Boat insurance in Greece: the guide, from compulsory cover to charter

At a glance

Some insurers print their liability prices. Personal Insurance prints €55 a year for a private boat of 76 to 100 hp¹.
The minimum amounts of Law 4256/2014 are €50,000 per person and not less than €500,000 per event, €150,000 for material damage and €150,000 for pollution².
Cover for the boat itself is priced on its value. Across the market, the ΕΑΕΕ survey gives about €470 per policy in 2025, for all boats and covers³⁴. For old or very powerful boats, many companies do not offer it at all.
The jet ski and the fast inflatable also need liability cover, priced mainly on horsepower: Personal Insurance prints from €28 a year up to 15 hp¹. The inflatable can also be insured for own damage, the jet ski rarely.
An annual policy covers the boat in winter too. A seasonal one that ends in October leaves it uncovered in the marina.

The point

Boat insurance has two parts, and people confuse them all the time. The law imposes the first, and it pays the other party: the swimmer, the boat next to yours in the harbour, the sea if fuel spills. You choose the second, and it pays for your own boat. The first costs little, and the port authority (Λιμεναρχείο) asks for it. The second costs according to value and, for an old or very fast boat, often nobody will sell it to you. This guide takes the five questions in turn: compulsory liability, cover for the boat, the jet ski and the inflatable, the marina and the winter, and charter.

Boat insurance on three levels

The market splits into three parts, and each part prices in its own way.

The first level is third-party liability, which Law 4256/2014 imposes on pleasure ships, day-trip boats and the small craft that the port rules class as fast⁵. It pays the other party: the swimmer you hit, the boat you struck in the harbour, the clean-up of the sea if fuel spills. It pays nothing of yours. It costs little, and the port authority asks for it together with the sailing permit (άδεια εκτέλεσης πλόων).

The second level is cover for the boat itself: collision, bad weather, fire, sinking and, in the larger packages, theft of the boat and the engine. Here the logic of the price changes. You do not pay for the horsepower, you pay for the value. Interlife, for example, prints an indicative €6.38 a month for a new boat worth €10,000⁶. Cover for the engine and for towing does not come automatically. You ask for it separately. And here the refusals begin: many companies refuse cover for the boat itself above an age or a horsepower, for wooden hulls or for jet skis.

The third level is the small and fast: the jet ski and the inflatable. We set them apart because the market sees them apart. The jet ski is fast, is ridden close to swimmers, and does not easily find own-damage cover. In 2025, ΕΑΕΕ counted 1,824 jet ski policies among 53,766 boat policies³. The inflatable is common and often misunderstood. It spends much of the year on a trailer, where the boat policy may not cover it.

The marina and the winter

A pleasure boat works in summer and waits for the rest of the year. That is why many owners take out a seasonal policy, from May to October, and believe the boat is not at risk when it does not move. It is. A winter storm snaps mooring lines, a fire on a neighbouring boat spreads to yours, and an engine is stolen more easily from an empty marina.

An annual policy with own-damage cover stays active all year, in the marina or on land. And you do not need to pay as much in winter as in summer. The winter lay-up clause usually lowers the premium, on condition that you do not move the boat. Ask for both prices. If you move it, tell the company first.

The boat that is rented out

A summer charter changes the nature of the policy. A private policy expressly excludes commercial use, even for one charter, so a claim with a customer on board stays unpaid. A boat that is rented out needs commercial insurance. Law 4256/2014 makes liability cover compulsory for commercial boats. In 2025, 18.2% of bareboat charter boats had a claim, against 1.8% of private boats, and claims per policy were about €1,139 against €106³. If you also have a crew, it needs separate employer’s liability cover.

Where to go from here

Take one decision at a time. If you have just bought a boat, start with the liability cover that the law requires. If you are thinking about what you would pay if the boat sank, weigh the cover for the boat and its engine. For a price, open the comparison for boat insurance. For pets, solar panels and the other small markets, go to special covers.

Frequently asked questions

Is boat insurance compulsory?

Third-party liability insurance is compulsory, under Law 4256/2014, for pleasure ships, day-trip boats and every small craft or jet ski that the port rules class as fast. Cover for the boat itself, for your own damage, is your choice.

How much does boat insurance cost?

Some insurers print their prices. Personal Insurance prints €55 a year for liability cover on a private boat of 76 to 100 hp, and €130 above 400 hp. Interlife prints an indicative €6.38 a month for a new boat worth €10,000 with own-damage cover. Across the market, the yacht survey of ΕΑΕΕ gives about €470 per policy in 2025.

What are the minimum amounts of the liability cover?

€50,000 per person for bodily injury and not less than €500,000 per event, €150,000 for material damage and €150,000 for pollution. These are the minimums of Law 4256/2014, article 14. A policy can carry more, and for a fast boat it is worth it.

Can an old boat be insured for own damage?

With difficulty. Many companies set limits of age, horsepower or hull material for cover of the boat itself, and ask for a survey above them. Liability cover you always find, because the law requires it.

Is the boat covered in winter in the marina?

With an annual policy and own-damage cover, yes, in the marina or on land, for fire, storm, sinking, theft and vandalism. A seasonal policy that ends in October leaves it uncovered. The winter lay-up clause usually lowers the premium, if you do not move the boat.

Can I rent out my boat on a private policy?

No. A private policy expressly excludes commercial use, even for a single charter. A boat that is rented out needs commercial insurance. In the ΕΑΕΕ survey for 2025, claims per policy came to about €1,139 for bareboat charter boats and €106 for private boats.

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