The ENG1 seafarer medical

The ENG1 is the UK seafarer medical that yacht crew are asked to hold. Here is who issues it, what the examination covers, what it typically costs, and what the three possible results mean.

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What the ENG1 is

The ENG1 is the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) certificate of medical fitness for seafarers. It is the document the yacht industry treats as the default, including on many yachts that are not UK-flagged, because captains, management companies, and crew agencies all know what it means. It is not a general health check you can get from any clinic. It can only be issued by a doctor on the MCA list of approved doctors.

That list is not UK-only. Approved doctors practice in France, Spain, the United States, South Africa, and other countries where yacht crew actually are. You book the doctor, you attend, and you leave with a certificate that says fit, fit with a restriction, or unfit. The underlying standards sit in the MCA's seafarer medical guidance, published on GOV.UK.

Who is expected to hold one

If you are joining a commercial yacht as crew, including most charter yachts, expect to be asked for a valid ENG1 before you step on. It sits next to STCW Basic Safety Training as the pair agencies filter on. Private yachts that are not operating commercially are a greyer area and depend on flag and size. In practice, crew applying through agencies are still asked for the ENG1, because the agency does not want to maintain a second standard. If a boat tells you a different medical is acceptable, get that in writing from them and check it against the flag, not against a forum post.

Green crew need it before they travel to look for work, not after they have a verbal offer. A boat that is leaving in three days will not wait for you to find an approved doctor. The green-crew guide puts the medical in that order on purpose.

What is tested

The appointment is a medical examination, not an interview. The MCA describes the assessment as covering the things that affect whether you can safely live and work at sea. In practice that means:

• Vision, distance and near, with the glasses or contacts you actually wear. Colour vision is checked, commonly with an Ishihara plate test, and a further colour test can be used if that result is not clear.
• Hearing.
• General health: blood pressure, height and weight, a urine sample, your medical history, and a physical examination.
• Medication and conditions you already know about. Bring the names and doses, and any specialist letter that explains a condition you manage.

We do not reprint numeric pass marks here. They live in the MCA guidance and they are updated there, not on a careers site. If you are close to a limit you care about, read the current GOV.UK seafarer medical page or ask the approved doctor before you book a non-refundable flight around the result.

Approximate cost

Fees are set by the doctor, not by the MCA, so they move. Figures commonly quoted, and the ones we use until the next check, are about £115 in the UK, €120–€150 in Europe, $140–$175 in the United States, and around R2,500 in South Africa. Ask for the fee when you book. The medical is your cost, not the boat's, while you are between jobs.

How long it lasts

An ENG1 is valid for up to two years for adults and one year from ages 16 to 18. “Up to” is doing work in that sentence. The doctor can issue a shorter certificate when something needs an earlier review, for example blood pressure that is acceptable today but should be checked again in six months. The expiry date on the certificate is the date that matters, not the two-year maximum.

Diarise it. A lapsed ENG1 stops you joining, and it quietly removes you from agency shortlists that filter on “medical in date”. Renew before the season you need it, not during the week the boat is leaving.

How to book one

Find an approved doctor on the MCA list, book directly, and do it early in the busy months before a season. You are not booking your own GP, and a walk-in clinic cannot issue the certificate even if they are happy to examine you.

What to bring

• Photo identification, normally your passport.
• Your previous ENG1, if this is a renewal.
• Glasses or contact lenses you use day to day. Vision is assessed as you actually see.
• A list of medicines, and specialist letters for anything you already manage.

Declaring a condition is not the same thing as failing. Doctors assess case by case. A letter that explains a stable condition is more useful than leaving it out. An undeclared condition that surfaces later can invalidate the certificate. That is the MCA's position, and it is the practical one too: the boat's insurance conversation gets worse, not better, if the medical was incomplete.

Possible outcomes

The result is one of three things: fit, fit with restrictions, or temporarily or permanently unfit. A failed result can stand for up to five years unless the underlying condition is medically resolved. That five-year figure is why it is worth understanding a result rather than immediately booking a second doctor and hoping for a different mood.

If you are found unfit

Temporarily unfit is the usual wording for something that can be treated: blood pressure, a healing injury, vision that needs correcting properly. You can be examined again once it has been dealt with. If you believe the decision itself was wrong, seafarers can ask for a review. The route is set out in the MCA seafarer medical guidance, not in a Facebook group.

A restriction is a different outcome from unfit. Read the wording. A restriction that limits bridge duties may still leave interior work, or other work that does not depend on that function, open to you. Do not talk yourself out of a department the certificate still allows.

Conditions that can restrict a certificate

These are assessed individually. They are not automatic fails. The list that comes up in the MCA guidance and in crew-medical explanations includes insulin-treated diabetes, epilepsy, significant heart disease, stroke, serious lung disease, severe hearing loss, some mental-health conditions, substance dependence, and colour-vision deficiency. Colour-vision deficiency is the one green crew ask about most, because it can limit lookout and bridge work while leaving other departments possible. If this applies to you, raise it with the approved doctor before you pay for a full STCW course aimed at a department the restriction would close.

Renewing

Most adult certificates run two years, so the renewal often lands in the middle of a contract or just before a season. Book it as you would book the original: an approved doctor, your old certificate, and enough time that a short delay does not leave you uncertified on the join date. The boat cannot waive an expired medical because you are already on board and useful. Management companies check dates.

Is a generic “yacht medical” enough?

No. The ENG1 is the default the industry asks for. A GP letter, a dive medical, or a clinic certificate headed “yacht medical” is not the same document. Other flag states have their own seafarer medicals. Where an equivalent is accepted, it has to meet the standard in the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, not merely be signed by a doctor. When a recruiter says “ENG1 or equivalent”, ask which equivalents they actually accept before you pay for a different certificate. The safe default, if you are building a yacht CV from scratch, is the ENG1 itself.

This is general information, not medical, legal, or immigration advice. Rules and prices change; confirm anything that affects a certificate, a contract, or a visa with the official source.

Read next

• How to get a yacht job with no experience
• STCW Basic Training explained
• Yacht crew salaries by role
• Browse live maritime jobs

Sources: GOV.UK seafarer medical certification, MCA, MCA approved doctors, UKSA.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ENG1 medical?

The ENG1 is the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency seafarer medical fitness certificate. Yacht crew are widely asked for it because it is the certificate agencies and captains already recognise. Only a doctor on the MCA approved list can issue one.

How long does an ENG1 last?

Up to two years for adults. For ages 16 to 18 it is one year. A doctor can issue a shorter certificate if your health needs a sooner review. An expired ENG1 will stop you joining a commercial yacht and will drop you out of agency searches that filter on certificate dates.

How much does an ENG1 cost?

Published figures are about £115 in the UK, about €120 to €150 in Europe, about $140 to $175 in the United States, and about R2,500 in South Africa. The doctor sets the fee. Check it when you book.

Can my own GP do an ENG1?

No. A GP note, a dive medical, or a generic yacht medical is not an ENG1. The certificate has to come from an MCA-approved doctor. The list includes doctors outside the UK, so you can often sit it in the country you are travelling to.

Does a failed ENG1 end a yacht career?

Not always. Temporarily unfit is a common result for something treatable, such as blood pressure or an injury that has not healed, and you can be re-examined once it is dealt with. A restriction is not the same as a fail, and it may still leave interior or other non-bridge work open. There is also a review route, described in the MCA seafarer medical guidance, if you think the decision was wrong.

Will colour blindness stop me working on yachts?

Colour-vision deficiency does not automatically fail the medical. It can restrict duties that depend on colour, particularly bridge and lookout work. Interior and some other roles may still be possible. The doctor records the restriction. Read exactly what it says before you assume a department is closed.