Orientation
Governing: MI-280 §2.3.5, §3 and §5; MI-118 §1.5, §2.10 and §3.1.2; MI-290 §4.6. Builds on: the whole course.
What goes wrong
MI-280 names the usual culprits plainly: missing supporting documentation, insufficient payment and incomplete applications. Around them sit a set of smaller faults that come up again and again.
| Fault | Where the rule is |
|---|---|
| Photo poor quality, distorted, older than 12 months, or a selfie | MI-280 §3.5.4.1, §5.4.4.1 |
| Form illegible | MI-280 §3.5.2, §5.4.2 |
| Photocopied or electronic signatures | MI-280 §3.5.6.2, §5.4.6.2 |
| Plain copy of the national CoC instead of a certified copy; no STCW endorsement copy | MI-280 §5.4.4.4 |
| National CoC expired, altered or illegible; issuing nation not on Annex 7 | MI-118 §3.1.2 |
| Medical older than 24 months, incomplete MI-105M | MI-118 §2.11.3; MI-280 §2.2.1 |
| Training certificate outside the five-year window | MI-118 §2.11.6–2.11.8 |
| SQCs requested outside Block 12 of the MI-273 | MI-280 §3.2.2 |
| Documents not in English without certified translation | MI-280 §3.5.3 |
| Identity document is the document being applied for, or a driving licence | MI-280 §3.5.4.3 |
| No privacy consent | MI-118 §1.5.4 |
| Wrong or short fee | MI-280 §2.3.5.2 |
A deficient application usually gets a notice explaining the problem; sometimes the whole thing comes back. Once fixed, the same application can be resubmitted, though expediting or courier fees may be added.
WARNING — The clock does not stop A rejected application does not pause the 90-day life of a CRA or MI-273 copy. If the fix takes three weeks, those are three weeks off your authority to serve.
Before you fly: joining checklist
Your own documents
- National CoC, valid, with STCW endorsement; certified copies of both
- Issuing administration on MI-118 Annex 7
- Medical (ENG1 or equivalent) within 24 months; the original comes with you
- Advanced firefighting, PSCRB and medical first aid issued within five years
- Basic training (PST and FPFF within five years, EFA, PSSR) and security awareness
- Radar/ARPA, ECDIS, BRM or ERM, leadership, GMDSS as your grade needs
- Passport; one year of sea service evidence if your CoC is over a year old
- Letter of recommendation from your last Master or employer
- Privacy consent submitted
RMI paper
- MI-105 filed; CRA issued, or UA with the MI-105 to follow within 15 days
- MI-273 filed; signed copy or MI-273OR in hand
- Expiry dates of CRA/UA and MI-273 copy noted (90 days)
- Any existing RMI CoE and SIRB in date
On arrival
- CRA signed by you and the Master; printed in colour
- Certificates handed to the Master
- Your capacity matches the MSMC billet you are filling
- SIRB sea service to be signed on sign-off
TIP — Keep a scanned folder Keep clear colour scans of every certificate, front and back, in one folder. Nine times out of ten, the missing document is sitting in someone's inbox.