Sailing to Europe: border rules for yachts and charters

It depends on where the boat has just been. Sail from one Schengen port to another and, under the Schengen Borders Code, the people on board are not subject to border checks. Arrive from a non-Schengen country, such as Turkey or Montenegro, and the rules are stricter: use a border crossing point, or notify the port authorities and lodge a list of everyone on board. Nothing in the rules is written for Americans specifically, so the same answer applies to a US passport holder on a charter.

What counts as a pleasure boat?

The Code defines pleasure boating as the use of pleasure boats for sporting or tourism purposes. A skippered charter around the Cyclades and a private sailing holiday both fit. A cruise ship does not: cruise ships have their own, separate border rules, which our cruise and EES guide covers.

What happens when the boat sails between two Schengen ports?

Point 3.2.4 of Annex VI says people on board a pleasure boat coming from or going to a port in a Member State are not subject to border checks, and the boat may use a port that is not a border crossing point. That is the everyday case for a week hopping between Greek islands or along the Croatian coast.

There is a catch. The same point allows checks, or a physical search of the boat, where a risk assessment on illegal immigration calls for it, and it singles out places where a third country’s coastline is close. So “no checks” means no routine checks, not that nobody may ever ask for your passport. Carry it on board.

What if you arrive from outside Schengen?

Point 3.2.5 covers a pleasure boat coming from a third country. Border crossing points are the normal place to arrive. The Code lets such a boat exceptionally enter a port that is not one, but only on conditions:

• The people on board notify the port authorities so they can be authorised to enter that port.
• The port authorities contact the authorities in the nearest port that is a border crossing point, to report the arrival.
• The list of persons on board is lodged with the port authorities and made available to border guards at the latest on arrival.

If force majeure forces the boat into a port that is not a border crossing point, the port authorities report the vessel’s presence in the same way. Think of a weather diversion on a crossing from Albania to Corfu (our example, not the Code’s).

What paperwork does the skipper need?

Point 3.2.6 says a document with the vessel’s technical characteristics and the names of the persons on board is handed in during those checks. A copy goes to the authorities in the ports of entry and departure. While the boat is in the territorial waters of a Member State, a copy stays among the ship’s papers. In practice the skipper or charter company prepares it, so ask them how they handle it before you sail.

Do EES and the 90/180 rule apply on a boat?

EES does not cover everyone on a boat. Article 2(3)(g) of the EES Regulation points to Article 6a(3)(g) of the Borders Code, as inserted by Regulation (EU) 2017/2225. Its last item, (viii), lists persons on board a pleasure boat who are not subject to border checks under points 3.2.4, 3.2.5 and 3.2.6 of Annex VI. Those people are outside EES. Anyone who is actually checked, for example on arrival from a non-Schengen country at a border crossing point, is not in that group.

The exclusion is about registration, not about how long you may stay. Count your days with the Schengen 90/180 rule and our Schengen calculator. We have not found an official page saying how days on a boat are counted, so ask the port authority or your charter company if your trip is close to the limit.

Will ETIAS change any of this?

ETIAS is not in operation, applications are not open, and the EU has not announced a start date. No action is required yet. Applications are not open. The ETIAS status page has the current official position, and ETIAS for US citizens explains who will need it.

The bottom line

Between Schengen ports, expect no routine checks but carry your passport. From outside Schengen, the boat should arrive at a border crossing point or notify the port authorities first, with the list of people on board ready. Check the current position with the port or your charter company before you sail, because internal border checks are still in force at some Schengen borders (see our tracker).