List of countries accepted towards issuing a UK FSE
List of administrations whose Certificate of Competency (CoC) are accepted towards issuing a UK Flag State Endorsement (FSE)
In accordance with STCW Convention Regulation I/10 and MSN 1867 Amendment 1, the UK requires foreign seafarers to obtain a UK Flag State Endorsement (FSE) to work onboard a UK registered vessel. Please see the table below for merchant STCW CoCs that can be used to apply for a UK FSE.
We only accept yacht CoCs issued by France, Italy, Netherlands and New Zealand - please see Annex A of MSN 1867 Amendment 1 for more details. We will also accept some yacht CoCs issued by Malta. Please email fse@mcga.gov.uk for further details.
We only accept fishing CoCs issued by EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. We do not accept substitute skippers.
Where a CoC contains near-coastal limitations, these are included on the FSE as near-coastal to the country that issued the CoC (in line with the terms of the STCW Convention).
Country | GMDSS Accepted | Notes |
---|---|---|
Australia | Yes | No proof of English required |
Bangladesh | Yes | No proof of English required |
Belgium | Yes | |
Brazil | ROC | Additional sea service requirements – please email fse@mcga.gov.uk before applying |
Bulgaria | Yes | |
Canada | Yes | No proof of English required |
China (PRC) | Yes | |
Croatia | Yes | |
Cyprus | Yes | |
Czech Republic | Yes | |
Denmark | Yes | |
Estonia | Yes | |
Faroe Islands | ROC | |
Finland | Yes | |
France | Yes | Some Yacht CoCs also accepted |
Georgia | ROC | |
Germany | Yes | |
Ghana | Yes | No proof of English required |
Greece | Yes | |
Hong Kong | Yes | No proof of English required |
Hungary | Yes | |
Iceland | Yes | |
India | Yes | No proof of English required |
Iran | ROC | No proof of English required |
Ireland, Republic of | Yes | No proof of English required. Masters exempt from UKLAP1 exam |
Italy | Yes | All Yacht CoCs also accepted |
Jamaica | Yes | No proof of English required |
Korea, Republic of | ROC | |
Latvia | Yes | |
Lithuania | Yes | |
Malaysia | Yes | No proof of English required |
Malta | Yes | No proof of English required. Some Yacht CoCs also accepted |
Mexico | ROC | |
Montenegro | Yes | |
Myanmar | Yes | No proof of English required |
Netherlands | Yes | All Yacht CoCs also accepted |
New Zealand | Yes | No proof of English required. Some Yacht CoCs also accepted |
Norway | Yes | |
Pakistan | ROC | No proof of English required |
Philippines | Yes | |
Poland | Yes | |
Portugal | Yes | |
Romania | Yes | |
Russian Federation | Yes | |
Serbia | Yes | |
Singapore | Yes | No proof of English required |
Slovenia | Yes | |
South Africa | Yes | No proof of English required |
Spain | Yes | |
Sri Lanka | ROC | No proof of English required |
Sweden | Yes | |
Turkey | Yes | |
Ukraine | Yes | |
USA | ROC | No proof of English required. You may need to take a MCA oral exam |
Vietnam | ROC |
We also accept GMDSS as GOC from: Albania; Andorra; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Moldova; Monaco; North Macedonia; San Marino; Slovakia; Switzerland; Taiwan; Trinidad & Tobago; Vatican City.
The UK has also developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of the Red Ensign Group (REG) Category 1 Registers.
Updates to this page
Last updated 25 September 2024 + show all updates
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Bangladesh added to FSE List.
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We now accept some yacht CoCs issued by Malta.
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Turkey added to FSE list
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Update to reflect requirements of STCW Convention Regulation I/10 and MSN 1867. Mexico added to list of accepted FSE countries. List of countries accepted towards issuing Red Ensign Groups (REG) FSEs added.
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First published.