Greece to Turkey, Clearing out of Kastellorizon, Greece and into Kas, Turkey

[ChantalReed]

Hi

I am hoping for some advice having never sailed in Turkish waters before.

Our plan this summer is to sail from Rhodes to Kastellorizon and then onto Kas. However I am trying to find out if anyone has ever cleared out of Kastellorizon, It isnt on the official ports of entry/exist list for Greece but CruisersWiki says it is. Has anyone done it? If yes was it straightforward and was the cost the same as everywhere else?

Also with regards to clearing into Kas, again can anyone advise me? Should I get an agent to do it or is it easy to do it myself? If an agent, does anyone have any recommendations.

Thank you.

 

[lornagrace]

Yep all doable,
we do it all the time.
Kas is a good place to clear into, the marina manager is called Umit and is very helpful; otherwise sail down the coast a bit to finike another of Seturs marinas and once again all very helpful there too,
if you need further details just come back to me,

cheers Phil

 

[ChantalReed]

HI Phil

thanks for coming back to me. So did you clear out of Kastellorizon?
Also is Umit based out of Kas Marina or Kas itself? Do I need an agent or will Umit do it all?
do you have a contact email for Umit?

thanks

 

[macd]

I've cleared out of Katellorizon, ChantalReed, no problem.

There's usually no need for an EU vessel with EU crew to clear out of any EU country, but the likely arrival of the cruising tax could change all that. Certainly some proof of not being in Greek waters will be required for those who haven't paid an annual tax. Perhaps the clearing-in papers for Turkey (in your case) will suffice.

 

[ChantalReed]

I've cleared out of Katellorizon, ChantalReed, no problem.

There's usually no need for an EU vessel with EU crew to clear out of any EU country, but the likely arrival of the cruising tax could change all that. Certainly some proof of not being in Greek waters will be required for those who haven't paid an annual tax. Perhaps the clearing-in papers for Turkey (in your case) will suffice.

thank you.

 

[satsuma]

Hi

I am hoping for some advice having never sailed in Turkish waters before.

Our plan this summer is to sail from Rhodes to Kastellorizon and then onto Kas. However I am trying to find out if anyone has ever cleared out of Kastellorizon, It isnt on the official ports of entry/exist list for Greece but CruisersWiki says it is. Has anyone done it? If yes was it straightforward and was the cost the same as everywhere else?

Also with regards to clearing into Kas, again can anyone advise me? Should I get an agent to do it or is it easy to do it myself? If an agent, does anyone have any recommendations.

Thank you.

I have no information about checking out of Meis (kastellorizon)! But why not just check out at Rhodes and go directly to Kas? You can always "visit" Meis if you are sailing out from Rhodes!
For check in to Turkey, I am almost certain you can't do it yourself AT KAS, (you can in Antalya) though happy to be corrected!
The marina/manager will direct you to the "in-house" agent, who is an opportunist at best. They have a sliding scale of charges depending on your nationality, the boat registration, make model or even how wealthy you look!! Prices there start at 120Euros and can easily escalate to over 400 if you are russian apparently?
Technically you should be able to check in yourself, but there is no bureau of shipping in Kas (they issue the transit log forms), you might be able to buy one from an agent, but couldn't guarantee it, or how much they will charge? Cover price should be about 120TL but it is dollar based, so fluctuates.
The Marina will also advise you that you can't leave your boat, or "enter" Turkey without the proper formalities, so getting to immigration, Port police, customs, harbourmaster etc may appear a tad challenging! its about 1km walk to these offices from the marina.
There are at least two other agents in Kas, I'm sure at a push the marina might give you their details, or possibly if you want I can try and find their details/ask others on here.
I would suggest that you use the marina, not the town harbour (although it is the harbour that in reality is the port of entry) its full of day trip boats etal.
sounds worse than it is, so please dont be put off, there is beautiful cruising and many great anchorages along this coast. Don't forget your q flag on entry, it does happen!!

 

[cmedsailor]

Kastelorizo is a point of entry (or exit) to the country. Small island, everything close, everything convenient, nothing time consuming. Until a couple of years ago, you had to visit the marine police and customs yourself as well as an agent to pay the port fees. Lately an agent will visit you when you moor at the main port and arrange everything for you (you can still do it yourself if you prefer).

Two further tips:
- Don't leave the place without trying the Kastelorizo shrimps dish
- Drop anchor at Mantraki area (or visit Ayios Georgios little island with your tender) for a swim

 

[Norman_E]

For clearing in to Turkey you need an agent who has to provide you with your transit log. I recommend Mustafa Ararat who has cleared me both in and out. https://kasshippingagent.com/contact-us
Last year I cleared out of Kas to go to Kastellorizon and come back a day later in order to satisfy the requirement to leave Turkey every five years. I was refused the only useable berth that was free in the rather shallow harbour on Kastellorizon and could not use the ferry berth because an old Greek warship was there so I returned same day to Kas. A phone call to Mustafa was all it took to fix it. Whilst the town harbour is the port of entry it was pretty full and I also needed fuel so I went to the marina. Mustafa met me there with the port policeman and customs officer and formalities took a matter of minutes.

 

[cmedsailor]

For clearing in to Turkey you need an agent who has to provide you with your transit log. I recommend Mustafa Ararat who has cleared me both in and out. https://kasshippingagent.com/contact-us
Last year I cleared out of Kas to go to Kastellorizon and come back a day later in order to satisfy the requirement to leave Turkey every five years. I was refused the only useable berth that was free in the rather shallow harbour on Kastellorizon and could not use the ferry berth because an old Greek warship was there so I returned same day to Kas. A phone call to Mustafa was all it took to fix it. Whilst the town harbour is the port of entry it was pretty full and I also needed fuel so I went to the marina. Mustafa met me there with the port policeman and customs officer and formalities took a matter of minutes.

Around 12-15 boats can berth left and right of the little promenade you see when you arrive there (where "lazarakis" taverna is). As long as there's a free space nobody can refuse you to berth there. You need to be careful not to berth much to the right (as you see it while approaching) of the promenade because there are rocks, it gets shallow and you can hit the rudder. Unless you berth bow to or you have a catamaran. You are not allowed to berth where the war ship is. This is also the place where the ferry berths when it visits the island. Occasionally (quite often in fact during the summer busy periods) few tourist boats coming from Kas can berth there for a few hours as long as the ferry is not coming. Similarly, some big super yachts can berth there too (due to luck of adequate space elsewhere).
For fuel you call the petrol station guy and will bring his truck at the place where the ferry berths. You will of course need to move your boat there for taking fuel but that's very common in many Greek islands. Alternatively, for just 2-3 jerry cans you can always visit the fuel station with you tender.

 

[Norman_E]

When I went there the harbour was full to the left of that little jetty where it is deep enough, and the guy from the taverna shooed me away from the jetty itself. The only space was in the right corner where it is shallow and rocky. I don't know if the taverna guy owns that little jetty, but he acts as if he does and only wants boats with at least half a dozen people on them.

 

[cmedsailor]

When I went there the harbour was full to the left of that little jetty where it is deep enough, and the guy from the taverna shooed me away from the jetty itself. The only space was in the right corner where it is shallow and rocky. I don't know if the taverna guy owns that little jetty, but he acts as if he does and only wants boats with at least half a dozen people on them.

Ah, the taverna guy. Yes, i now know what you mean. He has a preference to super yachts.....

 

[ITH]

I've cleared out of Katellorizon, ChantalReed, no problem.

There's usually no need for an EU vessel with EU crew to clear out of any EU country, but the likely arrival of the cruising tax could change all that. Certainly some proof of not being in Greek waters will be required for those who haven't paid an annual tax. Perhaps the clearing-in papers for Turkey (in your case) will suffice.

We sailed out of Kos to Turkey (entry via Bodrum) last year - without clearing out. However when we returned to Kos to check back in, both customs and port police threw a wobbly because we had not checked out of Greece. Took the best part of an afternoon to convince them that we were not people-smuggling or drug running. After much finger wagging our Dekpa was duly stamped and we left with a warning not to do it again. We are an EU vessel with EU crew, so I would not attempt to leave Greece for Turkey without clearing out in future.

 

[macd]

We sailed out of Kos to Turkey (entry via Bodrum) last year - without clearing out. However when we returned to Kos to check back in, both customs and port police threw a wobbly because we had not checked out of Greece. Took the best part of an afternoon to convince them that we were not people-smuggling or drug running. After much finger wagging our Dekpa was duly stamped and we left with a warning not to do it again. We are an EU vessel with EU crew, so I would not attempt to leave Greece for Turkey without clearing out in future.

This is something of a grey area. In practice it's often damned hard for EU vessels to check out of the EU (many skippers who try are simply waved away), although the refugee crisis, in particular, exacerbates local differences. If you made a mistake it was probably trying to check back in :ambivalence: As said, if the cruising tax is enforced, this will add an obvious imperative.