ENG1 Medical Certificate: What It Is, Cost, Validity & Renewal
"Have you got your STCW and ENG1?"
If you're trying to break into yachting, people will ask you this before anything else. Captains ask it, crew agents ask it, and so does the bosun you're trying to impress on the dock in Antibes. The STCW Basic Training is the safety course. The ENG1 is the medical.
This guide covers what an ENG1 medical certificate is, who issues it, what it costs, how long it lasts, and how to book one, renew it, and stay valid.
What is an ENG1 medical certificate?
The ENG1 is the UK's seafarer medical fitness certificate. In the words of the UK Ship Register, part of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA): "Seafarers employed on ships must have a seafarer medical fitness certificate, which in the UK is an ENG 1."
It proves a doctor has examined you and found you fit to work at sea. You can't get one from your own GP. Only MCA-approved doctors can issue it, and only after a full medical exam. These doctors work in the UK and overseas.
Southampton's docks from Mayflower Park. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which sets the ENG1 standards and approves the doctors, is headquartered in Southampton. Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0.
You don't need to be British to hold one. Crew of every nationality get ENG1s, and there are approved doctors around the world, including in the yachting hubs.
Why yachts require it
Commercially operated yachts have to follow crew certification rules, and medical fitness is part of that. In practice the industry has settled on a simple baseline before you join a boat: STCW Basic Training plus a valid ENG1. That includes dayworkers. A captain who takes you on for three days of sanding and varnishing still wants to know you're medically fit and safety-trained.
Every crew member on a yacht like this one in Port Vauban, Antibes, from deckhand to captain, is expected to hold a valid seafarer medical. Photo: Spike, CC BY-SA 4.0.
If you turn up to dockwalk without an ENG1, most conversations end there. Get it done before you fly out, or in your first week on the ground.
How long does an ENG1 last?
Under MSN 1886 Amendment 3, the MCA notice that sets the medical standards:
| Who | Maximum validity |
|---|---|
| Over 18 | 2 years |
| Under 18 | 1 year |
| Medical reason flagged by the doctor | Shorter, at the doctor's discretion |
Two years is the norm. If the doctor wants to monitor a condition, they may give you a shorter certificate.
How much does an ENG1 cost?
In the UK the fee is set by regulation. According to gov.uk's seafarer medical guidance, "The current fee for an ENG1 is £115." If you're employed in the UK, your employer pays it.
Some extras can cost more:
- Additional tests may cost more, but whoever is paying has to agree to them first.
- A CAD colour-vision test, if you need one, is charged separately by the test centre.
- Replacement certificates: approved doctors may charge an admin fee if you lose yours.
Fees at overseas clinics vary, so ask for the price when you book. If you're getting yours in Florida, our ENG1 in Fort Lauderdale guide covers local doctors, costs and logistics.
How to get an ENG1: booking an approved doctor
- Find a doctor on the official list. The MCA publishes two lists: UK-based approved doctors and overseas approved doctors. Only use a doctor on these lists. A medical from anyone else isn't an ENG1.
- Contact them directly to book. There's no central booking system.
- Ask what to bring. The clinic will tell you when you book. The list below is the gov.uk baseline.
If you have a question the clinic can't answer, email the MCA's medical team at [email protected].
What to bring
Per gov.uk:
- Your current ENG1 or equivalent certificate, if you have one
- Any medication you take
- Glasses or contact lenses, plus spares
- Your GP's name and phone number
- Any GP or hospital letters, if you've recently been to hospital or seen a consultant
- Valid photo ID: passport, driving licence, national ID card, or discharge book/seaman's card
Be upfront about your history
You must tell the doctor if you've failed an ENG1 before, been given restrictions, or didn't finish an earlier exam with another doctor. Keeping quiet and trying your luck at a different clinic can be treated as "doctor shopping", and it could invalidate your ENG1. Being honest is your safest option.
The medical itself
The exam is a full check of your fitness for life at sea. The UK Ship Register says physical fitness, blood, colour vision and audiometry (hearing) tests are all part of the assessment.
Physical fitness, blood, colour vision and hearing tests are all part of an ENG1 exam. Photo: Jesse K. Alwin, U.S. Marine Corps, public domain.
You'll leave with one of these results: fit without restrictions, fit with restrictions, temporarily unfit, or permanently unfit. If you're found unfit or given restrictions, you'll get an ENG 3 notice explaining how to ask for an independent review. You need to contact the MCA within one month.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of the tests, the common reasons people fail and how appeals work, read what to expect at your ENG1 medical.
ENG1 equivalents
The MCA accepts other medicals besides the ENG1. Seafarer medicals from other countries' maritime authorities can count as equivalent, and they're listed in annex A of MSN 1815 Amendment 6. If you already hold another country's seafarer medical, check that list before paying for a new exam.
Our guide to ENG1 equivalent medical certificates explains which ones are accepted, where the USCG medical fits in, and why an ML5 isn't the same as an ENG1.
ENG1 renewal: timing matters
Renewal works the same way as your first ENG1: you book an approved doctor, take the exam and get a new certificate. What catches people out is the timing.
You get no credit for renewing early. The UK Ship Register says carrying over unused validity is "not provided for in existing UK regulations, in STCW Manila Amendments, or MLC, 2006." Your new ENG1 runs from the date of the new exam, so any time left on the old one is lost.
Don't renew months early "just in case", but don't leave it to the last week either. Plan your renewal around your work:
- Before a season or a long contract. If your ENG1 would expire partway through a Med summer or a Caribbean winter, renew before you join. Finding an approved doctor from a shipyard or an anchorage is much harder than booking one at home.
- While you're near an approved doctor. If you're in a hub with one nearby and your expiry is coming up, the few weeks you lose cost less than flying back later.
- Put the expiry date in your calendar the day you get the certificate, with a reminder a couple of months before.
What happens if your ENG1 expires?
Once your ENG1 expires, you aren't medically certified to work at sea. Yachts won't take you on, and crew agencies won't put you forward until you've passed a new exam. There's no grace period to count on.
If it's been expired for a while, plan for the same time a first ENG1 takes: find a doctor, book, gather your paperwork, and allow for any extra tests.
Keep your ENG1 medical certificate working for you
A valid ENG1 medical certificate is one of the things that gets you hired. On Radius, crew upload their ENG1 and it gets verified. Captains looking for dayworkers nearby can see you if you have a valid ENG1, your STCW, a CV and a recent check-in. If your ENG1 expires, you drop off the map until you upload a valid one. That's one more reason to keep an eye on the date.