Buying a Boat in Cyprus: Registration, Licences, Costs and Insurance (2026)

Buying a boat in Cyprus is easier than many people expect, but there are four things to sort out before your first trip: registration, an operator licence, a place to keep it and insurance. This guide takes you through each step, including the new recreational boating law that Cyprus passed in 2026 and what it changes for owners.

Which rules apply in 2026?

Cyprus is in the middle of a change of law. For more than 30 years, small pleasure boats have been governed by rules dating from 1992 on high-speed small vessels, together with older regulations on the control of small vessels. In February 2026 Parliament passed a new Recreational Navigation Law, Law 4(I)/2026, published in the Official Gazette on 13 February 2026.

Six months later the law was still not being applied in practice. In August 2026 the acting director of the Shipping Deputy Ministry said it would be brought in gradually, with procedures and forms being prepared from September 2026. Until the ministry announces that the new system is running, expect a mix of the old procedures and the new ones.

What this means for you:

• The authority is the same under both systems: the Shipping Deputy Ministry (Yfipourgeio Navtilias), which registers boats, licenses operators and inspects craft.
• The new law applies to pleasure craft between 2.5 and 24 metres in hull length and to personal watercraft (jet skis). It covers Cyprus-registered boats, and also foreign boats that stay in Cyprus for more than 90 days in any 365-day period.
• Racing-only craft, canoes and kayaks, pedalos and windsurf boards are outside it.
• Before you buy, call or email the ministry and ask which forms and fees apply on the day you register.

Where to buy a boat in Cyprus

You can buy new from an official dealer, used through a broker or a marina, or privately through classified ads. A dealer or broker usually handles the paperwork and the handover; a private sale is cheaper but the checks in the steps below are up to you.

Made in Cyprus: Karnic

Karnic Powerboats is the best-known boat brand built in Cyprus. The shipyard began operating in 1993 and builds motorboats from about 6 to 11 metres: centre consoles, sundecks, cabin cruisers and larger cruisers such as the SL, CS and S37X ranges. Karnic boats are sold across Europe, so there is a good second-hand market for them in Cyprus too.

Dealers and brokers

The marina offices in Larnaca, Ayia Napa, Paphos and Latchi also know which boats are for sale locally, so ask at the one where you plan to keep your boat.

Websites for new and used boats

• Rightboat, Yachtall and Boat24: international listings with a Cyprus filter, mostly from dealers and brokers.
• Bazaraki: the largest classified ads site in Cyprus, with many private sales of small boats, RIBs, jet skis and trailers.
• Expatify Buy & Sell: our own free classifieds for people living in Cyprus.

Whichever route you take, never pay a deposit before you have seen the boat and its registration papers, and use the checklist below.

Step by step: buying a boat in Cyprus

1. Decide what you are buying and where you will keep it

Start with the berth, not the boat. Space in the popular marinas is limited, and the size of the berth you can get often decides the size of boat you can own. A small boat (under about 7 metres) can often live on a trailer or in a dry stack; larger boats need a sea berth. See the cost section below for published prices.

2. Check the boat and its papers

For a second-hand boat, ask the seller for:

1. Proof of ownership: the registration certificate and a signed bill of sale.
2. Proof that VAT was paid (its "Union status"): the original invoice or contract showing VAT paid, or a T2L document from customs. The European Commission's guidance confirms that VAT-paid status stays with the boat when it is resold within the EU.
3. CE marking and builder's plate: boats sold in the EU after the Recreational Craft Directive (2013/53/EU) must meet its essential requirements.
4. Engine and service records, and the circulation permit and any inspection certificates.
5. A deletion certificate from the previous registry if the boat is registered abroad and you plan to move it to the Cyprus flag.

Paying for a marine survey before you commit is wise for anything beyond a small runabout. Ask the marina or a broker for the names of local surveyors.

3. Register the boat

A boat must not be used unless it is registered, either in Cyprus or in another state's registry (Article 4 of Law 4(I)/2026). There are two routes in Cyprus:

For small craft, the registration number has to be shown on the bow and stern. For the full Cyprus Ships Register, ownership rules apply: more than half of the boat must belong to Cypriot citizens or to a company registered in Cyprus (even a wholly foreign-owned one), and a Cyprus lawyer usually files the application. Registration starts as a provisional registration and is then made permanent. Fees for the Ships Register depend on the boat's tonnage; the ministry publishes the current amounts on its ship registration fees page.

If your boat has a VHF radio, it also needs a ship radio licence.

4. Get the circulation permit and inspection

Under the new law, a boat also needs a circulation permit after an inspection by the ministry's ship inspectors. There are three categories:

• Category A: private use. Valid for 5 years (1 year for a new personal watercraft).
• Category B: hire through a watersports business. Valid for 1 year.
• Category C: bareboat charter. Valid for 1 year.

The law provides for initial, periodic and extraordinary inspections. Under the 1992 rules, privately used high-speed boats were already inspected every five years and commercial ones every year.

5. Get your operator licence

You need a licence to operate a motor boat. Under Law 4(I)/2026 there are four licences:

• Learner licenceFrom age 17, to practise with a licensed operator on board.
• Level 1Motor craft under 12 metres, in Cyprus territorial waters only.
• Level 2Motor craft up to 24 metres, in any area.
• Professional watersports licenceFor people working in the watersports business.

To get Level 1 or 2 you must be at least 18, complete an approved course and pass an exam set by the authority together with the Cyprus Sailing Federation. Sailing boats without an engine need no motor licence, but the skipper needs a sailing skipper certificate from a school approved by the Cyprus Sailing Federation, a foreign state or federation, or a World Sailing member.

Where to train:

Foreign licences. Under the new law, a person who is not a permanent resident, aged 18 or over, with a valid foreign coastal licence, can operate after signing a declaration valid for 12 months; after that they must apply for a Cypriot licence. Permanent residents can use an EU or EEA licence, or a third-country licence that the ministry recognises as equivalent. The law does not name the RYA or the ICC, so ask the ministry before relying on them.

6. Insure the boat

See the insurance section below. Carry your registration certificate, licence, circulation permit and insurance certificate on board every time you go out; the law accepts paper or digital copies.

Buying from abroad: VAT, duty and Brexit

Where the boat comes from makes a big difference to the cost.

From another EU country. If the boat already has VAT-paid status, you can bring it in without paying VAT again. The exception is a "new means of transport": a boat over 7.5 metres is "new" if it is supplied within 3 months of first use or after no more than 100 hours' sailing. In that case VAT is due in Cyprus at 19% of the purchase price, even if VAT was paid in the seller's country (you then claim that back there). Ask Cyprus Customs how to declare it.

From the UK. Since 1 January 2021 a boat coming from Great Britain is a non-EU import, so customs duty and import VAT normally apply. There are two main reliefs:

• Returned goods: a boat that was in the EU and left it can return without duty within 3 years; VAT relief needs the same person to re-import it into the same member state.
• Transfer of residence: if you are moving your home to Cyprus from outside the EU, your boat counts as personal property. You must have used it for at least 6 months and lived outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months. Import it within 12 months, and do not lend, hire or sell it for 12 months after customs clearance.

Temporary admission. A person living outside the EU can keep a boat for private use in the EU for up to 18 months without duty or VAT. This does not suit people who become Cyprus residents.

If you are moving from Britain, our guide on moving from the UK to Cyprus covers the rest of your move.

How much does it cost to keep a boat in Cyprus?

Running costs are mostly the berth, insurance, maintenance and fuel. Published berth prices we found:

So a 7-metre boat at a Ports Authority berth costs about €519 a year in berthing (7 × €74.07), against about €4,043 plus VAT at Limassol Marina.

Other marinas and harbours:

• Ayia Napa MarinaTakes yachts up to 110 m and has a dry stack for 160 boats under 10 m. Prices on request.
• Larnaca MarinaAbout 450 berths. In September 2024 the Transport Ministry said its fees were about 60% lower than other marinas for 10–15 m boats.
• St Raphael MarinaLimassol: 237 berths for boats up to 30 m (raphael.com.cy).
• LatchiPaphos district: the Cyprus Ports Authority announced in January 2026 a plan to add 186 pleasure-boat berths, taking the harbour to more than 500. See our Latchi area guide.
• Fishing sheltersRun by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, sometimes have space for leisure boats; ask at the shelter.

Expect waiting lists in summer at the most popular places. If you are thinking of living near the water, our Limassol Marina area guide describes the area.

Is boat insurance compulsory?

Under Law 4(I)/2026, third-party liability insurance is compulsory for all pleasure craft, including foreign boats that stay over 90 days, and you must carry the insurance certificate on board. Even before the law is fully applied, marinas such as Limassol Marina ask for third-party, wreck-removal and pollution cover before they give you a berth, so in practice every owner needs a policy.

Cyprus insurers offering pleasure-craft cover include:

• Atlantic InsuranceHull, third-party, transit and machinery cover.
• Trust Cyprus InsuranceCover based on the Institute Yacht Clauses.
• Minerva InsuranceYacht and pleasure craft insurance.
• DigicareA broker that compares marine policies.

When you compare quotes, check the navigation area (Cyprus only or the eastern Mediterranean), whether the policy covers the boat on a trailer and in storage, the excess, and the cover amounts the marina asks for.

Rules at sea you need to know

The Port and Marine Police enforce the rules at sea. The main ones for owners:

• Stay out of swimming areas. Swimming zones are marked with buoys. Never enter or anchor in them; boats that do can be towed away and the owner prosecuted. Use the marked boat channels to reach the beach, at under 3 knots (about 5 km/h).
• Safety on boardEveryone wears a life jacket, the engine kill cord stays attached to the driver, and you carry a marine VHF radio and a first-aid kit. Stay in port in bad weather.
• Jet skisFrom 1 May to 30 September they must keep 200–700 m offshore from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and 500–700 m from 13:00 to 16:00; they must keep at least 100 m beyond the swimming-area buoys. From 1 October to 30 April they may only be used from sunrise to sunset. No jet skis in winds over 16 knots or with visibility under 1 nautical mile.
• No alcohol or drugs. The new law allows breath, saliva and laboratory tests.
• Protected areas. At Lara–Toxeftra on the Akamas coast, sailing and anchoring in waters up to 20 m deep are banned from 1 May to 31 October to protect nesting turtles. At the Sea Caves of Pegeia marine protected area, passage and anchoring of any vessel are banned (Decree 98/2025).

Fines. In August 2026 the out-of-court fine for operating without the required licence was €85.43. Under the new law it rises to €1,500, and the ministry can also impose administrative fines. The push to apply the law came after a serious jet ski accident off Protaras in summer 2026.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Buying before you have a berthYou may end up paying daily rates or storing the boat inland.
• No proof of VAT paidWithout it, customs can treat the boat as an import and charge VAT.
• Assuming your foreign certificate is enoughCheck with the ministry first, especially if you are a permanent resident.
• Letting papers lapseDiarise the circulation permit, licence and insurance renewal dates.

What to do next

1. Contact the Shipping Deputy Ministry (gov.cy/dms) to confirm the current forms and fees.
2. Ask your chosen marina or harbour about berth availability and its insurance requirements.
3. Book an operator course if you do not have a licence.
4. Get insurance quotes before you sign the bill of sale.

Related guides: Sports and outdoor activities in Cyprus · Building a social network in Cyprus (sailing clubs are a good place to start) · Business clubs and networking groups in Cyprus