ICC Licence in Greece: A Guide for Yacht Charter Skippers
RYA training · Yacht charter in Greece
Chartering a yacht in Greece starts with one piece of paper: your International Certificate of Competence, or ICC. Charter bases ask to see it when you pick up the boat, and it tells officials that you can skipper safely. This guide explains what the ICC is, who needs one and the quickest way to get yours before your holiday.
In short
Yes: if you skipper the yacht yourself, you need an ICC licence in Greece, and charter bases ask to see it at check-in. We recommend the ICC as a minimum qualification for every charter skipper. If you already hold RYA Day Skipper, the RYA issues your ICC free to members. If not, our ICC assessment takes up to four hours on the water, and the certificate lasts five years.
5 years
how long an ICC lasts before you renew it
4 hrs
the longest a Seafarer ICC assessment takes on the water
Free
ICC issue for RYA members, from the RYA
13
Seafarer yacht charter bases in Greece, from Corfu to Rhodes
On this page
The basics
What is the ICC?
The ICC is a certificate that proves your competence whenever officials in another country ask for it. Its full name is the International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft, though most sailors still call it the International Certificate of Competence.
It comes from United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Resolution 40. The UK Government accepts Resolution 40, so it authorises the RYA to issue the UK ICC on its behalf. You can read the RYA’s own guide to the UK ICC.
The ICC
Your passport for chartering
- Issued by the RYA for the UK Government
- Accepted in Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey
- Valid for five years, then renewed
RYA Day Skipper
The course behind it
- A full RYA practical course
- Never expires
- Lets you apply for an ICC at any time
Think of Day Skipper as the qualification and the ICC as the document officials abroad recognise. Many skippers hold both.
Chartering in Greece
ICC licence in Greece: do you need one to charter?
If you will skipper the yacht yourself, yes. Requirements vary from country to country, but we recommend every charter skipper holds an ICC as a minimum. It is equivalent to the RYA Day Skipper practical qualification, and Greek charter bases ask to see it when you check in.
How much experience you need also depends on where you sail. Our sailing areas in Greece range from gentle summer cruising to more demanding open-water passages.
| Where or what you sail | What to expect | What we recommend |
|---|---|---|
| Ionian and Saronic Gulf | Generally more moderate conditions | An ICC as a minimum |
| Dodecanese and Sporades | More challenging sailing | Formal qualifications plus more sailing experience and navigation knowledge |
| Larger yachts | Handling a bigger boat | Experience on a similar-sized yacht; Coastal Skipper or higher may be required |
From our sailing holiday FAQs. Always check with us for your base and yacht.
Not ready to skipper? You do not need any qualification on a skippered flotilla holiday or a skippered yacht charter, because a professional skipper sails the boat for you.
How to get it
Two routes to your ICC
Your route depends on one question: do you already hold an RYA certificate?
Already a Day Skipper: apply to the RYA
Send the RYA your Day Skipper certificate with your application. If you are an RYA member, the RYA issues your ICC free of charge, and you need no further assessment.
No RYA certificate: take an ICC assessment
An instructor assesses you on our school tuition yacht for up to four hours while you show the required skills. If you would like practice first, our ICC preparation course runs over a weekend.
Need more than a refresher: take Day Skipper
If you are still building your skills, the RYA Day Skipper course is our recommended route to an ICC. It also gives you a qualification that never expires.
Where to train
Where can you get your ICC?
We run ICC preparation and assessment at our RYA training centres in the UK and Greece, so you can choose what suits your diary.
In Southampton, you can fit the preparation and assessment into a weekend around work. In Agia Eufimia on Kefalonia, you can spend a week at the beach club before your flotilla or charter, and we prepare and assess you on our school tuition yacht.
Our Greece training centre and Croatia centre focus on week-long courses, so there we recommend Day Skipper instead. We can also help with the ICC forms, so you finish the week with both qualifications. Planning to charter a catamaran? Our catamaran training course in Kefalonia also covers the Day Skipper syllabus, and our guide to catamaran sailing explains what changes from a monohull.
Dates and prices: see our ICC assessment and preparation page.
The assessment
What does the ICC assessment cover?
Every candidate completes an oral and written part, then a practical part on the water. Here is what the assessor looks for.
Oral and written
- Collision regulations: lookout, safe speed, give way and stand on
- Sound and distress signals
- Lights and shapes for common vessels
- Safety equipment, engine checks and weather forecasts
- Chartwork: position fixing, course to steer, tides and GPS
- Buoyage and planning a harbour entry
Practical, on the water
- A safety briefing and pre-start engine checks
- Leaving a pontoon using springs
- A 360° turn in a confined space
- Picking up a mooring buoy
- Man overboard recovery
- Sailing a triangular course, and coming alongside a pontoon
Full criteria: our ICC page lists every element of the RYA assessment.
Practical details
Who can apply, and how do you renew an ICC?
You must be at least 16, physically and mentally fit, and able to prove your identity, nationality, and address. The UK ICC is for UK nationals and UK residents: if you are a national of another country that has adopted Resolution 40 and live outside the UK, apply through your own country’s issuing body.
Your ICC lasts five years. You can renew it up to three months before it expires, and the new certificate then runs for five years from the old expiry date. Renewal is a simple paper exercise unless you want to add categories.
Why we recommend Day Skipper
Your ICC needs renewing every five years, but your RYA Day Skipper certificate lasts for life. Hold Day Skipper and you can apply for a new ICC at any time, without another assessment.
Before you go
Your paperwork checklist for a Greek charter
A little preparation makes check-in at the base quick and easy. Run through this list a few weeks before you fly.
Pack
- Your original ICC, not a photo or a copy
- Your original RYA certificates
- Passports for everyone on the crew list
Check with us
- That your qualifications suit your base and yacht
- What your base asks of your second crew member
- Whether your base asks for a VHF radio certificate
Port authorities and flotilla skippers can stop a yacht sailing if they judge the skipper not ready, so check with us before you book if you are unsure about your experience.
Ready to plan your training or your charter? These are the best places to start.
RYA course
RYA Day Skipper practical
The course behind the ICC, with a certificate that never expires.
Greece
Greece training centre
Six-day RYA courses in warm, sheltered Greek waters.
Greece
Yacht charter in Greece
Thirteen bases across the Ionian and the Aegean, from Corfu to Rhodes.
Common questions
ICC licence in Greece: your questions answered
Is the ICC a sailing licence?
In practice, yes. The ICC is a certificate of competence rather than a licence in the strict sense, but it is the document officials and charter bases in Greece, Croatia, Italy, Spain, and Turkey ask to see. That is why many sailors call it their licence to charter.
Is RYA Day Skipper enough to charter in Greece?
We recommend you also hold an ICC. The ICC is the internationally recognised document, and if you hold Day Skipper you can get one at any time without an assessment. The RYA issues it free to members, so it is a small step that saves questions at the base.
How long does the ICC assessment take?
Up to four hours on the water. If you would like some practice first, our ICC preparation course runs over a weekend in Southampton, and we can also prepare and assess you in Agia Eufimia on Kefalonia during a week at the beach club.
How long does an ICC last?
Five years. You can renew up to three months before it expires, and the new certificate runs for five years from the old expiry date. Renewal is a paper exercise unless you want to add categories, such as inland waters.
Do I need an ICC for a flotilla holiday in Greece?
It depends on whether you skipper the yacht. Requirements vary, but we recommend flotilla skippers hold an ICC as a minimum. If you would rather not skipper, book a skippered flotilla holiday: a professional skipper sails the yacht, so you need no qualification at all.
Can I get my ICC in Greece?
Yes. At Agia Eufimia on Kefalonia, we can prepare and assess you on our school tuition yacht during a week at the beach club before your flotilla or charter. At our Greece training centre, we recommend the six-day Day Skipper course and help with your ICC forms.
Ready to get your ICC?
Talk to us about your ICC and your Greek charter
Tell us when you want to sail and what certificates you hold. We will recommend the quickest route to your ICC and find the right base and yacht for you.
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