Certificate of recognition

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

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.

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

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.

• 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.
• For medical certificate in Denmark, please find information here.
• 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.