It doesn't.
The bit of the IMCR which applies outside the UK is the removal of the UK-issued PPL to be in sight of surface for VFR.
Far be it for me to argue with you, Whopity
Obvioulsy you never set out to abuse your priviliges and obviously you will think carefully should the need arise, but it is good to know that if all else fails "in an emergency situation" you can get yourself down, just as well as you could in the UK.
Indeed, but there is a subtle difference between going somewhere if
- IMC (or low vis) will kill you
- IMC (or low vis) won't kill you
You could be flying over the Channel on a hazy day and you see absolutely zilch. It is just like IMC. But 100% legal VFR. You can even see the water surface if you look straight down.
So instrument capability, even if not legal, is worth a huge amount - because VFR license privileges are impossible to fully explore on the basic PPL training one gets.
Pre-IR, I used to plan my long cross-Europe VFR trips very carefully, to make sure I would never make a fool of myself.
My only reflection on those long trips (all the way to Crete) is that I had much better weather back then. Since I got the IR, the weather has been much worse