REQUIREMENTS · GALLEY · SENIOR
What a Head chef or executive chef needs on paper (2026)
Owns the galley, the HACCP plan and the food budget, and there is no separate certificate track for a charter chef versus a private chef. Plus the basics.
TABLE COMPILED 19.08.2026
MUST HAVE
- Ship's Cook Certificate of Competency (UK MLC 2006), or a flag accepted equivalentCoCCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- No expiry currently. The MCA position, reported 8 March 2024, is that it does not revalidate because it is an MLC certificate rather than an STCW one.
- UNLOCKS
- Being the qualified cook a yacht must carry once it operates beyond 60 miles from a safe haven with 10 or more seafarers aboard.
SOURCE assets.publishing.service.gov.uk 19.08.2026
- Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Cateringcourse
- VALID
- 3 years is the industry norm, applied as employer and provider policy rather than a stated MCA expiry.
- UNLOCKS
- Legally handling food in the galley. It binds interior crew who process food as much as it binds cooks.
SOURCE assets.publishing.service.gov.uk 19.08.2026
- Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering or at Seacourse
- VALID
- 3 years by industry policy. For a Ship's Cook Certificate application the Level 3 award must be no more than 3 years old.
- UNLOCKS
- Owning the HACCP plan, which every head chef and most chief stewards do, and it is the level the Ship's Cook Certificate application checks.
SOURCE axtellfoodsafety.com 19.08.2026
EXPECTED
- Professional culinary qualification or equivalent kitchen backgroundadmin
- VALID
- No expiry.
- UNLOCKS
- Getting shortlisted at all. Agencies filter chefs on kitchen pedigree before they look at maritime paperwork.
SOURCE lighthouse-careers.com 19.08.2026
- Provisioning and budget ownership experienceadmin
- VALID
- No expiry.
- UNLOCKS
- The part of a yacht chef job that has no shore equivalent: sourcing and stock planning in remote places with no resupply.
SOURCE lighthouse-careers.com 19.08.2026
- Level 3 food allergy and allergen trainingcourse
- VALID
- 3 years by industry policy.
- UNLOCKS
- Guest preference sheet handling and cross contamination protocols, which management companies increasingly ask for by name.
SOURCE thesaferfoodgroup.com 19.08.2026
NICE TO HAVE
- WSET wine qualificationcourse
- VALID
- No expiry. WSET certificates do not expire.
- UNLOCKS
- Credible wine service and wine buying, which is a named filter from second steward level upward and a crossover skill for charter chefs.
SOURCE winetraining.co.uk 19.08.2026
- Pastry, sushi, sommelier or dietary specialismcourse
- VALID
- No fixed validity. These are CV differentiators, not certificated requirements.
- UNLOCKS
- Standing out on a shortlist of chefs who all hold the same statutory paperwork.
SOURCE mycrewkit.com 19.08.2026
- Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (PSCRB)CoP
- VALID
- 5 years.
- UNLOCKS
- Taking charge of a survival craft or rescue boat. Required from Chief Mate upward on deck and for engineer officers.
SOURCE stcwcoursefinder.com 19.08.2026
- STCW Advanced Fire Fighting (A-VI/3)CoP
- VALID
- 5 years, counted from the expiry of the previous certificate.
- UNLOCKS
- Leading a fire party. Required from Chief Mate upward on deck and part of the chief steward and chief engineer sets.
SOURCE mitags.org 19.08.2026
Basics for everyone
The same list on every rank page, because every rank carries it.
MUST HAVE
- STCW Basic Safety Training (PST, FPFF, EFA, PSSR)CoP
- VALID
- PST and FPFF revalidate every 5 years. Treat EFA and PSSR as the same 5 year cycle.
- UNLOCKS
- Any paid job on a commercial or private yacht. No captain signs anyone on without it.
SOURCE certvaultapp.com 19.08.2026
- Security Awareness (STCW A-VI/6) or Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD)CoP
- VALID
- MCA guidance states no mandatory expiry for Security Awareness. Many schools sell PDSD on a 5 year cycle. Treat as 5 years.
- UNLOCKS
- Serving on an ISPS Code vessel, and holding an actual security duty under the ship security plan.
SOURCE certifiedtraining.co.za 19.08.2026
- ENG1 seafarer medical certificate, or a flag accepted equivalentmedical
- VALID
- 2 years maximum for adults. 1 year for ages 16 to 18. Can be issued for a shorter period.
- UNLOCKS
- Being fit to join. It is the MLC Regulation 1.2 medical every seafarer must hold before starting work, and it gates every MCA certificate of competency.
SOURCE ukshipregister.co.uk 19.08.2026
- Passportidentity
- VALID
- Commonly 5 or 10 years by issuing state. Many countries require 6 months validity remaining at entry, plus 1 to 2 blank pages.
- UNLOCKS
- Crossing every border the boat crosses, and every flight taken to join or leave a boat.
SOURCE cbp.gov 19.08.2026
- US B1/B2 visatravelCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Stamp valid up to 10 years depending on reciprocity. Each stay is capped by the I-94, typically 6 months.
- UNLOCKS
- Entering US waters aboard the yacht, and flying in to join a boat in the United States.
SOURCE dockwalk.com 19.08.2026
- Seaman's discharge book or approved service record bookadmin
- VALID
- No expiry. Entries are added per voyage.
- UNLOCKS
- A verifiable sign on and sign off record, which is the evidence every certificate of competency application is built on, and the document Spanish port immigration now stamps.
SOURCE evolutionagents.com 19.08.2026
- MLC Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA)admin
- VALID
- Runs for the length of the contract stated in it. No separate renewal.
- UNLOCKS
- Legal employment on board. Port State Control checks for a valid SEA on every seafarer and a missing one is a named common deficiency.
SOURCE edumaritime.net 19.08.2026
- Sea service testimonials and Training Record Book (TRB)adminCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Testimonials must cover the last 12 months of service. The TRB is filled in over roughly 1 to 3 years and presented at the oral exam.
- UNLOCKS
- Progression to any certificate of competency. Without it the sea time does not count.
SOURCE gov.uk 19.08.2026
- Yellow fever vaccination certificatemedicalCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Valid for the life of the person vaccinated, since the WHO amendment to International Health Regulations Annex 7 on 11 July 2016. No booster required.
- UNLOCKS
- Going ashore in countries that require proof of vaccination for arrivals from at risk countries, among them Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
SOURCE who.int 19.08.2026
- Flag state endorsement of a certificate of competencyendorsementCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- Tied to the underlying CoC. Malta endorsements revalidate on the same 5 year cycle as the CoC. Marshall Islands certificates issued by examination are valid 5 years and a temporary Certificate of Receipt of Application is valid 90 days. Cayman validity is unverified beyond tracking the CoC.
- UNLOCKS
- Serving on that flag's vessels in that rank. It is a separate document from the CoC and the CoC alone is not enough.
SOURCE cishipping.com 19.08.2026
EXPECTED
- Schengen Seaman Short Stay (Type C) visatravelCONDITIONAL
- VALID
- 1 to 5 years depending on contract and prior Schengen visa history. Entries capped at 90 days in any rolling 180 day period.
- UNLOCKS
- Personal travel and time ashore in the Schengen area for crew who are not Schengen nationals.
SOURCE smartmovecrew.com 19.08.2026
- References from previous captains or heads of departmentadmin
- VALID
- No expiry, but agencies weigh recency more heavily than count.
- UNLOCKS
- Getting past the agency shortlist. It is not a legal requirement anywhere.
SOURCE dockwalk.com 19.08.2026
YOUR GAP LIST
Tick what you already hold. The list below updates as you go.
Mandatory and expected rows only. Nice to have rows are on the list above.
The ticks stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere and no account is needed.
Every document shows its expiry date. Pro accounts get an email before anything runs out.
QUESTIONS
Does ENG1 seafarer medical certificate, or a flag accepted equivalent expire?
2 years maximum for adults. 1 year for ages 16 to 18. Can be issued for a shorter period.
Does Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering expire?
3 years is the industry norm, applied as employer and provider policy rather than a stated MCA expiry.
What catches galley crew out?
The Ship's Cook Certificate carries no expiry date, because it is an MLC certificate rather than an STCW one. The whole galley requirement switches on vessel facts, since a yacht only has to carry a qualified cook beyond sixty miles from a safe haven with ten or more seafarers aboard. The MCA rejects computer based food safety certificates, so an online only Level 2 course does not count.