How to apply for an ICC 

To obtain an ICC from the RYA you must be over the age of 16 and eligible to be issued with the certificate.  You will also need to provide evidence that you are sufficiently competent to have the certificate issued.

Eligibility

The RYA issues the ICC in accordance with the eligibility criteria detailed in Resolution 40. A flow chart to help you ascertain if you are eligible for the ICC and have adequate evidence of competence is printed inside the ICC application form.

Minimum Age

The ICC cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. Therefore please only apply for the ICC if you are age 16 or over.

Nationality

The RYA is permitted to issue the ICC to British nationals and residents. You are a British national if you are one of the following:

• A British citizen
• A British Overseas Territories citizen
• A British overseas citizen
• A British national (overseas)
• A British subject
• A British protected person

Evidence of residency is required for non-nationals this is usually a photocopy of a driving licence, utility bill, Council Tax bill, bank statement or similar. Further authenticated evidence of residency may be requested.

The RYA is also permitted to issue the ICC to the nationals of non-UNECE countries and nationals of the USA and Canada (which by a quirk of history are UNECE member states).

The RYA is not permitted to issue the ICC to the nationals of other UNECE countries unless they are British residents. This means that the RYA cannot issue the ICC to the nationals of: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy,  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

Nationals of these countries should speak to their national maritime authority as you will only be able to obtain an ICC through their acceptance of Resolution 40.

Dual Nationality

Individuals with dual nationality may apply for the ICC if either nationality makes them eligible to do so. It should however be noted that the nationality recorded on the ICC will be the one which made the individual eligible only.

Evidence of Eligibility

Every ICC applicant is required to produce evidence of their eligibility to apply to the RYA for an ICC. This will usually be:

• Evidence of your nationality: a copy of the photo page of your passport or a recognised national identity card.  
• Evidence of residency: a photocopy of a driving licence, utility bill, Council Tax bill, bank statement or similar. Further authenticated evidence of residency may be requested.

Evidence of competence

Resolution 40 requires that the issuing country has evidence that an ICC applicant is competent, either through them having a national certificate or by them demonstrating their competence in practice.

If you have already passed an RYA practical course, your course completion certificate or certificate of competence may help you to obtain an ICC. The RYA Powerboat Level 2 and RYA Day Skipper practical course completion certificates (or those above them in the RYA training schemes) can provide evidence of your competence for your ICC application.

Experienced skippers can also qualify for the ICC by successfully completing an assessment of their competence through a RYA recognised training centre or an affiliated club authorised to carry out the assessment, rather than having to attend a full RYA training course. The syllabus for the ICC assessment is detailed on the ICC application form.

Boating Inland and CEVNI

Code Européen des Voies de Navigation Intérieure (CEVNI) is the code governing navigation on the interconnected European inland waterways and is the basis of the various countries' own regulations.

Signs, rules and procedures for navigating the European inland waterways are all included within CEVNI and in the same way as pleasure craft on coastal waters are expected to abide by the COLREGS, pleasure craft on the inland waterways of Europe, which in places are heavily utilised by commercial traffic are expected to know and follow CEVNI.

Knowing and abiding by the regulations is the best way to protect yourself and your boat and if you wish to have an ICC which is valid for inland waters then you must learn the CEVNI code and sit the CEVNI test either online or in person through a RYA recognised training centre or an affiliated club authorised to carry out the test.

ICC Categories

The UK (RYA) ICC has six categories. When an ICC certificate is issued, only the categories for which competence has been demonstrated will be validated. 

Coastal	The RYA practical training course or ICC assessment must have been taken on coastal waters.
Inland	The applicant must have passed the CEVNI test through a RYA recognised training centre or an affiliated club authorised to carry out the test in addition to demonstrating competence through completion of a RYA practical training course or an ICC assessment.
Power up to 10m LOA	Which of these categories are validated, depends on the certificates the applicant presents with their application form or in the case of an ICC assessment, the vessel on which the test was completed.
Power 10m LOA and over
Sail
Personal Watercraft	The practical test is not available for PWC, however an ICC can be issued to holders of a RYA Personal Watercraft Proficiency Certificate. See the ICC application form for details of other certificates which allow the PWC category to be validated.

Details of which categories will be validated on presentation of which RYA certificates can be found on the ICC application form.

Your ICC Application

Once you have established how to prove your competence to ensure you receive an ICC validated for the categories you require, you need to complete an ICC application form.

This should be sent, together with a passport sized photograph, proof of eligibility,  photocopies of any certificates you are presenting as evidence of competence and payment (see the application form for the current charge) to the Certification Department. Issue of the ICC is free of charge for RYA members. The ICC is valid for 5 years.

Who to Contact With Any Queries

If you have a query relating to the ICC, please contact the following:

Certification department

• Request an ICC application form
• Find out what has happened to an application
• Cost of having an ICC issued
• Check if you are eligible for the ICC

Training department

• How to arrange an ICC test
• How to arrange a CEVNI test

Cruising department

• Foreign regulations - is an ICC required or recommended?