The International Certificate of Competence (ICC), or to give it it’s proper name, The International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft, arose from a UN European Committee. Not all European nations have signed up to issue it, though often yacht suppliers in places that haven’t, like Greece, will happily recognise it!
There are two ways to get an ICC:
- Take an assessment
- It is issued without assessment to holders of RYA Practical certificates from Day Skipper upwards. This service if free to RYA members, otherwise there is a charge of about £50.
There are two limitations of the ICC compared to RYA certificates:
- They are time limited, needing to be renewed every 5 years
- There are restrictions on eligibility based on nationality and country of residence
However, there are a couple of advantages:
- If you want to get skippering quickly, the ICC is an easier qualification that the Day Skipper
- Most charter companies in Greece will no longer accept the Day Skipper but will accept the ICC
ICC eligibility
All the countries signed up to the scheme (known as Resolution 40 signatories) have appointed their own issuing authority. The UK Government has signed up and uses the RYA as its issuing authority. The RYA will issue ICC’s to:
- British nationals
- Foreign nationals permanently resident in the UK
- Foreign nationals that are not from countries signed up to Resolution 40
Countries signed up to Resolution 40 are; Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine. If you are a national of one of these countries and not permanently resident in the UK you can only get an ICC from your country’s issuing authority.
Courses offered
All the ICC courses I offer are with RYA accredited sailing schools who can only issue ICC’s to British nationals or residents, and many other nationalities, but not to anyone excluded as above.
For those that don’t already have a qualifying certificate, the ICC assessment is offered by many RYA schools, especially those abroad. Some will do the exam in a day if you already have the appropriate experience, others insist on a minimum of two or three days to allow time for you to get used to the boat. Many also offer it as a 6 day course with the exam at the end.
Once you’ve successfully completed your ICC assessment you will have to obtain your certificate from the RYA. There is free for RYA members, otherwise £43 (price in 2015). Alternatively, you can join the RYA for the same amount then get the certificate for free!