In certain instances a licensed Radio Officer is required on commercial vessels. A license as Radio Officer authorizes you to operate shipboard radio equipment. Click here to view the Radiotelegraph Operator Checklist.
A COR is required for certain Staff Officers in administrative positions on commercial vessels. Click here to view the COR Checklist.
You may apply at any of the 17 Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers (RECs). There are several requirements to satisfy including the completion of an application form and payment of user fees. All of these requirements are described in this guide. To see a list of RECs and their locations, click here.
If you do not already have an MMD, then you must also apply for an MMD. Meeting the requirements for a license as Radio Officer or a COR as Staff Officer will also qualify you for an MMD.
None of these credentials are a guarantee of finding work, but serve as certification to work in the shipboard merchant marine industry. Shipping companies or maritime labor unions are possible sources for work. These organizations are listed in the Yellow Pages and marine industry related publications. Another source of employment information is the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) and their website is http://marad.dot.gov.
There is no written examination for a Radio Officer license, but you must present a current First or Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator License issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Enter the following information on the application (Form CG-719b): the number, class, and date of issuance of your FCC license. Click here to view the Radiotelegraph Operator Checklist.
The below chart contains the total number of underway days or required experience to qualify for each Staff Officer grade or endorsement to a qualified grade. No written examination is required for these officer grades, BUT you must present a letter justifying the need for the COR. Click here to view the COR Checklist.
GRADE: | SERVICE REQUIREMENTS: |
---|---|
Chief Purser | Two years (720 days) service on vessels performing duties relating to work in the purser’s office. |
Purser | One year (360 days) service on vessels performing duties relating to work in the purser’s office. |
Senior Assistant Purser | Six months (180 days) service on vessels performing duties relating to work in the purser’s office. |
Junior Assistant Purser | Previous experience not required. |
Medical Doctor | A valid license as physician or surgeon issued under the authority of a state or territory of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or District of Columbia. |
Professional Nurse | A valid license as a registered nurse issued under the authority of a state or territory of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or District of Columbia. |
ENDORSEMENT: | |
Marine Physician Assistant | Successful completion of an accredited course of instruction for a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner program. |
Hospital Corpsman | A rating of at least hospital corpsman or Health Services Technician, first class in the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or an equivalent rating in the U.S. Army (not less than Staff Sergeant), or Air Force (not less than Technical Sergeant), and a period of satisfactory service of at least one month in a military hospital or U.S. Public Health Service Hospital. |
You may document required service in various forms, including original certificates of discharge and official documents from marine companies on original company letterhead signed by authorized officials. Your original proof of service MUST INCLUDE the following information about the amount and nature of your experience:
Military or foreign sea service is creditable towards eligibility for a COR as Staff Officer. Such service is subject to evaluation by the Coast Guard to determine that it is a fair and reasonable equivalent to service acquired on merchant vessels of the United States, with respect to grade, tonnage, horsepower, waters, and operating conditions.
You may provide satisfactory evidence of U.S. military service in the form of an official Transcript of Military Sea Service, certified History of Assignments, or certified Statement of Creditable Sea Service (a DD-214 is not sufficient evidence of sea service). If you do not already have proof of military sea service, you must fill out a Request Pertaining to Military Records (Form SF-180) to obtain your official Transcript of Military Sea Service. Send the request, with your name and a return address, to the record custodian for your branch of service noted on the back of the request form. In addition, if you are requesting records from before 1973 you should include your service number; after 1973 include your social security number.
Satisfactory evidence of foreign sea service must meet the requirements for proof of qualifying service as noted in section I.C. above. If the documentation is not in English, then a certified translation should be included.
Licensing Questions and Concerns, Contact:
IASKNMC
NMC Help Desk: 1-888-IASKNMC (1-888-427-5662)
Web Site Questions and Concerns, Click here