Medical examination 

• Seafarers, including masters, serving on or about to start serving on Danish merchant vessels.
   
• Persons who sign on for the first time or have not been employed on a ship for the last 5 years are to undergo medical examinations only if they have an agreement to serve on a Danish merchant vessel.
   
• Professional fishermen, but not persons for whom fishing is a secondary income.
   
• Students who, in connection with admission to maritime vocational schools, training schools for commercial fishermen or a training ship, are required to present a valid health certificate.
   
• Persons acquiring or renewing a certificate of competency for merchant or fishing vessels who do not hold a valid health certificate.

In case other persons than those mentioned above are examined, the medical certificate that apply to seafarers and fishermen must not be used. Neither can a health certificate be endorsed or issued to the person examined.

Special medical certificate
A special medical certificate is used for the medical examination. In Denmark, only medical practitioners appointed by the Danish Maritime Authority as maritime medical practitioners must carry out medical examinations.

You are recommended to make an appointment with the medical practitioner in advance. If the medical practitioner does not know you, you must bring along identification (discharge book, passport, driver’s licence or other type of photo identification).

If you have a health certificate, you must bring this as well.

Payment for medical examinations
The fee for the examination has been determined after negotiation with the certificate committee of the Danish Medical Association. In most cases, the maritime medical practitioner must collect the fee from you – possibly from your employer if a special agreement to this effect has been concluded between the employer and the maritime medical practitioner.

As a seafarer, the fee paid is to be reimbursed by your employer. If you do not have an employer when the medical examination takes place, you yourself must pay for the examination. Subsequently, the fee may be reimbursed by the first employer who hires you upon presentation of the original receipt from the maritime medical practitioner.

However, the Danish Maritime Authority pays the fee for medical examinations of persons enrolled for a maritime training programme or education approved by the Danish Maritime Authority. They must be able to present a letter of enrolment from the training/educational institution or training ship.

Click the links to download The Medical Certificate and The Guidelines on medical examinations of seafarers and fishermen.

Further information

Should you request further information about the medical examination scheme, please contact Centre for Seafarers and Fishermen by e-mail: ksf@dma.dk