Maritime Coastguard Agency
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.