Published on 6 January 2025

Medical requirements

All persons employed on commercial seagoing vessels must possess a medical fitness certificate issued in compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Convention) of 1978 as well as the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). In Switzerland, medical certificates under the STCW and the MLC are issued by the azb ag. Medical certificates issued abroad are recognised if they comply with international standards.

The lifebuoy as a symbol of the physical and medical fitness of seafarers, which is an essential prerequisite for working at sea.

All persons employed on commercial seagoing vessels must possess a medical certificate issued in compliance with Regulation I/9 of the STCW Convention as well as with Regulation 1.2 of the MLC.

In Switzerland, these medical certificates are issued by the azb ag (centre for occupational medicine in Basel). Medical certificates issued abroad are recognised for service on commercial seagoing vessels under the Swiss flag if they comply with the provisions of the STCW Convention and the MLC. A medical certificate is valid for a maximum period of two years. For seafarers under the age of 18, medical certificates are valid for a period not exceeding one year.

Documents

Contact

FDFA Swiss Maritime Navigation Office SMNO
Elisabethenstrasse 33
P.O.Box
Switzerland - 4010 Basel