Orientation
Governing: MN 1-005-2 (Rev. Jul/2025) §19; MI-280 (Rev. Jan/2025); MI-118 §2.7.4 and §2.9. Builds on: L2.1–L2.2.
Fees
Seafarer fees are set out in section 19 of MN 1-005-2 (yachts) and repeated in section 13 of MN 1-005-1. Both state they apply from 1 January 2025.
| Item | Fee (US$) |
|---|---|
| Officer CoC/CoE, management or operational, first issue | 275 |
| Renewal of officer CoC/CoE | 275 |
| GMDSS Restricted or General Operator, first issue or renewal | 100 |
| Temporary authorisation as an officer (must hold RMI endorsement in a lower capacity) | 150 |
| SIRB, new, renewal or replacement (five-year validity) | 70 |
| Optional Seafarer's Identification Card | 40 |
| Each Special Qualification Certificate | 40 |
| Certificate of Receipt of Application (CRA) | 40 |
| Urgent Authorisation (UA) | 150 |
| Replacement of a lost officer certificate | 275 |
| Authentication of sea service | 50 |
| Expediting, per one to five applicants | 75 |
| Courier, one to eight applicants (plus 5 each above eight) | 50 |
A worked example: a Master joining with a new CoE, SIRB and two SQCs, needing a CRA, costs 275 + 70 + (2 x 40) + 40 = US$465 before courier or expediting.
Fees are payable in US dollars, by cheque drawn on a US bank (or the US branch of an international bank) payable to The Trust Company of the Marshall Islands, Inc., or by card online. Cash is not accepted. Insufficient payment is one of the common reasons for a deficiency notice.
Filing agents
First-time applications must go through a filing agent approved by the Administrator. IRI says there are over 2,000 of them. Their job (IRI Filing Agent page; MI-280):
- review the form for completeness and accuracy;
- verify that the photograph and ID belong to the applicant;
- check the medical is current;
- review the original qualifying documents;
- witness the signature and complete the filing agent section.
Management companies can apply to be filing agents; many yacht managers are.
The captain as filing agent
IRI's yacht guidance lets a yacht master holding valid RMI documentation review and sign crew applications as filing agent for the yacht they command. A master joining on a CRA or UA can act once on board. Copies of seafarer documents are acceptable for processing. MI-280 adds that the master cannot act as filing agent for their own application.
TIP — Use the captain, but keep a trail The captain filing on board is fast, but it puts a lot of paper through one person. Keep a crew-documents log: who applied for what, when, and when the 90 days run out.
How long it takes
None of the RMI publications read for this course gives a standard processing time. What they do say is that STCW allows the Administrator 90 days to process and issue documentation, and that after 90 days all CRAs, UAs and MI-105 and MI-273 applications expire and cannot be extended (MI-280 §2.8). An expediting service is available for a fee.
CAUTION — New builds For a new-build RMI yacht, applications may be submitted once the RMI Construction Certificate of Registry is issued or no sooner than 90 days before projected registration. Earlier applications are held until registration is confirmed, and anything on hold for more than 90 days is rejected and returned (MI-118 §2.7.4).