Legal frame Resolution No. 40 Rev.5, para 1 and Annex I. UK: issued under MCA authorisation by the RYA (also IYT, British Water Ski and Wakeboard, BSAC), forms ICC-1 to ICC-3 (2025–26). Ireland: issued by Irish Sailing for the Department of Transport; 2026 ICC Guide and Training Notice 24-2.
United Kingdom
The UK has no compulsory licence for leisure boating, so the ICC is the document most British skippers carry abroad. The RYA issues it "on behalf of the UK Government under the authorisation of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency", from RYA House in Hamble.
Who can apply. UK nationals and UK residents, aged 16 or over. The RYA also issues to nationals of states that have not accepted Res. 40. Nationals of Res. 40 states must be UK-resident, unless their own government gives written permission. IYT, also a UK-approved issuer, applies a looser residence test. The two policies are not identical.
What you need. One category from List A and one from List B:
| Evidence | Validates |
|---|---|
| Day Skipper Sail (practical) | Sail + Coastal + Power up to 10 m |
| Day Skipper Motor | Power + Coastal |
| Powerboat Level 2 | Power up to 10 m (+ Coastal if done on or after 15 Apr 2019) |
| Day Skipper Shorebased | Coastal only (not enough on its own) |
| MCA STCW deck CoC | Power + Coastal |
| ICC assessment at an RYA centre | The categories assessed |
The inland category always needs the RYA CEVNI test, even if you will never see a CEVNI waterway.
Validity and cost. Five years. Free to RYA members; non-members pay £75 for a new or renewed card, £40 for a replacement, £10 for an update. Apart from "Power up to 10 m", the RYA does not print a maximum size.
Ireland
Irish Sailing is the only approved issuer, and only for "persons who are Irish or whose country of residence is Ireland". It costs €140, or €85 for members, and lasts five years.
The rules tightened for applications after 31 January 2025:
- Qualifying certificates and direct assessments must be no more than five years old.
- Motor is split into under 10 m and under 24 m.
- Dinghy certificates no longer qualify for Sail.
- An expired ICC can be revalidated only within five years of expiry.
Irish Sailing does not issue an ICC on an RYA certificate. For inland use it accepts only its own CEVNI test.
WARNING — Post-Brexit, keep the issuers apart The UK is still "Yes" in Annex IV; Res. 40 is a UNECE instrument, not an EU one. But some destination countries treat a UK card and an Irish card differently because Ireland is in the EU. Lessons 2.1 and 2.4 show where that matters.
Other issuing countries in brief
| Country | Issuer | What it covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | DMYV/DSV | The SBF card is the ICC | SKS/SSS/SHS are not ICCs |
| Netherlands | CBR | KVB I = ICC inland; KVB II = inland + coastal | Card carries the ICC since 2010 |
| Czechia | State Navigation Administration | I and/or C | C = 1 nm, Beaufort 4 |
| Poland | None | National patents only | Annex IV "No" |
If you crew with friends from these countries, Lessons 2.4 and 3.2 show why their cards behave differently from yours.