I can't see any mention about VAT on any of the yacht charter websites I have come across. Is VAT applicable on a yacht charter or not?

Editorial Team

VAT on charters is a highly complex matter. A lot of the amounts to pay, or exemptions to benefit from, will vary from country to country and also depend on the commercial status and flag of the vessel – for example, technically only Greek-flagged yachts and EU yachts with a license can legally charter in Greek waters. Then the amount of VAT to pay will also depend on the extent of stay within a country’s waters, as opposed to cruising international waters, and whether you can benefit from reduced VAT or not. Last but not least, VAT regulations tend to change quite rapidly – and sometimes abruptly – depending on a country’s fiscal strategies and the rules applied to various categories of vessels too. This is also the case for expenses, including fuel, and in some instances the APA may be partly subjected to VAT or not. Each case being quite special, these are all the reasons why it is impossible to mention any VAT figure on yacht charter websites, and you will need the help of your charter broker to disentangle the whole thing during the preparation of your charter.