Recognition of certificates issued by other authorities (version 1/5/2005)
(a) Recognition of other Australian State qualifications (USL or NSCV) It is a requirement of NSW legislation that certificates issued by other marine authorities must be validated (recognised) for use in NSW, even if they are issued as either a USL Code or the newer NSCV certificates. NSW Maritime will issue a Certificate of Recognition to recognise other Australian certificates providing that it is unrestricted, current and valid in the state where it was issued and subject to certain application pre-requistes e.g:– • evidence of current first aid qualification, • evidence of meeting medical and eyesight standards within the past 2 years and • payment of the prescribed fee. It is important to remember that the original certificate that is being recognised remains the primary certificate – the NSW certificate does not replace it. The original certificate will still be subject to any requirements of the issuing authority, including renewal or revalidation. A NSW Maritime certificate of validity will be aligned with the expiry date of your primary certificate. If the primary certificate was issued in perpetuity and the home state does not require it to be revalidated or renewed, NSW Maritime will require that the certificate of recognition to be revalidated every 5 years. If the primary certificate does require revalidation by the issuing state, then the NSW certificate of validity will lapse on the expiry date of the primary certificate and there will need to be a re-application for recognition when the primary certificate is revalidated by the issuing authority. The status of the original certificate will be confirmed with the issuing authority prior to seeking initial and on-going recognition by NSW and to ensure that the certificate is revalidated as necessary. Therefore certificate holders should stay in contact with the issuing authority of their primary certificate to be kept informed of any changes to their qualification and should keep them updated with any changes of address.
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Is your certificate “Restricted”? If it is restricted it will not be recognised for use in NSW unless: 1. You get the restriction lifted to become an unrestricted certificate of competency by the original issuing state authority OR 2. You provide evidence of meeting all the pre-requisites (including qualifying service and training programs) for that particular certificate. In such cases you will need to pay the full fee for the issue of that grade of certificate and pass an orals examination.
(b) Certificates issued Overseas Commercial Certificates which have been issued overseas cannot be validated unless: a) the certificate is an STCW 95 certificate that can be confirmed as a bona-fide certificate by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and b) the educational standard of the certificate has been confirmed as being equivalent to the standards of the Maritime Industry Training Package. To determine this, you will probably need to apply to an approved maritime training organisation for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). This process involves assessment of your current competency to Australian training standards. You may be required to produce a full (translated if necessary) curriculum/syllabus of the courses of study for that you have completed for your certificate. If you are issued with a certificate of recognition you will need to remember that when your primary certificate expires so also will your NSW certificate of validity expire. Therefore if you intend to continue employment in NSW through recognition of your original certificate you will need to either i) revalidate it in sufficient time with the country of origin or ii) convert it to a NSW certificate of competency meeting all pre-requisites applicable to the issue of a new certificate. NEW ZEALAND Australia has an agreement with New Zealand to recognise several of their certificates as shown below: Commercial Launchmaster will be recognised as a Coxswain (unrestricted) NZ Coastal Master will be recognised as a Master Class 5 All other New Zealand certificates – no agreement has been reached as yet. An application to NSW Maritime for examination will need to be made with full details of qualifying sea time. You will need to seek RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) from an approved registered training organisation and then pass a full orals examination for the grade of certificate required.
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Yachtmaster Certificates Yachtmaster (with or without Commercial Endorsement). Yachtmaster (Sail) may be acceptable as a pre-requisite for a Certificate of Competency Restricted to Sail Charter Yachts with engine auxiliary of less than 75kW power, however qualifying service requirements apply and an orals examination based on the standards of the NSCV Part D will need to be passed. Yachtmaster (Motor) certificates are not recognised. Defence Force Qualifications Relevant service on defence force vessels is recognised as commercial service when full military records of training and sea service are provided with an application. Applicants will be required to provide documented detail of their watchkeeping service showing training and postings eg.Navy documents PH14 and PH408.
To be appropriate for command certificates naval service must have been served in the seaman branch while army service must have been in the water transport division. To be appropriate for an engineering certificate the service must have been obtained as a relevant technician. To be eligible for master 3 or 4 certificates Navy applicants will need to hold a bridge watchkeepers certificate and Army personnel will need to have Marine Specialist 2 qualifications as well as having the appropriate watchkeeping service. The requirements for recognition of defence force qualifications can be found in the document “Guidelines for Recognition of ADF Marine Qualifications” published by the National Marine Safety Committee (go to the web site www.nmsc.gov.au for a copy). Application Process To have the certificate recognised you must: submit a completed application form with 2 colour passport sizes photos and submit your original certificate and pay an application fee (see “FEES” at this website) and produce additional proof of identity and if a command certificate be aware of the boating rules that apply in NSW so that the certificate can be endorsed for speeds of 10 knots or more and if the certificate was issued more than 2 years prior to your application show that you hold a current first aid certificate and that you meet eyesight/medical standards
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The certificate’s authenticity and status will be checked with the authority that issued it and an endorsement added to your certificate booklet. Please note that this process may take some days to process and so allowance must be made before organising any employment commitments. Changing your certificate over to a NSW Certificate of Competency If you find revalidating your primary certificate administratively difficult, NSW Maritime will consider issuing you with a comparable certificate. To do this you may need to be examined by a NSW Maritime examiner, and you will need to: • Make an application • Meet medical and eyesight standards • Pay the full fee for issue of a new certificate (see “Fees” file at this website) • Surrender your original certificate if it was issued by another Australian State or Territory • Pass an orals/practical exam and any other training deemed necessary • Provide photographs, proof of identity, records of service
NOTES: 1. Holders of larger ship qualifications (Defence Force or Merchant Navy) will need to demonstrate that they are competent to operate smaller vessels prior to issue of lower grade certificates of competency. 2. NSW Maritime needs to sight the original of your certificate before an application for validation is considered. Its bona fides will be checked and in most cases the certificate of recognition will be in the form of an endorsement added into your primary certificate of competency.
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