What about foreign recognition of US Captains Licenses

Let’s say you sail down to the Caribbean and decide you’d like to do some captained charters.  Do foreign authorities recognize your USCG Captain’s license? So far, we have not received a direct and complete answer from those we have asked. The basic answer as of this writing appears to be that most countires will recognize the USCG licenses for your own vessel, but most foreign flagged vessels (of which there are many more than US flagged) will require additional foreign certifications. Additionally, many vessel delivery services will only accept skippers with a Master's level license. Once you reach a 200 ton Master's level, however, the qualification may be universally recognized.

We have corresponded with the RYA (Royal Yachting Association), who do the certification for Britain and Ireland. They as yet (2011) do not recognize the USCG certification and require a person to take their courses to gain their certification. We have seen that the USCG certification requirements, particularly with regards to Sea time, are mich higher. So, one might be led to believe that the RYA, who are not a regulated government organization like the USCG, may 'just' be in it for the money - at least with regards to people wishing to have their 'foreign' licenses recognized.

We will continue to research this question and will update this page as we learn more.    If you have any comments to this question, please share this with everyone in the blog area below!

For the professional yachtsman intending to visit foreign ports, it may be advisable to look into a Yachtmaster certification.    Some companies have developed certifications that are recognized by multiple countries, such as that developed by International Yachtmaster Training, Inc. in California which is recognized by 22 governments around the world.