Do I have to meet the requirements for STCW to receive a domestic officer endorsement?

No, you do need to meet STCW requirements for a domestic officer endorsement.

What is Domestic vs STCW?

Domestic (National) Endorsements are what you're sailing on in US waters. Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping or STCW (International) Endorsements are what are attached to domestic endorsements for going into international waters. Which means you have to hold the equivalent Domestic Endorsement to obtain an STCW Endorsement.

What are the Domestic endorsements equivalent to STCW?

Below are some common equivalents. This is not an exhaustive list.

Domestic

STCW

QMED

RFPEW

Master 100 GRT Inland

NO STCW GOES WITH INLAND

Unlimited Chief Mate OC

Chief Mate 3000 GT or More

Management Level

We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!

MM-SEAS is free to use on your own and if you need some more personalized help you can upgrade to MM-SEAS Pro inside of the site.

No matter what, when you are ready to submit your application, you can choose to have the MM-SEAS staff create a perfect application, handle the USCG application fees and work with the USCG on your behalf to resolve any issues for a flat fee of $349 or you can choose to submit on your own.

Pro MM-SEAS members get access to unlimited live 1 on 1 calls with one of our USCG Licensing Specialists. We've found that answering questions live with screen sharing in a video call makes both of our lives easier. Pro MM-SEAS members can access these features inside of MM-SEAS under License Guidance.