Seafarers submit and receive documents in person at the Registry of Seamen only after prior appointment.
- It is possible to apply for the submission of documents online.
- To receive information, call the information telephone number: +371 67099419.
No, photography takes place at the Registry of Seamen on site and at no additional charge.
After submitting the documents, the submitted documents are verified within 7 days. If additional document verification is required, the period is extended to 30 days.
Once the documents have been verified, the certificate is issued within 10 working days. At the request of the seafarer, the certificate is issued urgently (within 2 working days), applying double payment.
If a competency assessment is required to obtain the certificate, the qualification certificate is issued within 10 working days after successfully passing the exam. At the request of the seafarer, the certificate is issued urgently (within 2 working days), applying double payment.
If additional verification of submitted documents is required, you will be informed about this at the time of submission of documents. By calling the information telephone number +371 67099419, you will be able to find out about the results of the verification and the time of the competency assessment (if necessary).
You can pay for the services of the Registry of Seamen using the services of credit institutions, by bank transfer or in the internet bank.
All service pricelists and banking details can be found here, under the Registry of Seamen section.
As a result of changing personal data, all maritime documents that include the changed data and that are necessary for work at sea must be replaced.
No. Only the person to whom the document is issued can receive the documents.
In the event of loss, destruction or theft of your qualification document, you must submit an application for publication in the official publisher “Latvijas Vēstnesis” stating that the qualification document is considered invalid. After publication, you can submit documents to the Register of Seafarers for the replacement of the qualification certificate.
In the event of loss, theft or destruction of the seaman’s book, the seafarer shall submit all necessary documents to receive a new seaman’s book.
In addition to the documents to be submitted, a written explanation of the circumstances of the loss, theft or destruction of the seaman’s book must be provided. In cases where the seaman’s book has been stolen or abducted, a response from the Police shall be presented.
The applicant is registered for the exam only after submitting the documents and their verification. Registration is also made in case of need for a computer-based test.
The exam takes place on Tuesdays – for the deck department and on Thursdays – for the engine room department, the computer-based test starting at 08:00 (after registration) and the interview starting at 13:00.
If the competency assessment requires both a computer-based test and an interview, both parts of the exam must be taken on the same day. If you do not attend the interview after passing the computer-based test, the competency assessment will have to be retaken and paid for again.
The use of personal materials during the competency assessment is not permitted. The exception is during the computerized test, when the use of the Registry of Seamen’s dictionary, calculator and paper for necessary notes is permitted.
The computer-based test consists of 70 questions. To pass the test, the total number of correct answers must be at least 70% (49 correct answers). You are given 2 hours to answer the test questions.
Competency assessment commissions are attended by assessors certified by the Registry of Seamen and approved by the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Latvia.
The competency assessment may be taken no more than 3 times within a six-month period. If the competency assessment is not passed within this period, it is possible to re-apply for the desired qualification (by re-submitting documents to the Registry of Seamen) no sooner than 6 months after the last competency assessment . During this time, it is possible to apply for a lower qualification.
Before the competency assessment, there is an opportunity to take a computer-based practice test. You can apply at the Registry of Seamen in Office 7 or by calling +371 67099415.
To obtain a new or renewed certificate of qualification, a valid seafarer’s medical examination certificate is required. See here for information on seafarer’s medical examinations.
For certification purposes, only a seafarer’s medical examination certificate issued abroad by a seafarer’s medical practitioner recognized by a Member State of the European Union or the European Economic Area in accordance with the requirements of Regulation I/9 of the STCW Convention and Standard A-I/9 of the STCW Code is accepted.
Information on course costs can be obtained from training centers. List of approved seafarer training course programs and contact information for training centers.
