STCW Evidence
Ellen Armsden
Last Update 7 months ago
Whilst the STCW sets out that certificates and documentary evidence need to be issued and the originals carried, it is left to the Maritime Administration in each jurisdiction to implement the method of issue.
This means that whilst CoCs and endorsements (including Reg 1/10 recognitions and oil, chemical, liqueified gas) must be issued by the Maritime Administrations:
- in some jurisdictions (eg UK) the training provider is authorised to issue the certificate that classes as the STCW evidence
- in others, whilst the training providers can provide the training, the STCW evidence may only be issued by the Maritime Administration. In these jurisdictions, the training provider regularly issues a "course completion certificate" which we are seeing crew mistakenly provide as evidence.
We've set out a summary below of some of the jurisdictions where we regularly see course completion certificates being issued, along with a few example images
For further information on the way certificates are issued and verified in these jurisdictions, see the relevant guide in this section:
https://workspace-crewdentials.tawk.help/category/using-crewdentials/verification-and-compliance
Australia
Only AMSA is authorised to issue STCW originals (in credit card form)
Sweden
Only the Swedish Transport Agency is authorised to issue STCW originals
Morocco
Only the Ministry of Equipment and Transport is authorised to issue STCW originals
Croatia
Only the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure is authorised to issue STCW originals
Philippines
All STCW certificates need to be issued by MARINA other than V/2 Passenger Safety which can be issued by the relevant MTI (approved Maritime Training Institutions)
Disclaimer... this list represents information on the jurisdictions that we are aware of. It's unlikely to be a comprehensive list but we will update it as we become aware of any additional information.
Please feel free to contact [email protected] with any queries, suggestions or comments
Compiled as at 4 November 2025