Certifications

A yacht chef needs three papers, in this order: an ENG1 medical, then STCW basic safety training, then a Ship's Cook Certificate if the boat carries 10 or more crew on most commercial flags. No crew agent moves your CV without the first two, and the Ship's Cook application needs both anyway.

ENG1 medical

The ENG1 is the UK seafarer medical: vision including color, hearing, a physical and a health questionnaire. It lasts two years at most, one year if you're under 18. It isn't legally required on a private pleasure yacht, but private boats ask for it anyway.

Only an MCA-approved doctor can issue one, and the only list that counts is the MCA's at gov.uk/government/publications/mca-approved-doctors-overseas (last updated 3 November 2026). Third-party lists lag. The UK fee is capped at £115; overseas doctors don't publish prices, so call to confirm fee and booking. Extra tests cost extra.

South Florida (the only MCA doctors in the US) - Dr E Grenet, Health Medical Centers, 1489 SE 17th St, Suite 2, Fort Lauderdale FL 33316. +1 954 525 7595. Books through BlueHive, closed weekends. - Dr J DeNobriga, 8190 S Jog Rd, Ste 220, Boynton Beach FL 33472. +1 561 369 2908. - Dr R Greer IV, 624 US Highway 1, Lake Park FL 33403. +1 561 844 2464.

Côte d'Azur (none in Nice or Cannes proper) - Dr C Besse, 74 Avenue de la Liberté, Golfe-Juan 06220. +33 6 47 45 22 88. - Dr B Lavagne, Le Vendôme C, 4 Chemin du Tanit, Juan-les-Pins 06160. +33 6 61 15 03 07. - Dr S Gordon, Cabinet Médical Gordon, 1913 Route de Cannes, Valbonne 06560. +33 4 93 12 95 66. - Dr C Trim-Cauchois, Belle Classe Academy, Yacht Club de Monaco, Quai Louis II, Monte-Carlo 98000. +33 6 43 91 75 79.

Palma - Dr J Clark, Club de Mar Medical, Bartomeu Rosselló Porcel 14 BJ, Palma 07014. +34 971 703 391. - Dr A Bajpai, British Medical Centre, Calle Ses Planes 7 Bajo, Palma Nova 07181. +34 971 683 511. - Dr L Wilkinson, Huxley Practice, Carrer del Miracle 8, Palma 07002. +34 651 981 633.

Antigua (both in St John's) - Dr A Dyer, Unit 4, Village Walk Shopping Centre, Friar's Hill Rd. +1 268 562 6705. - Dr R Williams, No. 3 Radcliffe Center, Old Parham Rd. +1 268 562 9428.

The seafarer medical sold through Jane's Yacht Services in Falmouth is not an ENG1.

Newport and the US Northeast: none. No MCA doctor in RI, MA, CT, NY, NJ or ME; get it done in Florida. St Maarten / St Martin: none.

Equivalents. MSN 1815 (M+F) Amendment 7 (August 2026) lists the national seafarer medicals the UK accepts instead of an ENG1: most of the EU/EEA (France, Spain, Italy, Croatia among them) plus Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland and a few others. Malta only counts if done in Malta. Carry an English translation. The USA is not on it, so a USCG medical (CG-719K) does not substitute for the ENG1 on a UK-flag boat. A French medical done in Antibes does.

ML5. The lighter UK medical, done by any GMC-registered (UK) doctor. It covers small commercial boats under 24m within 60 miles of shore, not a 24m+ yacht.

STCW basic training

Five modules: Personal Survival Techniques (PST), Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF), Elementary First Aid (EFA), Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR), and Proficiency in Security Awareness (PSA). The MCA requires all five for Ship's Cook, so buy PSA with the package. Fully online STCW is worthless; the MCA rejects online courses for modules that need hands-on practicals.

Refresher every five years, two routes: - MCA route: "Updated proficiency in PST and FPFF." Bluewater Antibes and Palma €690; Flying Fish, Cowes £560 (4 days). - USCG route: revalidation if you have one year of sea time in the last five (MPT, 1 day, $529), full refresher if you don't (MPT, 3 days, last published at $899; call to confirm). Also PYT USA $749 (1 day), STAR Center $715 (3 days), Northeast Maritime Institute $725 (2 days), Crew Training Solutions Palma €595.

Who accepts what. UK and Red Ensign flags, Cayman included, accept MCA-approved training. USCG-approved training is accepted on many other flags. Call the boat's flag before you pay.

MCA approval is per module, per provider. "MCA lists" below means the school appears on the MCA's PST and FPFF provider lists (8 October 2026). "Self-described" means the school says MCA approved or recognized but gov.uk doesn't show it. Prices are posted 2026 prices.

Region	School	Price	Length	Approval
Fort Lauderdale	PYT USA	$1,299	5 days	MCA PST list only
Fort Lauderdale	MPT	$1,376 a la carte, no PSA	5 days	USCG
Fort Lauderdale	Resolve Maritime Academy	$900	5 days	USCG; self-described MCA
Fort Lauderdale	STAR Center, Dania Beach	$945	5 days	USCG
Fort Lauderdale	Seven Seas Prep	$925	online plus 2 days	not on MCA lists
Northeast US	Northeast Maritime Institute, Fairhaven MA	$1,275	5 days	USCG
Northeast US	MITAGS, Baltimore area	$2,155	5 days	USCG plus MCA lists
Antibes	Bluewater	€1,295	call to confirm	MCA lists
Palma	Bluewater	€1,295	call to confirm	MCA lists
Palma	Crew Training Solutions	€998 incl PSA	5 days	Marshall Islands approved; self-described MCA
Palma	Palma Sea School	price on request	call to confirm	MCA PST list only
Antigua	OnDeck Maritime Training, Falmouth	$1,175 incl PSA	5 days	MCA lists
Sint Maarten	Maritime School of the West Indies	€1,190	6 days	self-described MCA
UK	Warsash, Southampton	£999 incl PSA	5 days	MCA lists
UK	Flying Fish, Cowes	£850 incl PSA	6 days	MCA lists
UK	UKSA, Cowes	£875	5 days	MCA lists

Ship's Cook Certificate

Who needs it. - UK flag: a commercial ship with 10 or more seafarers needs a qualified cook, unless it stays within 60 miles of a safe haven and never calls at a port outside the UK. Cross to the Caribbean or the Med and that exemption is gone. - Cayman: an MLC ship ordinarily carrying 10 or more seafarers on voyages over 3 days or 36 hours from a safe port carries a qualified cook. That covers Cayman Large Yachts and Passenger Yachts. - Other flags set their own line.

UK MCA route. The rules are in MSN 1846 (M) Amendment 1; you apply on form MSF 4395. You need: 1. Age 18 or over. 2. One month of sea service in any capacity, proven by Discharge Book or discharge certificates. 3. All five STCW basic certificates, PSA included. 4. A current ENG1 or accepted equivalent. 5. A Level 2 food safety course from MIN 689 (below). 6. A Level 2 Professional Cookery Diploma (or equivalent) plus an Assessment in Marine Cookery, or a Level 2 Diploma in Marine Cookery.

Send originals or attested copies, two endorsed passport photos and the signed form to the Registry of Shipping and Seamen, Anchor Court, Keen Road, Cardiff CF24 5JW (seafarers.registry@mcga.gov.uk, 0333 399 0039). The MCA doesn't publish the fee; call the Registry.

The assessment centre gives you an award; the MCA issues the certificate. The MCA list has three approved centres and none outside the UK:

Centre	Price	Length	Notes
Leiths, London, +44 20 8749 6400	£1,045 incl VAT	2.5 days	Monthly dates from Dec 2026. Food safety not included.
City of Glasgow College, 0141 375 5555	price on request	call to confirm	MCA approved
Entier Services, Aberdeenshire, 01224 356040	price on request	call to confirm	MCA approved

Nothing in the US, Antibes, Palma or the Caribbean leads to the UK certificate.

Cayman route. CISR runs no exam. It issues a recognition statement to cooks holding a cook qualification from an MLC country, an NVQ Level II in catering, or chef experience plus managerial-level food safety. You also need advanced food hygiene, one month of sea time, a food hygiene refresher within the last 3 years, a valid medical and STCW basic. It stays valid while those stay current; the fee isn't published. Ocean Wave Monaco runs a 2-day Ship's Cook Assessment (through Bluewater, price on request) and submits the CISR application. It leads to Cayman recognition, not the UK certificate.

Marshall Islands. The cook certificate is optional, but cooks still have to complete an approved MLC Reg 3.2 cook course.

Malta. The yacht crew notices say nothing about ship's cooks.

Cross-flag acceptance is an open question. Nobody publishes whether the MCA treats a Cayman recognition statement as a UK equivalent, or whether Marshall Islands or Malta yachts accept a UK or Cayman cook certificate. Get the answer from the boat's flag in writing before you pay.

Food safety

MIN 689 (M) Amendment 3 lists the food safety qualifications the MCA accepts. Level 2 is the minimum. A live virtual classroom with a lecturer and supervised exam is accepted; a computer-only course is not. ServSafe is not on the list. Amendment 3 expires 30 November 2026 and will be reissued, so check the current version on gov.uk before you book.

• PYT USA, Fort Lauderdale: Food Safety at Sea Level II, 1 day, $250. Call to confirm it's on MIN 689.
• Ocean Wave via Bluewater, Antibes: HABC Level 2 or 3, price on request.

Visas and Schengen

Carry a passport with blank pages and six months' validity past your travel. Non-US crew on US boats need a B1/B2 visa. Keep a Discharge Book; it proves your sea time for Ship's Cook.

Schengen allows 90 days in any rolling 180. The EU Entry/Exit System went fully live on 10 April 2026 and logs you biometrically at every Schengen border. ETIAS, the pre-travel authorization for visa-exempt travellers (US, UK, Canada, Australia), was slated for Q4 2026; check travel-europe.europa.eu before any Med contract. Croatia has been in Schengen since 1 January 2023, so days there count. Days in Montenegro or Turkey don't add to your count, but they don't reset it either; the window keeps rolling.

Before you pay for anything

• Ask the captain the boat's flag, then confirm with that flag which STCW, medical and cook certificates it accepts.
• Ask any STCW school for its MCA approval on all five modules and match it to the gov.uk lists.
• Re-check the gov.uk ENG1 list the week you book; call the doctor for price and lead time.
• UK Ship's Cook: call the Registry for the fee, and ask whether your culinary background counts as Level 2 cookery equivalent.
• Confirm your food safety course is on the current MIN 689 list.
• Cayman: ask CISR for the fee and whether your experience fits the recognition route.