46 CFR 11.1003: General requirements for recognizing foreign STCW certificates

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets the general rules for recognizing certificates issued by other countries. The Coast Guard recognizes certificates only from countries the United States has assured itself comply with the STCW Convention and STCW Code. It issues a "Certificate attesting recognition" after checking the validity and authenticity of the home-country credential.

Applies toApplicants seeking a "Certificate attesting recognition" from the Coast Guard based on a certificate of competency issued by their country of origin.

What it says

  1. The Coast Guard recognizes certificates only from countries that the United States has assured itself comply with requirements of the STCW Convention and STCW Code.

    46 CFR 11.1003(a)“The Coast Guard recognizes certificates only from countries that the United States has assured itself comply with requirements of the STCW Convention and STCW Code”

  2. The Coast Guard will publish a list of countries whose certificates it will recognize.

    46 CFR 11.1003(b)“The Coast Guard will publish a list of countries whose certificates it will recognize.”

  3. The Coast Guard will issue a "Certificate attesting recognition" to an applicant after ensuring the validity and authenticity of the credential (certificate of competency) issued by the applicant's country of origin.

    46 CFR 11.1003(c)“The Coast Guard will issue a “Certificate attesting recognition” to an applicant after ensuring the validity and authenticity of the credential (certificate of competency) issued by their country of origin.”

  4. The Coast Guard will not accept an application from a non-US citizen for a "Certificate attesting recognition" under this subpart unless the applicant's employer satisfies the requirements of § 11.1005 of this subpart.

    46 CFR 11.1003(d)“No application from a non-US citizen for a “Certificate attesting recognition” issued pursuant to this subpart will be accepted unless the applicant's employer satisfies the requirements of § 11.1005 of this subpart.”

Common questions

Which countries' certificates does the Coast Guard recognize?

The Coast Guard recognizes certificates only from countries that the United States has assured itself comply with the STCW Convention and STCW Code. It will publish a list of those countries.

“The Coast Guard will publish a list of countries whose certificates it will recognize.”

When does the Coast Guard issue a Certificate attesting recognition?

The Coast Guard issues it after ensuring the validity and authenticity of the certificate of competency issued by the applicant's country of origin.

“The Coast Guard will issue a “Certificate attesting recognition” to an applicant after ensuring the validity and authenticity of the credential (certificate of competency) issued by their country of origin.”

Can a non-US citizen apply for a Certificate attesting recognition without employer requirements being met?

No. The Coast Guard will not accept the application unless the applicant's employer satisfies the requirements of § 11.1005 of this subpart.

“No application from a non-US citizen for a “Certificate attesting recognition” issued pursuant to this subpart will be accepted unless the applicant's employer satisfies the requirements of § 11.1005 of this subpart.”

The text of 46 CFR 11.1003

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

General requirements

(a) The Coast Guard recognizes certificates only from countries that the United States has assured itself comply with requirements of the STCW Convention and STCW Code (incorporated by reference, see § 11.102 of this part).

(b) The Coast Guard will publish a list of countries whose certificates it will recognize.

(c) The Coast Guard will issue a “Certificate attesting recognition” to an applicant after ensuring the validity and authenticity of the credential (certificate of competency) issued by their country of origin.

(d) No application from a non-US citizen for a “Certificate attesting recognition” issued pursuant to this subpart will be accepted unless the applicant's employer satisfies the requirements of § 11.1005 of this subpart.

Sections it refers to

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.