The government of Canada issued a bulletin informing of a new, online way to verify the validity of Canadian Maritime Documents, in line with STCW Convention which recommends that maritime organizations offer an electronic way to verify the validity of certificates and endorsements.
These documents are:
- certificates of competency;
- certificates of proficiency;
- endorsements; and
- medical certificates.
This recommendation if the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) came from the 2010 Manila Amendments, Regulation I/2, paragraph 16.
In the summer of 2018, Canada informed the IMO about the establishment of an online system for verifying certificates. This is aligned with our commitment to:
- fully comply with the STCW;
- ensure vessels are staffed and operated by properly trained and certified seafarers;
- discourage unlawful ways of issuing certificates; and
- support Port State control activities.
What you need to know
You can now go online to verify the status of any Canadian-issued:
- certificate of competency;
- certificate of proficiency;
- endorsement; and
- medical certificate.
You will need to complete the following fields on the online system:
- Candidate Document Number (CDN);
- Date of Issue (YYYY-MM-DD); and
- Certificate Name.
