SA-STCW-L3.3

Medicals and five-yearly revalidation

SA-STCW-M3 · Getting and keeping the ticket · SA-STCW-M3-A Ratings and sea-service records, the Level 3 oral, medicals and five-yearly revalidation.

SAMSA medicals now last **two years** (one year under 18); colour vision **six**. Certificates must be **revalidated every five years**, and applying up to six months early costs you nothing.

Staying valid

Governing: 2021 Regulations, regs 3 and 85 to 91; SAMSA MIN 03-26; MN 20 of 2016. Builds on: L3.2.

A certificate that has lapsed is paper. Two clocks run on every SAMSA seafarer: the medical and the five-year revalidation.

Medical fitness

Part 5 of the 2021 Regulations replaced the 2004 medical regulations. The headline change was validity.

Document Validity
Medical certificate Up to 2 years from examination (formerly 1 year)
Medical certificate, seafarer under 18 1 year
Medical, condition needing earlier review Period set by the doctor
Visual acuity test Up to 2 years
Colour vision test Up to 6 years

SAMSA's blog notes that the two-year validity was implemented through MN 22 of 2021.

  • Examinations must be done by a SAMSA-approved medical practitioner. Approval lasts three years and requires, for example, an occupational medicine certificate or ship's doctor experience. Eyesight certificates can be issued by approved optometrists.
  • SAMSA publishes the approved lists; the current pointer is MIN 03-26 (issued 10 April 2026).
  • You need a valid medical to apply for or revalidate a certificate and to get a Seafarer's Record Book.
  • If found unfit, you or your employer may appeal. SAMSA must convene a panel of at least four, including three approved doctors, within three working days.
  • Hearing aids are not permitted except for serving seafarers who already held a certificate under these Regulations; spectacle wearers must carry a spare pair.

CAUTION — SAMSA medical versus ENG1 MSN 1815 (M+F) Amendment 7 lists South Africa among countries whose seafarer medicals are accepted on UK ships. It does not make a SAMSA medical an ENG1, and many yacht employers and agencies still ask for ENG1 specifically. See ENG1 guide.

Revalidation every five years

Regulation 3 requires certificates of competency and proficiency to be revalidated at intervals not exceeding five years. Continued professional competence can be shown by any one of:

  1. at least 12 months sea service in the preceding five years, appropriate to the certificate;
  2. 3 months approved sea service in the rank during the 6 months immediately before revalidating;
  3. functions SAMSA accepts as equivalent (MN 20 of 2016 lists roles such as maritime lecturer, surveyor and harbour master, generally with 2 years in post);
  4. approved refresher training meeting the Training Standards Code;
  5. at least 3 months supervised or supernumerary service, or service in a lower officer rank, just before taking up the rank.

You may apply up to six months before the fifth anniversary, and the new validity runs five years from the original expiry, so applying early does not cost you time.

Short-course certificates of proficiency follow the Training Standards Code. Several, including elementary first aid, PSSR and security awareness, need no revalidation; personal survival and fire fighting do, except on fishing vessels.

Worked dates

CoC expires 14 March 2027. Earliest revalidation application: 14 September 2026. Revalidated to 14 March 2032.

Yacht crew specifics

MN 20 of 2016 accepts service on "large sports or recreation vessels of appropriate tonnage" as deck service for revalidation, with 2 years' service and refresher short courses. That is SAMSA's published route for yacht officers keeping a SAMSA ticket alive. For the MCA equivalent, see Keeping Your CoC Valid and STCW refresher.

Practice questions

5 questions

recall · core

What is the maximum validity of a SAMSA seafarer medical certificate for an adult seafarer? (a) 3 years (b) 5 years (c) 2 years (d) 1 year

recall · core

How long is a colour vision test valid? (a) 6 years (b) 4 years (c) Indefinitely (d) 2 years

recall · core

Which of these satisfies continued professional competence for revalidation under reg 3(2)? (a) A valid medical certificate (b) A letter from an agency (c) At least 12 months sea service in the preceding five years (d) 6 months sea service in the preceding 10 years

recall · core

How soon before the fifth anniversary may a revalidation application be made? (a) One month (b) Six months (c) Twelve months (d) Three months

scenario · core

A SAMSA OOW whose CoC expires on 30 November 2026 has spent the last four years as second officer on a 65 m private yacht. What is the most accurate advice? (a) Yacht time can never count (b) MN 20 of 2016 lists large sports or recreation vessels as acceptable deck service for revalidation, with 2 years' service and refresher courses; apply from 30 May 2026 (c) Revalidation is only possible after expiry (d) She must re-sit the full OOW oral

Independent study. xplor is not a SAMSA-accredited training provider and awards no certificate or Certificate of Competency. Every SAMSA certificate requires approved training at a SAMSA-accredited institution, documented sea service and assessment by SAMSA, including the Level 3 oral where applicable; nothing in this course counts towards those requirements. AI-drafted content pending subject-matter-expert review.