greece directly from Italy)
Corfu PP demanded that we get an 18 TL which we had till we spent the winter in Lefkas. We visited the customs office there and were told that we didnt need a TL so handed it back in when we left Lefkas in late April. Since then i've only been asked for it once in Nidri but after explaining the Lefkas position they let me go.
Having seen the latest postings im now concerned that i could end up getting fined for having no TL.
I also understand that the TL document only needs to be shown "on demand" yet some have been fined for not having it stamped.

Hi Fil, we were in Greece on 31/12/2020, UK vat paid whilst UK in the EU and a letter from the yard (Cleopatra) with a stamp saying we were there so we don’t need a TL of any sort BUT still I avoid officialdom like the plague simply because of the large variation of interpretation of the law/rules.

Corfu and Preveza both have a reputation for zealously misinterpreting the rules and Lefkas the opposite, if they were your last point of contact I would go with that. Hopefully at some point it will all be resolved but until then just avoid them all!

Chris
(Azura)

 

[Chris_Robb]

Hi Fil, we were in Greece on 31/12/2020, UK vat paid whilst UK in the EU and a letter from the yard (Cleopatra) with a stamp saying we were there so we don’t need a TL of any sort BUT still I avoid officialdom like the plague simply because of the large variation of interpretation of the law/rules.

Corfu and Preveza both have a reputation for zealously misinterpreting the rules and Lefkas the opposite, if they were your last point of contact I would go with that. Hopefully at some point it will all be resolved but until then just avoid them all!

Chris
(Azura)

Couls all have been solved by now if the Greeks had published their FAQs and rule whi h they agreed to in April. I spent a considerable time setting out all the scenarios we wanted covered. My contact, a director of VAT, does not know why the completed document is not yet available.

In the next few weeks with the British embassy, we will have a last attempt before making yet another complaint to th EU Commission.

We are actually now arguing that if VAT paid, then no tl of any sort shoukd be required as this infringes the UCC and EU GOODS rights to free circulation an NO CUSTOMS PROCEDURES, as per their reasons for not requiring obe if you were i the EU. Its utterly illogical.

Had hoped to leave it all behind as i am retiring from this stuff and sailing!

 

[Crisby]

Couls all have been solved by now if the Greeks had published their FAQs and rule whi h they agreed to in April. I spent a considerable time setting out all the scenarios we wanted covered. My contact, a director of VAT, does not know why the completed document is not yet available.

In the next few weeks with the British embassy, we will have a last attempt before making yet another complaint to th EU Commission.

We are actually now arguing that if VAT paid, then no tl of any sort shoukd be required as this infringes the UCC and EU GOODS rights to free circulation an NO CUSTOMS PROCEDURES, as per their reasons for not requiring obe if you were i the EU. Its utterly illogical.

Had hoped to leave it all behind as i am retiring from this stuff and sailing!

Thanks for the final push Chris, if anybody deserves some time sailing it’s you!

Chris

 

[Hooligan]

I am based in Lefkas Marina. The boat was in the EU on Brexit day and is VAT paid and I have a stamp from the marina where I was at that time. The issue of a TL has never been raised to me and indeed when we relocated to Lefkas Marina (post end 2020) no one asked for it. This summer we got visited on anchor by a rather smart customs boat - looked like the tender from a super yacht so things clearly looking up in Greece - and when they asked where we were from I just said Lefkas and they went away. Totally agree re the comment on VAT paid and TL. It would seem that every place is different but so far so good at least in Lefkas!

 

[Hooligan]

Ps just to add that we berthed in Kalamata port in August and encountered no one. Boat is British flag. Perhaps issues resolved?

 

[Daydream believer]

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