Finding the right doctor
Governing: MSN 1886 Amendment 3, section 6 and Annex C; MCA "Seafarers medical certification guidance". Builds on: L1.1.
Your own GP cannot issue an ENG1. The certificate is statutory, and only a doctor approved by the MCA for the purpose can sign it.
Who can be approved
MSN 1886 section 6 sets the minimum criteria.
| Based in | Requirements |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Full registration with the General Medical Council and a valid licence to practise |
| Outside the UK | Qualified from a medical school in the Avicenna Directory (World Directory of Medical Schools); entitled to practise locally; subject to a programme maintaining their medical skills; good command of English |
The MCA publishes, and is legally obliged to publish, lists of:
- approved doctors in the UK;
- approved doctors overseas and in international territories;
- company approved doctors, for seafarers employed by the listed companies;
- doctors who were previously approved (useful when checking an older certificate).
For yacht crew, the overseas list matters. The main Mediterranean and Caribbean yachting centres generally have an approved doctor within reach, but check the current list rather than a crew-agency forum.
The fee
The gov.uk guidance gives the current fee as £115, a limit set in UK regulations. If you are employed in the UK, your employer pays. Additional tests, such as a step test, may be charged on top, but the doctor must agree them in advance with whoever is paying. Yacht crew employed offshore are often expected to pay themselves; check your contract.
CAUTION — Price is not the point A doctor who is not on the MCA list cannot issue a valid ENG1, however cheap or convenient. Check the list before you book.
What to take
- your current ENG1 or equivalent, if you have one;
- any medication you take;
- your glasses or contact lenses, and spares;
- your GP's name and telephone number;
- any reports or letters from your GP or a consultant, especially after a hospital visit;
- current, valid photo ID: passport, driving licence, national ID card, or discharge book.
STCW requires the doctor to check ID at the examination. Since the end of May 2018, MCA approved doctors do not write the ID number on the ENG1.
Honesty is not optional
You must tell the approved doctor if you have:
- failed an ENG1;
- been issued with restrictions;
- started an ENG1 examination with another doctor and not completed it.
WARNING — Doctor shopping Moving from doctor to doctor in search of a better answer, without disclosing earlier results, can be treated as doctor shopping and could invalidate the ENG1. A certificate obtained that way is worthless the moment it is questioned, and the same doctor may suspend it (see L3.1).
Records
The approved doctor keeps full clinical notes and the completed ENG 2 report for 10 years. Records relating to health surveillance under the Merchant Shipping (Health and Safety at Work) Regulations 1997 are kept for up to 40 years. Approved doctors also send statistical returns to the MCA, and their records can be audited.
Oil and gas
If you move between yachts and offshore energy work, note that a UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) medical is an employer's medical, not an ENG1 equivalent. Some approved doctors can do both at one appointment; check the list first.
TIP — Book around your rotation Book early in leave, not the week before you fly. If anything needs further investigation, the certificate may be delayed while the doctor gathers information.