Entry & progression
Governing: 46 CFR 10.401–10.412; NMC STCW guidance (I General, 5 Mar 2020); NMC policy letter listing (1 Oct 2019). Builds on: L1.1.
What the Coast Guard approves
10.402(a) – the Coast Guard may approve courses designed to substitute for or fulfil:
- a portion of a sea service requirement;
- examinations required by the Coast Guard;
- professional competency requirements;
- regulatory requirements.
A school applies to the NMC with a full curriculum package (10.402(b)). The approved-course list is kept by the NMC online (10.406).
What an approved school must do
10.403(a) in summary:
- teach in English unless approved otherwise;
- run written exams and practical demonstrations; a course replacing a Coast Guard exam must be hard enough that a graduate “would most likely pass, on the first attempt”;
- keep scores, exams, attendance, certificates and instructor names for at least 5 years;
- by 25 November 2026, submit each student’s completion to the Coast Guard electronically within 5 business days, with course code, instructor, the student’s Mariner Reference Number and a unique certificate code (10.403(a)(7));
- audit itself midway through the approval and allow Coast Guard inspection at any time.
TIP – Electronic reporting changes the paper chase Once 10.403(a)(7) is in force, the NMC will hold your completion before your application arrives. Make sure the school has your correct Mariner Reference Number, or your name exactly as on your MMC.
Validity of the approval and the certificate
- 10.402(d) – an approval is valid for up to 5 years, unless surrendered, suspended or withdrawn.
- 10.402(e)(2) – the Coast Guard may refuse certificates if the course did not follow its approval conditions.
- 10.402(g)(4) – “Course completion certificates will not be accepted for training provided during a period of suspension or expiration.”
How long a certificate stays usable for your application depends on the endorsement. BT, AFF, PSC and FRB work to a 5-year continued-competence clock (Module 2). First aid and CPR for an original officer endorsement must be within 1 year, unless you show BT continued competence (11.201(i)).
CAUTION – Check the approval, not the brochure Before you pay, check the school and the course code on the NMC approved-course list and confirm the approval covers the date you attend.
Accepted training
10.408 covers training that the Coast Guard does not approve directly but will accept:
- it must meet the same standards as approved courses (10.408(a));
- the Coast Guard accepts courses approved and monitored by a Coast Guard-accepted Quality Standard System (QSS) organisation, and keeps a list of them (10.408(b));
- training found non-compliant can be removed from the list, and applications relying on it may be denied (10.408(c)).
10.412 – distance and e-learning may be allowed to the standards of STCW Code section B-I/6. Practical elements such as firefighting and sea survival cannot be done online.
Foreign courses
The NMC General guidance refers foreign training to Policy Letter 07-01, Recognition of Training Courses Approved or Accepted by Foreign Administrations, which the NMC listing shows as active. The CFR itself routes all STCW evidence through approved or accepted training (11.301(a), 12.601(b)).
WARNING – An MCA certificate is not a US endorsement A US mariner who did Basic Safety Training in Antibes or Southampton should expect to be asked for Coast Guard-approved or accepted training. Ask the NMC before you rely on foreign course certificates. What does carry across is covered in USCG and MCA: What Carries Across.
Instructors and assessors
Qualified Assessors and Designated Examiners are approved under 10.405. A QA signature on an approved assessment form is how onboard competence becomes evidence (11.301(a)(1)(i)).