Where candidates go wrong
Engineers often assume the nationality rule that stops a non-EU master stops them too. It does not. The other mistake is thinking a pass certificate is a Spanish ticket: it is only one condition of the refrendo (endorsement recognising a foreign CoC).
The rule for engineers
RD 269/2022 art. 67.3 requires a pass in the prueba de legislación marítima española (Spanish maritime legislation test), or the equivalent course, before recognising a CoC for:
- jefe de máquinas (chief engineer);
- primer oficial de máquinas (second engineer officer);
- any other post at nivel de gestión (management level).
The oficial de máquinas (engineer officer of the watch) at operational level needs recognition but not the test.
Which CoCs can be recognised
| Issuer | Route |
|---|---|
| EU/EEA State | Direct recognition, whatever your nationality (art. 69) |
| Agreement State | Only if on the EU Commission list and holding a DGMM agreement (art. 70) |
| Anyone else | No recognition; the 2026 list omits the UK, USA and Marshall Islands |
The 2026 call admits CoCs under STCW chapters II, III or VII at management level. The agreement States: Argentina, Chile, Peru, Cuba, Ecuador, Uruguay, Ghana, Egypt, Georgia, Philippines, Cabo Verde, Jordan, Ukraine, Turkey and Indonesia. CoCs endorsed by a State other than the issuer are never recognised (art. 67.4). You also need a valid medical (art. 67.1); crew living abroad may use an STCW/MLC-compliant foreign certificate (RD 505/2024).
Nationality
LNM art. 162 reserves only the capitán and primer oficial de puente to EEA nationals. The rest of a buque mercante's crew must be at least 50 % Spanish or EEA. There is no engineer nationality rule, and the call's nationality clause applies only to candidates for master and chief mate.
The provisional document
During processing, an urgent, complete application can get a documento justificativo (provisional document) valid up to 3 months, issued within 10 days (art. 68.3). The ministry says that without the legislation test it records only the operational-level post. A chief engineer without the test cannot sail as chief on it.
Yachts
RD 269/2022 excludes only non-commercial yachts without professional crew (art. 2.1.b). RD 804/2014 art. 7.1 requires professional crew on every buque de recreo over 24 m, and art. 9 has the DGMM set minimum crew by type, tonnage, displacement, potencia del aparato propulsor (propulsion power) and machinery automation. So the engineer refrendo rules reach Spanish-flag superyachts.
WARNING — MCA Y-tickets A UK Chief Engineer (Yacht) CoC comes from a non-agreement State and cannot currently be refrended. An EU-issued engineer CoC is the practical route.
What the examiner wants to see
Nothing here is examined directly. Your file must be admissible: a valid, refrended management-level CoC from an eligible State.
Vocabulario del examen
| Español | English |
|---|---|
| jefe de máquinas | chief engineer |
| primer oficial de máquinas | second engineer officer |
| oficial de máquinas | engineer officer of the watch |
| aparato propulsor | propulsion plant |
| reconocimiento directo | direct recognition |