A third officer gets a contract offer and a week later discovers that one certificate expires mid-voyage. The company picks another candidate. Seafarer documents in 2026 should be checked not before a contract but straight after you get home, while there is still time.
Who issues seafarer documents in 2026
Diplomas used to be handled by the Inspectorate for Seafarer Training and Certification. Its functions have now passed to the Maritime Administration, that is, the State Service of Maritime and Inland Water Transport and Shipping of Ukraine. It issues diplomas and endorsements, service record books and endorsements recognising foreign diplomas, and maintains the register of seafarers’ documents.
A seafarer’s identity document is issued through the Maritime Administration and its service centres. In June 2025 the government approved a switch of these documents to forms with a contactless electronic chip.
A seafarer’s working diplomas and their revalidation
A deck or engine officer’s working diplomas must be revalidated every five years. This requires sea service over recent years, or simulator training or an exam if service falls short.
Seafarer diploma renewal can be done remotely: if you are at sea, an authorised person can submit the application. It is better to prepare the documents in advance, because scanned copies from on board are not always legible.
Work out your costs between contracts
Courses, simulators and medicals take a good part of your earnings exactly when you are at home without a salary. The free financial awareness course from Stella Maris and the Lviv Business School of UCU helps you build a budget for such periods.
STCW certificates: what to renew and when
Most certificates under the STCW convention (the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) are valid for five years. The ones renewed most often are:
- basic safety (Basic Safety Training);
- lifeboats and rafts;
- advanced fire fighting;
- medical care;
- tanker certificates, if you work on tankers.
Take refresher courses for seafarers only at training centres approved by the Maritime Administration. A certificate from an unapproved centre will be accepted neither in port nor during an inspection on board.
Renewing a seafarer’s ID
By “seafarer’s passport” people usually mean the seafarer’s identity document. To renew it you need an application form, two 35×45 mm photos, a passport, an education document or an employment certificate, the previous document and a payment receipt. Seafarers abroad can submit documents through the representative office of the State Enterprise “Service Centre of Maritime and River Transport”: this experimental procedure applies for the duration of martial law.
Legalisation of seafarer diplomas for work under a foreign flag is a separate procedure. The flag state issues its own endorsement on the basis of the Ukrainian diploma, and this is usually handled by the employer or the crewing company.
Where the limit is: what an intermediary can’t do
The market has plenty of services for seafarers that promise to arrange documents “without an exam” or “in a day.” A certificate that is not in the register will be spotted during a port inspection, and you will be the one who answers for it. An intermediary can gather papers, but can’t take the course or sit the exam for you.
Seafarer documents in 2026 are processed through the Maritime Administration, and some procedures can already be done remotely. Keep a table with the expiry dates of all your certificates and review it after every contract.
Documents, courses, a search for a contract — all at once?
When paperwork piles on top of the stress between voyages, talking to a psychologist helps. Stella Maris psychologists work with seafarers and their families.
Read also: Career Growth in the Maritime Industry: From Cadet to Captain — how much service you need for each next diploma.
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