Questions, answered
About the registry, plans, payment, privacy and your IYC ID.
Who can register?
Anyone who practises yoga, in any tradition and at any level, anywhere in the world: practitioners aged 18 or over, instructors, instructor trainers, yoga centres, and schools and academies. Registration is open to people aged 18 or over.
Is IYC registration a government licence or a degree?
No. IYC is a private professional registry and standards organisation, not a governmental licensing authority, university or regulator. Registration doesn’t replace any qualification, permit, licence, background check or insurance the law requires where you work.
What are the categories and designations?
The IYC Global Yoga Registry has 16 designations: yoga practitioners (Foundation, Intermediate, Senior), yoga instructors (RYI 200, 300, 500), yoga instructor trainers (RYIT 200, 300, 500), yoga centres (RYC) and yoga schools and academies (RYS 200, RYA 300, 500). See the Certifications and plans page for who each is for and what it costs.
How much does it cost?
Every designation has a one-time lifetime registration fee plus a two- or five-year membership: from USD 45 for two years of Foundation to USD 1,050 for five years of Academy 500. A renewal is the membership fee alone; the lifetime fee is never charged again. The Certifications and plans page shows every fee and how much five years saves. Applicable transaction taxes are shown before you pay.
How do I pay?
By card, through Stripe, when you register. IYC never sees or stores your card details.
What if I’m not approved?
Your fee is refunded in full to your card. You can also withdraw before review begins for a full refund.
Will IYC check my qualifications?
We ask for supporting evidence of your experience or training for the higher categories and may examine or verify the documents you give. Registration, document examination, credential verification and professional standards assessment are separate services, and IYC doesn’t guarantee that it will detect every false record.
How long does approval take?
Usually a few days. We email you as soon as your registration is approved.
What is an IYC ID?
Your lifetime number in the registry, for example RYP-2026-00001 for a practitioner, RYI-… for an instructor, RYIT-… for an instructor trainer, RYC-… for a centre and RYA-… for a school or academy. It stays yours even if your membership ends, and appears on your certificate, digital ID card and registry record with your designation, for example IYC-RYI 200.
Where are my ID card, certificate and badge?
In your member portal, once your registration is approved, and your digital ID card also at the private link in your welcome email. The card shows your designation, IYC ID, validity, status and a QR code anyone can scan to check your registration. Add a recent photo (or, for a centre or school, your logo) in your profile; we check it before it appears.
What does the public registry show?
A first name (or a centre’s or academy’s name), country, category, designation and IYC ID, with the dates of the registration. Anything else, such as a full name, city, styles, bio or website, only if the person chose to share it. Email addresses, phone numbers and ages are never shown.
Can I change what’s shown, or be removed?
Yes, any time. Email us and we’ll update or remove your listing.
Does my membership renew automatically?
No. Before it ends we email you a reminder with a link to renew for two or five years at the membership fee. If you don’t renew, your registration shows as Expired and leaves the public listings; your IYC ID stays yours. For 30 days after it ends you can renew without a fresh review.