Certificate of recognition

​Certificates of recognition are issued by the Danish Maritime Authority on the basis of the seafarer's foreign certificate of competency. The Danish Maritime Authority also issues certificates of endorsement for foreign ship's cooks.

A Danish certificate of recognition is a certificate issued to a seafarer who has not completed a Danish exam or does not hold a Danish certificate of competency, who would like to be engaged on a ship flying the Danish flag.

Apply online for certificates

Typically, shipowners and agents will apply for certificates of recognition on behalf of the seafarers.

To apply as a shipowner or an agent, login with either MitID or employee signature. It is also possible to login with username/password for shipowners without CVR number or employees based abroad.

We request a fee of DKK 855 for certificates, which can be paid by credit card or by invoice, provided that the shipowner has an agreement about this.

Apply for certificate

For your easy reference we have created a guide and video guide, where you can see the options which our self-service offers to you as a shipowner or manning agency.

See the guide here

Certificate of endorsement for foreign ship's cooks

If you are a foreign cook and would like to work on board a merchant ship flying the Danish flag, you must have a certificate of endorsement for foreign ship's cooks from the Danish Maritime Authority.

Foreign ship's cooks from an EU/EEA country

Ship's cooks from other EU/EEA countries are approved on the basis of their ship's cook certificate from their own country.

Foreign ship's cooks outside the EU/EEA

Ship's cooks from countries outside the EU/EEA must be approved by the shipowner first by means of a so-called "48/24 declaration", which confirms that you have completed 48 months' apprenticeship as a ship's cook, 24 months of which in seagoing service.

The Danish Maritime Authority has approved the following educational institution for the training/education of ship's cooks for Danish ships.

  • Catering Academy, OSM Maritime Services, INC.

If an education from the Philippines is not completed at one of the schools approved by the Danish Maritime Authority, the seafarer must complete an operational interview/assessment

List of countries recognized by Denmark

Overview of schools

There is no such requirement for operational interview / assessment for ratings, ship´s cook and ETO.

  • All foreign officers must hold a certificate of recognition; ratings are not required to have a certificate of recognition.
  • All seafarers must have a medical certificate, from a country that has implemented the STCW convention and ratified the MLC.
  • Senior officers must have completed a Danish maritime law course.
  • Masters must have completed a Danish maritime law course for masters.

The Danish Maritime Authority can issue a CRA (confirmed receipt of application), which is a temporary certificate valid for up to three months.

CRA's can in most cases be issued automatically upon request following the filing of an application.
Should the need for a CRA arise after the application has been sent, a request can be sent on e-mail.

CRAs are not issued to masters.

If you are a citizen in EU, Norway, Island or Liechtenstein you can apply for a Danish certificate of recognition on our self-service for seafarers.

Go to self-service

Our average case processing time is currently 5 working days, however, you should always apply well in advance.

After applying, you will receive an e-mail with a receipt for your payment and a separate e-mail with confirmation of receipt of your application and your case number.

If you have any questions or need to forward additional documentation, you can reply to the e-mail you have received stating your case number.

At any time, you can follow the status of your application in self-service or app. 

Contact

Certificates
Seafarers, Certification and Social Affairs
T:+45 72 19 60 15