Verifying certificates and endorsements online - SSB No.: 02/2019

RDIMS No .: 14607299
Date (Y-M-D) : 2019-02-07

Purpose

This bulletin is to inform you of a new, online way to verify the validity of the following Canadian Maritime Documents:

• certificates of competency;
• certificates of proficiency;
• endorsements; and
• medical certificates.

Background

The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) recommends that maritime organizations offer an electronic way to verify the validity of certificates of competency, certificates of proficiency and endorsements. Specifically, this recommendation came from the 2010 Manila Amendments, Regulation I/2, paragraph 16.

In the summer of 2018, Canada informed the International Maritime Organization (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.

The IMO provides a link to our website, which companies and other parties can now use to verify valid certificates of competency, certificates of proficiency, endorsements and marine medical certificates.

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.

Verify the status of a certificate or endorsement

If you have any problems with the system, please contact us:

Email: exams@tc.gc.ca
Fax: 613-990-1538

Keywords

1. STCW
2. Certificates of competency
3. Certificates of proficiency
4. Endorsements
5. Medical certificates

Questions concerning this Bulletin should be addressed to:

Contact us at: Email: marinesafety-securitemaritime@tc.gc.ca or Telephone: 1-855-859-3123 (Toll Free).