IT IS WISE TO HOLD BOTH FLOTILLA SKIPPER (OR HIGHER) & THE ICC

In the past, if you were chartering in Europe, an International Certificate of Competency (ICC) may have been sufficient proof of your ability to safely operate a boat.

However, it has recently been brought to our attention that a number of European charter companies and insurance companies will not accept an ICC as sufficient proof to command a yacht for a one week bareboat charter (power or sail). These companies are insisting that the charterer should hold an IYT International Flotilla Skipper or IYT International Bareboat Skipper, power or sail (or equivalent qualification that is on their “approved” list).

The charter companies and insurance companies do not have a comfort level handing over an expensive yacht to someone who they feel is not sufficiently qualified to command it for a weeks duration.

Some customers have had their charters cancelled because they have only held an ICC.

IYT has removed the restriction of “daylight hours” on the Flotilla and Bareboat Skipper Certificates. This restriction was applied previously because charter companies do not allow their boats to be operated after sundown. We are leaving this decision up to the charter companies. 

IYT highly recommends holding both Flotilla Skipper or higher as well as the ICC to avoid any issues when chartering or operating in European waters and harbours.

It is imperative that you check with your charter company in advance of your charter to make sure that you hold the required qualifications.

The ICC is required for operators of most vessels on both inland and coastal waters in a large part of the European Union.

• Candidates who successfully complete the International Flotilla or Bareboat Skipper course also qualify to hold the 24M ICC provided the course was taken with a partner school approved to offer the 24M ICC. The school may order this extra ICC certificate for you or you may order directly from IYT by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• Candidates who successfully complete the Small Powerboat & RIB Master – MCA Recognised course also qualify to hold the 10M ICC. Schools that offer the Small Powerboat & RIB Master – MCA Recognised course will also be approved for the 10M ICC Certification so there will be no issue regarding the partner school chosen for the “RIB” course. The school may order this extra ICC certificate for you or you may order directly from IYT by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The 24M ICC is recignised by the British Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The 24M ICC is also recognised by Transport Canada so that holders of the 24M ICC (Canadian Edition) will not require a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) to operate a pleasure boat in Canada, provided the section on “Canadian Boating Requirements” has been completed. Holders of a current IYT 24M ICC can “upgrade” to the Canadian Edition by completing a short course and examination.

The 10M ICC is recognised by the British Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).

We are proud to announce that we now have an E-learning course available for students to study and execute theory examinations before proceeding to an authorised IYT Training Provider to undertake the written and practical examinations. To access these courses, register and receive your IYT account ID# and log in. ICC E-learning courses are available here once logged in.

As you may be aware, it is now mandatory to hold a recognised International Certificate of Competency (ICC) if you wish to charter a boat in certain European countries. It is generally required for the inland and coastal waters of Mediterranean countries. In Northern Europe and Scandinavia the ICC is generally not required, but it is strongly advised to check with any European country that you wish to charter in before you leave.

The ICC is a product of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Resolution 40. The ICC provides documentary assurance from one government to another that the holder meets the levels of competence laid down in Resolution 40.

In accordance with UNECE Resolution 40 (Revision 4), citizens and residents of countries (listed below), that are signatories to Resolution 40, will be obliged to obtain an ICC from their own national issuing authority and not from IYT (with the exception of the United Kingdom and Latvia, see below). The only exception for IYT to issue ICCs to citizens of these countries, is if the applicant can provide proof of residency* in a country not on this list. For example: an Austrian National living in Spain or Greece that can provide “proof of residency” in Spain or Greece would be allowed to receive an ICC from IYT.

*Proof of residency (examples) Utility bill (electric or gas), Property tax bill, Telephone bill, Insurance bill, IYT can issue ICCs to any other country’s citizens that are not listed below.

As of May 2016 the following countries have adopted resolution 40.

• Austria
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Finland
• Germany
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Latvia**
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• South Africa
• Switzerland
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom***

**The government of Latvia has given written permission for IYT to issue ICCs to their own nationals and residents

***IYT has been authorised to issue ICC’s to United Kingdom Nationals and Residents for the past 18 years which are issued on behalf of the British Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). Reference: UNECE Resolution 40 document https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/2015/sc3wp3/Guidelines_to_Resolution_No._40_e.pdf

Note: The list of UNECE member states that have accepted Resolution 40 is subject to change without notice therefore a person’s eligibility can change during the period the ICC is valid for. Should this be the case, the certificate holder must notify IYT and surrender the certificate. If the certificate holder cannot satisfactorily demonstrate his or her continued eligibility when the certificate expires it will not be renewed by IYT.

The Endorsements may be:

• (Power -24m) for any power driven vessel up to 24 metres.
• (Power -10m) for any power driven vessel up to 10 metres.
• (Sail – 24m & Power 10m ) Sail vessel up to 24 metres. (Must include Power 10m for operating tender to and from shore).
• (PWC) for personal water craft.
• (Coastal waters) for coastal passages only.
• (Coastal and inland) for use in the inland waterways of Europe as well as coastal. A CEVNI exam must be successfully completed. See below for more details.

For Sailing Vessels

The ICC Sail <24m, Power <10m covers sailing vessels <24 meters and power <10 meters. The power <10m is included as most sailboats have small dinghies for going to and from shore.

To gain this certificate the candidate must do the IYT International Crew & Flotilla/Bareboat Skipper Sail course (modules 1 – 11 and 13 – 25 in the IYT Recreational Programme contained in the “International Boating & Sailing Passport”). The candidate must either hold a recognised VHF Marine Communications Qualification or must do IYT’s module 12 which is the IYT VHF/SRC Marine Communications Course.

Note that the online ICC course includes all of the above mentioned modules, 1 – 25 which includes VHF/SRC.

For Power Vessels

the ICC certificate is based on which course you undertake as outlined below.

If you wish to operate a power vessel <24m, please do as stated above for sailing vessels (except of course take the power course).

If you wish to operate a power vessel <10m, please take the IYT/MCA Small Powerboat & RIB Master course. After successful completion of this course, you will be eligible to receive the ICC <10m Power.

Most IYT Partner Schools are approved to offer the ICC certification to their students. However, you should verify this with the school where you choose to train or on our website. The schools who are approved to offer this certification are determined by IYT. Please remember that candidates must meet the requirements outlined above regarding Resolution 40.

There are two ways to obtain an ICC. By holding an acceptable IYT Worldwide qualification as mentioned in the next section “Which IYT Certificates of Competency are recognised for obtaining an ICC without the need for an examination?”, OR, by attending one of these qualifying courses listed below with an IYT partner school approved to issue ICCs to their students.

If you hold an acceptable qualifying IYT Worldwide certificate please follow these instructions to obtain an ICC: (Note – See Resolution 40 requirements above to determine if you are eligible to receive an IYT ICC or if you must obtain from your own national issuing authority and not from IYT).

If you have not registered on our site and have a user I.D.# please do so.

• Do this by going to “login” on the top menu bar, then register and follow the prompts.
• Make sure to upload a current photo government issued I.D. such as a passport or driver license. We must have this to process your certificate.
• Make sure to upload a good quality headshot photograph as this photo will be used on your certificate.
• Make sure to enter the shipping address with phone number as this will be used when we mail or courier the certificate.

Send email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following:

• A scan of the valid (not expired) certificate you hold entitling you to receive the ICC certificate.
• For 24M ICC – A scan of your valid (not expired) VHF certificate
• For 10M ICC – A scan of your valid (not expired) VHF certificate, or if you’ve done the online Small Powerboat & RIB Master eLearning course, provide a scan of the downloadable PDF “Basic VHF-SRC Course Completion Certificate”.
• List the following:
  • State that you wish to obtain an ICC listing the type, 10M or 24M, Power, Sail or Power & Sail, Coastal or Coastal & Inland.
    • Inland Waters Endorsement: If you wish to add the inland waters endorsement (such as French canals) to your certificate you will need to complete the CEVNI examination and the school will choose the certificate type “coastal and inland waters”. You may do the online CEVNI course and exam or you may take the CEVNI exam at the school..
  • State where (which school) you took the course for your qualifying certificate.
  • State your IYT I.D. number (received at end of registration process).
  • Advise courier (fee depends on location) or airmail (free of charge). Note that we cannot trace airmail if lost.
• An order/invoice will be created in our system and emailed to email address on profile for payment.
• Once payment is made the order will be reviewed, processed and shipped.

If you attend a qualifying course with an IYT partner school approved to issue ICCs, the school will place an order for your qualifying certificate (ie. Bareboat Skipper, Small Powerboat & RIB Master) plus the ICC. Please follow these instructions:

• If you have not registered on our site and have a user I.D.# please do so.
• Do this by going to “login” on the top menu bar, then register and follow the prompts.
• Make sure to upload a current photo government issued I.D. such as a passport or driver license. We must have this to process your certificate.
• Make sure to upload a good quality headshot photograph as this photo will be used on your certificate.
• After successful completion of the course the school will order your qualifying certificate and the ICC for you. By doing so the school is attesting to your competence.
• Inland Waters Endorsement: If you wish to add the inland waters endorsement (such as French canals) to your certificate you will need to complete the CEVNI examination and the school will choose the certificate type “coastal and inland waters”. You may do the online CEVNI course and exam or you may take the CEVNI exam at the school.

If you wish to have an existing IYT ICC endorsed for navigating inland waters you must take the CEVNI exam. To do this you may:

• complete the online course “CEVNI EU Inland Waterways Endorsement eLearning” found here
• go to an IYT school approved to offer the ICC and undertake the exam. In this case, the school must place the order for certification thus verifying successful completion.

Please note there are pre-requisite courses required for Flotilla Skipper and Bareboat Skipper. They are IYT International Crew (or exhibit knowledge to this level) and IYT Marine Communications VHF-SRC (or recognised equivalent certificate).

* A 24M ICC can be awarded based on a Flotilla Skipper certificate; however, it is recommended candidates gain a Bareboat Skipper certificate.

** Please note that for Catamaran certificates, the equivalent ICC Certificate will not state “catamaran”.

Please note that training and examinations for the qualifications listed above must have been undertaken at an ICC approved facility and you must meet eligibility requirements outlined above regarding Resolution 40.

IYT Worldwide has had approval from the M.C.A. (Maritime and Coastguard Agency of Great Britain) for many years to issue ICCs to United Kingdom passport holders and persons of other nationalities provided they are eligible under Resolution 40. See above. The school must be approved by IYT Worldwide to instruct the ICC course. The applicant must:

• Be 16 years of age or older.
• Be physically and mentally fit to operate a pleasure craft, and in particular, must have sufficient powers of vision and hearing.
• Have successfully passed a written and practical examination or prove the necessary competence for pleasure craft operation by holding an acceptable IYT Worldwide certificate.

The ICC is valid for a period of five years. See instructions for revalidation

IYT Worldwide may suspend or withdraw an ICC where the holder has by some action demonstrated that he or she has not complied with the conduct demanded of a holder of an ICC. The matter will be presented before the IYT Worldwide Training Board for adjudication.

Over the past few years, it has come to our attention that a large number of charter brokers are asking to see/verify a higher nautical qualification other than the ICC (International Certificate of Competency). The charter companies are asking for proof that a client is capable of handling a $400,000 charter boat for a weeks vacation, as the ICC does not prove this capability. As you can imagine, a broker would want to be sure that a skipper is fully capable of handling their vessels before renting.

The ICC is a certificate that based on one’s level of competency. It is not a “course”. In hindsight, IYT and IYT candidates would have been better served had we not allowed the ICC to be ordered as a qualification without proof of, at minimum, an IYT Flotilla or Bareboat Skipper Certificate, but ordered directly by candidates who hold these qualifications or higher.

Therefore, we highly recommend that schools purchase the IYT qualification as well as the ICC qualification for their candidates who want an ICC. This will eliminate any concerns of their ICC not being accepted by charter brokers.

In some instances, a candidate may hold their national qualification plus an ICC, which may be accepted by charter brokers. IYT obviously has no control over what brokers will or will not accept. We believe it is better to be on the safe side and ask the schools to make this recommendation to their candidates.