Required sailing qualifications to bareboat charter

Croatia

To charter a yacht in Croatia, at least one crew member must hold a valid International Certificate of Competence (ICC) and a VHF radio certificate.

Greece

The named skipper must hold at least one of the following qualifications; International Certificate of Competence (ICC), RYA Day Skipper (practical), RYA Coastal Skipper (practical) and ASA 104 Bareboat cruising certificate.

Italy

There are no specific required certificates, however Italy expects the named skipper to hold a valid sailing licence and VHF license. Most international certificates will be accepted.

Malta

Similarly to Croatia, at least one crew member must hold a valid International Certificate of Competence (ICC) and a VHF radio certificate.

France

Most charter companies in France require a minimum of the International Certificate of Competence. However, there are one or two companies that would accept past experience, like the Caribbean.

Spain

To charter any vessel over 5m, a skipper licence is required. They prefer when the country of the licence is the same as the country of origin for the skipper, however this is not essential.

Tahiti

Tahiti law requires the skipper to hold at least 1 of either the International Certificate of Competence/RYA Day Skipper Course or similar/equivalent certification. Or the International Proficiency Certificate with ASA 104.

Caribbean, Thailand, Australia

All these countries do not require any certificates to bareboat charter. However, they do require a past experience list of yachts that you have chartered. They are looking for similar length, volume and model. If you have only chartered a 50ft sailing monohull, this can be transferred to a 35-40ft sailing catamaran.

For American guests, they can apply for a IPC from ASA, if they already hold ASA 101-104. This is seen as the equivalent to the ICC, and widely accepted by Mediterranean charter companies.

Equivalent countries minimum certificates:

UK: RYA Day Skipper practical

USA: Bareboat Cruising Course, ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising Course or above

Germany: Sportbootführerschein See or above

Belgium: Algemeen Stuurbrevet/ Brevet de conduite général or above

France: Le Permis Plaisance or above