Legal frame Croatia: Res. 40 Annex IV "Yes"; Pravilnik o brodicama i jahtama art. 4(3)–(8), kept in force by NN 13/20; MMPI recognition table of 21 May 2026; Pomorski zakonik arts 1002, 1011–1012. Montenegro: Zakon o sigurnosti pomorske plovidbe (SL CG 160/2025, in force 7 January 2026, amended 104/2026) arts 6, 99, 102, 296–298; Pravilnik 68/2026 art. 72; Pravilnik 69/2026; Zakon o jahtama art. 20.
Croatia: the ICC accepted as such
Croatia is the only one of the nine on the UNECE "Yes" list, and its May 2026 recognition table goes further than its old one. The header now reads, in short: all ICCs issued under Resolution No. 40 are accepted for Croatian-flag boats (brodice) and yachts (jahte) in private use or bareboat hire, provided the "valid for" field shows C and the other limits on the card are respected.
Below that header, about 150 named certificates get their own rows. The ones UK and Irish skippers meet:
| Certificate | Croatian-flag craft allowed |
|---|---|
| RYA ICC Coastal, Power ≤10 m | Boats; yachts ≤18 m, inner waters and territorial sea |
| RYA ICC Coastal, Power/Sail ≤24 m or 80 GT | Yachts ≤24 m, international Adriatic |
| RYA Day Skipper (course completion or shorebased) | Yachts ≤18 m |
| RYA Day Skipper Certificate of Competence | Yachts ≤24 m, international Adriatic |
| RYA Coastal Skipper CoC | ≤500 GT, Adriatic |
| RYA Powerboat Level 2 | Yachts ≤18 m |
| Irish Sailing Day Skipper, Helmsman, National Powerboat + coastal, ISA ICC | Yachts ≤18 m, inner waters and territorial sea |
| Irish Sailing YM Coastal / Offshore | ≤500 GT, Adriatic / unlimited |
Every row ends with the same condition: a domestic or foreign radio certificate if the boat has a VHF or GMDSS-VHF station.
CAUTION — Header versus rows The blanket clause sets no size limit; some named rows do (18 m for the RYA ICC Power ≤10 m and the Irish ISA ICC; 1 nm for the Czech and Dutch inland-type cards). The table does not say which prevails. If your boat is near a row limit, ask the charter company which reading its harbour master uses.
Charter checks. The company must check your certificate before hire. Boats up to 15 m and yachts up to 18 m need a skipper with a Croatian B licence or a recognised equivalent; yachts of 18–24 m need a yacht master plus one crew member with B. Letting an unqualified person helm costs the owner or company €664–1,327; papers not aboard, €40–106 (converted from kuna; secondary consolidation).
Your own UK-flag yacht. Allowed if the skipper is qualified under the flag state's law. Croatian rules apply only where the flag state prescribes none.
See Bareboat Chartering in Croatia and Renting a Boat or Jet Ski in Croatia.
Montenegro: a new law and a list nobody has published
Montenegro is not on the UNECE list and not in the RYA's country table. Its maritime safety law was replaced on 7 January 2026. The old rule that anyone renting a boat over 3 kW needed a local certificate, with fines of €200–2,000, went with it.
- The local licence. Any čamac (boat) of 2.5–12 m with more than 5 kW must be helmed by someone aged 18 holding an uvjerenje za voditelja čamca (boat handling licence). It needs an approved course, a medical and an exam before a harbour-master board. It has no expiry, covers boats up to 12 m / 15 GT and includes the boat's VHF. Jet skis need it too, and hiring them out needs harbour-master approval.
- Foreign licences (art. 102). Accepted only on foreign-flag boats, and only from a state with a reciprocity agreement or on a Ministry list. No list was found, so ICC acceptance is unconfirmed. Skippering a foreign-flag boat without an accepted licence costs an individual €200–1,000.
- Montenegrin-flag boats, which means every local rental, have no recognition clause: the law asks for the Montenegrin licence. Operators who take an ICC do so on their own policy.
- Foreign yachts (over 7 m), including Croatian-flag charter yachts, clear in at a port of entry and obtain a vignette and certified crew list. The yacht law still accepts skipper competence under flag-state rules, a recognition treaty or Montenegrin rules.
Most boat offences now cost an individual €500–2,000 (companies €3,000–20,000). Within 300 m of the coast the limit is 6 kn.
TIP — Ask the marina, then the company Porto Montenegro (secondary) advises clearing your certificates with the charter company before arrival; its page still quotes the old age of 16. Get any acceptance of an ICC in writing.