Globally recognised commercial qualifications issued by International Yacht Training. The primary professional pathway for superyacht crew operating under Caribbean, Pacific and Indo-Pacific flag state jurisdictions.
International Yacht Training (IYT) is a globally recognised certification body whose qualifications are accepted by flag states including the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Cook Islands, and a number of other open-registry jurisdictions. IYT sits alongside RYA and MCA as one of the three main professional certification pathways for commercial yacht and superyacht crew worldwide.
The IYT professional licence suite covers two main commercial qualifications. The IYT Boat Master licence is designed for those operating commercial vessels between 5 and 24 metres within a defined trading area such as the Caribbean. The IYT Master of Yachts 200tn combines shorebased theory modules with practical offshore passages and is available for power, sail or both; the higher-level IYT Master of Yachts Unlimited holds MCA approval in the United Kingdom. Both qualifications are widely accepted by charter operators, flag state authorities and vessel owners across the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Many Caribbean charter operations, Southeast Asian bareboat operators and Pacific island governments recognise or specifically require IYT licences rather than RYA or MCA certificates. This makes the IYT pathway particularly relevant for crew who intend to work in those regions or who are already based there. Courses range from 5 days for the Boat Master to 21 days for the Master of Yachts programmes, and can be completed at IYT-approved training centres worldwide.
The IYT professional licence pathway is the most direct route to command for crew working in the Caribbean, Indo-Pacific and other non-UK non-EU jurisdictions. It provides a recognised commercial licence without requiring the length of UK-based MCA ticket progression, making it well suited to crew who have built sea time in the field and want to qualify in the region where they are working.