RMI-ENDORSE-L2.1

The MI-105 package

RMI-ENDORSE-M2 · Building the application · RMI-ENDORSE-M2-A The MI-105 package, the medical and training evidence behind it, and what it costs and takes.

An endorsement application is only as good as its **weakest attachment**. Here is the full kit, item by item.

Orientation

Governing: MI-118 §2.7 and §2.11; MI-280 (Rev. Jan/2025) Section 5. Builds on: L1.3.

The form

Officers apply for a CoE on form MI-105, Application for Endorsement of Officer Certificate of Competence. The same form is used for renewals and for GMDSS operator certificates. Download the current revision each time; MI-280 discourages saving old copies because the form changes.

The application must be completed in English. Supporting documents in another language need a certified English translation identifying the translator. The applicant signs in the presence of the filing agent, who completes Part III (certificate verification) and signs. Photocopied or electronic signatures are rejected.

The attachments

Item Standard Source
Photograph One colour photo, 45 mm x 45 mm, taken within 12 months; poor or distorted photos and selfies rejected MI-118 §2.11.5; MI-280 §5.4.4
Medical MI-105M or acceptable equivalent, within 24 months, meeting STCW I/9 MI-118 §2.11.3
National CoC Certified copy of the CoC and of its STCW endorsement MI-280 §5.4.4.4
Verification Filing agent's confirmation with the issuing authority, attached MI-280 §5.4.4.5
Sea service At least one year in the five years before application MI-118 §3.2.1
Letter of recommendation From most recent Master or employer MI-118 §2.11.4
Training certificates Advanced firefighting, PSCRB, medical first aid, plus radar/ARPA/ECDIS/BRM/leadership as relevant MI-118 §2.11.6–2.11.14
Proof of age Passport or equivalent MI-118 §2.11.1
Privacy consent Online Data Privacy Consent or form MI-273C MI-118 §1.5
Fee See Lesson 2.3 MN 1-005-2 §19

Renewals must also include a copy of your previous RMI CoC or CoE.

The one-year shortcut

MI-118 §2.11.18 and Annex 7 carry a useful exemption. If your national STCW certificate was issued within one year of your RMI application, you do not have to document sea service, nautical training or a medical examination. If it is valid but older than a year, you must provide a medical and one year of sea service in the last five years.

CAUTION — The medical window is stated twice, differently §2.11.18 and §5.4.3 ask for a medical taken within two years; Annex 7 says within one year. Until Seafarers' Documentation clarifies, send a medical under twelve months old if you have one.

Sea service evidence

Acceptable evidence includes a copy of your discharge book or a certified transcript from employers. For service on RMI yachts, a copy of your RMI SIRB or a certificate of service is required. If you file in person you may show originals; otherwise send copies (§3.2.1). Anything showing signs of alteration makes the whole document unacceptable.

Management-level affidavit

Applicants at management level — Master or Chief Mate for 500 GT or more, Chief Engineer or First Assistant Engineer for 750 kW or more — sign the affidavit in Part VIII of the MI-105 confirming they have read MI-105A, Familiarization with the National Maritime Legislation. It is a real document; read the parts that cover your duties.

TIP — One staple, no staples through the photo MI-280's completion guide is fussy for good reason: documents behind the form with one staple, photo glued not stapled. Small things like this are why applications come back.

Practice questions

5 questions

recall · core

What size must the photograph attached to an MI-105 be? (a) Any passport-accepted size (b) 50 mm x 50 mm (c) 35 mm x 45 mm (d) 45 mm x 45 mm (1 3/4 in square)

recall · core

What form of the national CoC must accompany the MI-105? (a) Certified copies of the national CoC and its STCW endorsement certificate (b) The original CoC, posted to Reston (c) A photograph of the CoC taken on a phone (d) A letter from the national administration only

recall · core

From whom must the letter of recommendation come? (a) Any two RMI-licensed officers (b) The applicant's most recent Master or employer (c) The applicant's national maritime administration (d) A Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs

recall · core

How will Seafarers' Documentation treat an MI-105 bearing an electronic signature? (a) It will be accepted but the CRA will be refused (b) It will be accepted if the filing agent also signs electronically (c) It will be rejected (d) It will be processed but the fee doubles

scenario · core

A mate's MCA CoC was revalidated four months ago. When assembling his MI-105 the purser asks for a year of discharge records. Is that necessary? (a) Yes; two years in the last five are required for Mate (b) No; sea service is never required for an endorsement (c) Yes; one year in the last five is always mandatory (d) No; if the national CoC was issued within one year, sea service proof is not required

Independent study. xplor is not affiliated with the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator and awards no certificate, endorsement or Certificate of Competency. Applications for RMI endorsements, SIRBs and SQCs must be made through an approved filing agent or authorised yacht master and are decided solely by the Administrator. AI-drafted content pending subject-matter-expert review.