ENG1 Medical Certificate: What the UK Seafarer Medical Involves
The ENG1 medical certificate explained: who needs one, what the MCA approved doctor checks, eyesight standards, validity periods, restrictions and reviews.
The ENG1 medical certificate is the UK seafarer fitness certificate, issued under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and available only from an MCA approved doctor after an in-person examination. For most seafarers on UK-registered ships and commercially registered yachts it is valid for up to two years. No employer can lawfully sign you on without a valid one.
A regular GP cannot issue one, however thorough the appointment. The MCA maintains its own list of approved doctors, and an examination by anyone else has no standing.
Who needs an ENG1
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 requires every seafarer to hold a valid medical certificate recognized by the flag administration before starting work at sea. On UK flag ships that certificate is the ENG1. Yacht crew working on commercially registered vessels are usually asked for one as a matter of course, and many training providers require it before you start an STCW course.
Certificates from a number of other countries are accepted as equivalent to the ENG1. The MCA publishes that list in a Merchant Shipping Notice, and it changes, so check the current version rather than relying on what a crew agent tells you.
What happens at the examination
Allow around 30 to 45 minutes. The doctor works through a standard sequence:
- Medical history, current conditions and a full list of medication
- Height, weight and body mass index
- Blood pressure and cardiovascular examination
- Urine test
- Vision, both distance and near, and color vision where the role requires it
- Hearing test
- General physical examination and mobility
- Questions on mental health, alcohol and drug use
Answer honestly. Non-disclosure of a known condition can invalidate the certificate and can affect an employer's insurance position after an incident, which is a far worse outcome than a restriction.
Eyesight standards depend on your department
Deck officers and ratings with lookout duties face the strictest requirements: higher uncorrected and corrected visual acuity, and normal color vision. Engineers and other departments have lower color vision requirements, because the safety case for distinguishing navigation lights does not apply.
Corrective lenses are allowed for most roles provided you carry a spare pair on board. If you wear glasses or contacts, bring them and bring the prescription.
The four possible outcomes
- Fit for sea service, unrestricted : the standard result.
- Fit with restrictions : for example limited to near-coastal waters, no lookout duties, or a requirement to wear corrective lenses.
- Temporarily unfit : a treatable or recovering condition, with a review date.
- Permanently unfit : rare, and normally applied where a condition cannot be managed safely at sea.
Restrictions are not automatically career-ending. Many are specific to a duty rather than to the profession, and some can be lifted after treatment and a further examination.
How long it stays valid
Certificates for seafarers aged 18 and over are generally issued for up to two years. Those under 18 receive a maximum of one year. A doctor can issue a shorter period where a condition needs monitoring, and color vision testing normally stands for several years rather than being repeated at each medical.
Book a renewal six to eight weeks before expiry. Appointment availability tightens in the run-up to the yachting season and around crew change peaks.
ENG1 and ML5 are not interchangeable
The ML5 is a lower-level UK medical intended for crew on smaller vessels working in restricted waters. It does not meet the STCW or Maritime Labour Convention standard, so it will not satisfy an employer who has asked for an ENG1. Seafarers occasionally book the cheaper ML5 by mistake and then have to pay for both.
If you are found unfit or given a restriction
Ask for the decision and its reasons in writing. You can request a review by an MCA medical referee, and the useful step before doing so is collecting specialist evidence: a cardiologist letter, a sleep study result, treatment compliance data, or an updated diabetes control record. A review with no new clinical information almost never changes the outcome.
What to take with you
Photo identification, your discharge book or seafarer documentation if you hold one, glasses or contact lenses with the prescription, a written medication list with doses, any specialist reports, and your previous ENG1. Turning up with those items is the difference between a certificate issued that day and a deferral pending paperwork.
Our Merchant Navy Careers section covers the training and certification that sits alongside the medical, including STCW basic safety training and the cadetship routes into UK certificates of competency.
Sources and further reading
- MSN 1815 Amendment 1: Countries whose seafarer medical certificates are accepted as equivalent to the ENG1 - MCA
- What is an ENG1 medical certificate and requirements - UKSA
- ENG1 Medical Certificate Explained - Stream Marine Training
What to read next
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