Last updated: September 2026
A crewed motor yacht quoted at €45,000 per week in Greece costs roughly €70,000 to €76,000 once you add the extras: APA of 40% (€18,000), VAT of €2,925 at 6.5% or €5,850 at 13%, and a crew tip of 10% to 15% of the charter fee (€4,500 to €6,750). Any APA you do not spend is normally returned against receipts at the end of the charter, on the terms in your contract. The 40% is the median APA for motor yachts on our listings (166 yachts; the all-yacht median is 30% across 325 yachts, and sailing catamarans are at 25% across 122). These figures are illustrative: the real VAT rate and APA percentage are written into your contract.
Across the 592 crewed yachts with a euro weekly rate listed on mygreekcharter.com on 30 September 2026, 571 (96.5%) are quoted plus APA, and the median weekly fee for the 365 motor yachts is €45,000. Our general Greece yacht charter cost guide covers the weekly rates themselves; this page covers what sits on top of them.
What is APA on a yacht charter and how is it calculated?
APA, the Advance Provisioning Allowance, is a sum, typically 25% to 40% of the charter fee, that you pay before the week starts. The captain spends it on your running costs, keeps the receipts and hands back whatever is left. Of the 571 plus-APA yachts on mygreekcharter.com, 325 state a percentage: the median is 30%, the lower quartile 25% and the upper quartile 40% (counted on 30 September 2026). So 25% to 40% is the middle half of those listings, not a hard limit.
By yacht type. Our own listings split clearly by type. Among the listings that state a percentage, the median APA is 40% for the 166 motor yachts and 25% for the 122 sailing catamarans. Broker guides agree on the direction: sailing yachts and catamarans sit lower, with George Yachts giving 20% to 30% and our all-inclusive versus APA comparison 25% to 30%. Motor yachts burn more fuel and sit higher, with our comparison and Yaloou giving 35% to 40% and George Yachts 30% to 40%. The itinerary matters too: a week of short hops in the Saronic Gulf uses less fuel than a fast run through the Cyclades.
What it pays for. Fuel for the yacht and tender, food and drink, water, port and marina fees, harbour clearance, and incidentals such as laundry. It does not cover the crew tip or your own spending ashore.
How it is reconciled. MYBA’s specimen charter agreement (Clause 8, as quoted by Vital Charters) has the captain present an account with receipts at the end of the charter and repay any balance. Greek brokers describe the same routine: an unused balance comes back in cash or by bank transfer, and if you overspend you settle the difference at the end. The formula is simply charter fee x APA percentage, so on a €45,000 yacht at 40% the float is €18,000. For how to make sure you get the balance back, see post-charter APA recovery.
How much VAT do you pay on a Greek yacht charter?
The statutory VAT rate on a crewed charter of over 48 hours that starts and ends in Greece is 13% (Law 5073/2023), but a yacht with a qualifying certificate can be invoiced at a lower effective rate, and the rate is stated in your contract. The HCPY/ECPY 2024 VAT briefing for the Greek yacht industry gives 5.2% for yachts with an unlimited-navigation certificate and 6.5% for yachts with a Greek-waters certificate. Those tiers come from the 2024 briefing (the reductions rest on Ministerial Decision A1018/2020) and we have not re-checked them for 2026, so ask which applies.
| Situation | VAT on the charter fee | Source and note |
|---|---|---|
| Crewed charter starts and ends in Greece | 13% statutory | Law 5073/2023, permanent, effective 11 December 2023. Applies to crewed charters over 48 hours. |
| Same charter, yacht holds an unlimited-navigation certificate | Can be invoiced at about 5.2% | A 60% reduction on the 13% rate, per the HCPY/ECPY VAT briefing. On a €45,000 fee that is €2,340. |
| Same charter, yacht holds a Greek-waters certificate | Can be invoiced at about 6.5% | A 50% reduction on the 13% rate, per the same briefing. On a €45,000 fee that is €2,925. |
| Charter starts or ends outside Greece | 0% Greek VAT | Greek VAT is not charged, but other charges (for example TEPADAH Plus) can apply. Check the contract. |
In broker practice, VAT is charged on the charter fee and on any delivery fee, not on the APA or the crew tip (George Yachts’ Greek VAT guide). The expenses the APA pays carry Greek VAT at the till, like any receipt. Most weekly rates on mygreekcharter.com are shown excluding VAT and APA, so the example below adds both on top. Which VAT rate applies is specific to each yacht, so ask for it in writing with your quote.
The worked example, line by line
On a €45,000 week, the extras add about €25,425 to €30,600, taking the total to between €70,425 and €75,600. The table shows each line for that motor yacht (40% APA, the motor median) and for a €17,000 sailing catamaran (the median weekly fee across the 174 catamarans we list) with 25% APA, the catamaran median. VAT is worked at both 6.5% and 13%, and the tip at 10% and 15%.
| Line | €45,000 motor yacht | €17,000 sailing catamaran | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly charter fee | €45,000 | €17,000 | The quoted fee, before expenses. |
| APA (40% motor, 25% catamaran) | €18,000 | €4,250 | Paid in advance; unused balance is refunded against receipts (check your contract’s terms). |
| VAT at 6.5% (illustrative) | €2,925 | €1,105 | On the charter fee only. |
| VAT at 13% (illustrative) | €5,850 | €2,210 | The statutory rate. |
| Crew tip at 10% | €4,500 | €1,700 | Of the charter fee. Discretionary. |
| Crew tip at 15% | €6,750 | €2,550 | Of the charter fee. Discretionary. |
| Total, low case | €70,425 | €24,055 | Fee + APA + 6.5% VAT + 10% tip. |
| Total, high case | €75,600 | €26,010 | Fee + APA + 13% VAT + 15% tip. |
These totals are before any unused APA comes back. If the captain spends 80% of an €18,000 APA, for example, €3,600 is refunded. At the 5.2% VAT tier the lower-case motor total is €69,840. The rates and percentages above are examples; the contract shows your real VAT rate and APA percentage.
What else can appear on the bill?
Beyond APA, VAT and the tip, the main separate contract line is a delivery or relocation fee; ask your broker whether the contract has any other charges. Port fees and extra fuel are normally paid from the APA, so a longer itinerary draws the APA down rather than adding a new line, and any overspend is settled at the end.
Delivery or relocation. This is a separate section of the contract and applies only when the charter starts somewhere other than the yacht’s base. It carries VAT, like the charter fee (George Yachts’ Greek VAT guide). Ask for it in the quote before you fix your departure port.
Port fees. These are normally paid from the APA. As one example, the official Mykonos port fund tariff for professional charter yachts of 7.01 metres and over is €0.20 per metre per day plus taxes (mykonosports.gr), about €8 a day for a 40 metre yacht before taxes, port fund dues only. Marina and quay charges are separate and are not included in that figure.
Fuel. Fuel is usually the largest share of the APA. One broker guide (George Yachts) puts it at about 50% to 60% of APA funds, with Saronic weeks at the low end of that share and fast Cyclades weeks at the top. Treat that as a rough share, not a budget. Our fuel cost guide explains why it varies so much.
Cruising tax. Greece’s cruising tax, TEPAH, is a tax on the vessel: AADE guidance names the owner, shipowner or legal representative as the liable party for professional vessels, so the guest is not the named party.
Crew tip. A common planning range, per our tipping guide and broker guides, is 10% to 15% of the charter fee, handed to the captain in cash on the last day (on the motor example, €4,500 to €6,750). It is discretionary and is not taken from the APA. Our guide to tipping yacht crew in Greece goes through it.
How do you avoid APA surprises?
To avoid APA surprises, get 4 things in writing before you sign: the APA percentage, the VAT rate and which navigation certificate the yacht holds, any delivery fee, and how an unused APA balance is returned (cash or bank transfer). Then ask the captain for a running account during the week and an itemised final account with receipts on the last day.
Agree a rough itinerary so the captain can size the fuel, and tell the crew your food and drink preferences before provisioning. If you would rather fix the cost, all-inclusive yacht charters in Greece exist, but they are a small part of the market: 17 of the 592 crewed yachts with a euro rate on mygreekcharter.com are quoted that way, and what is included (fuel, drinks, VAT, tip) varies, so check each one. Our all-inclusive versus APA guide compares the two models. If you would like the extras worked out for a specific yacht, tell us your dates and guest numbers and we will price it line by line.
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