Home / Compare / ICC vs a skipper certificate
ICC vs a skipper certificate
One proves you can sail. The other satisfies a government. They are not substitutes.
A skipper certificate is the training. An ICC is a document some countries and charter bases require on top of it. Inside Australia you need neither by law — a charter operator may still ask.
Skipper certificate
Day Skipper, Bareboat Skipper or equivalent: the training and assessment.
ICC
International Certificate of Competence — a document for foreign authorities.
| Skipper certificate | ICC | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A training qualification | A certificate of competence for official purposes |
| Issued after | A course and assessment | An assessment, or on the basis of an existing qualification |
| Who reads it | Charter companies, schools, insurers | Foreign authorities and some charter bases |
| Needed in Australia | Not by law; operators may ask | No |
| Needed in the Mediterranean | Usually wanted | Commonly required |
| Inland European waterways | Not sufficient on its own | Often required, with the CEVNI endorsement |
| Expiry | Does not expire | Has a validity period and is renewed |
- you are learning to skipper and need the skills
- you are chartering in Australia
- an operator has asked for a recognised skipper certificate
- you want something that does not expire
- you are chartering in the Mediterranean or parts of Asia
- the base has specifically asked for an ICC
- you are taking a boat on European inland waterways
- you already hold a skipper certificate and need the document on top
People treat these as competing options. They are not — most sailors chartering overseas end up holding both, because they answer different questions.
The skipper certificate is the substance
Day Skipper, IYT Bareboat Skipper or their equivalents are what actually teach and test you. Without one, an ICC is a document with nothing behind it.
The ICC is the paperwork
The ICC exists because national authorities wanted a common document for visiting recreational skippers. It is recognised through a United Nations economic commission arrangement, which is why a piece of paper issued in one country satisfies an official in another.
In Australia, neither is a legal requirement
Australian recreational boating is regulated by the states, through boat licences, not through sailing certificates. What a charter operator asks for is a commercial decision of theirs, not a legal one — so ask them, not a forum.
Decided? Now find a school.
Three questions — your experience, the boat you want to sail, and your goal — give you a starting course and the schools that teach it near you.