Money and time
Governing: MS Notice 92 Rev.2. Builds on: L2.1.
The fee table
| Service | Fee (MS Notice 92 Rev.2) |
|---|---|
| New endorsement | €60 |
| Revalidation | €60 |
| Reissue (lost or damaged) | €30 |
| Courier delivery | +€25 |
| Urgent or after-hours service | Surcharge (amount not given in the extract we read) |
A worked example: a Chief Officer applies for a new endorsement and wants the original couriered to Antibes. €60 + €25 = €85, before any urgent surcharge.
Fees are small next to what a late endorsement costs: a delayed crew change, a relief officer's day rate, or a charter that cannot sail because the Crew Authorisation Attestation (Lesson 4.3) cannot be issued.
How long it takes
No published source gives a firm turnaround.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| MS Notice 92 Rev.2 | No processing time; the acknowledgement is proof of application |
| Seafarer Portal page | Printable acknowledgements for temporary use; an "Urgent" option |
| servizz.gov.mt WEB729 | Vetting, assessment, approval one day each; delivery "2 months" (paper route) |
| AML Malta (secondary, 2025) | Acknowledgement issued "within a few days" |
The honest planning figure: allow a couple of weeks for the acknowledgement if the upload is clean, and treat the endorsement itself as arriving whenever it arrives. That is why the three-month allowance (Lesson 2.3) exists.
Revalidation
MS Notice 92 Rev.2 says endorsement and CoC are revalidated every five years, each by its own issuing administration. In practice:
- Revalidate the CoC first with the home administration (MCA, USCG, AMSA and so on).
- Then revalidate the Malta endorsement, uploading the new CoC.
- Keep the old endorsement on board until the new one arrives.
An endorsement never outlasts its CoC. If the CoC expires in March and the endorsement shows a date in October, the endorsement stops being useful in March.
WARNING — Watch the medical and the GOC too For deck officers the endorsement is tied to the GMDSS certificate (CY Notice 15). A lapsed GOC can stall a revalidation just as badly as a lapsed CoC. Put all three expiry dates (CoC, GOC, medical) in the yacht's crew certificate matrix, with a 90-day warning.
Reissue
Lost the original? The reissue fee is €30. The CY Notice 15 closing note reminds Masters that originals of all certificates and endorsements must be kept on board and available for inspection. A photocopy in the crew office will not satisfy a port state officer in Palma or Porto Cervo.
TIP — Change of flag mid-career If the yacht reflags away from Malta, the endorsement is worthless to the new flag. If it reflags to Malta, start the endorsements before the registration date, not after.
Cross-refer: Keeping Your CoC Valid (MCA library) for the UK revalidation side.