Registry coverage / Cyprus
Verify a Cypriot seafarer certificate
Last updated:
By the Docka team · Reviewed 7 September 2026
To verify a Cyprus seafarer certificate, enter the Seafarer ID and the Certificate number into the Authentication of Seafarer Certificate form run by the Shipping Deputy Ministry, Department of Merchant Shipping. Docka submits both values and returns the ministry's answer.
Cyprus is the one flag state on this site whose portal asks for the seafarer's own ID number as well as the certificate number, so the check is a pairing test: this certificate, this person.
Authority: Shipping Deputy Ministry, Department of Merchant Shipping (Cyprus). Official verification portal: eservices.dms.gov.cy. English. Plain form, no JavaScript needed.
What Docka confirms
- The check goes to the Shipping Deputy Ministry's own form on eservices.dms.gov.cy, the flag-state source for Cyprus STCW certificates.
- Two inputs: Seafarer ID and Certificate number. Both are mandatory on the official form and both are required in Docka.
- The check is live and automatic. Docka returns what the form returns and time-stamps it.
- Because the form pairs the holder's ID with the certificate, a match confirms the certificate number is on record for that seafarer ID.
What the portal asks for
| Input | Required |
|---|---|
| Seafarer ID | Yes |
| Certificate number | Yes |
Do it yourself on the official portal
- Open the official form at eservices.dms.gov.cy (the page title reads SHIPPING DEPUTY MINISTRY: Authentication of Seafarer Certificate).
- Type the Seafarer ID into Seafarer ID No. The portal's own note says the Seafarer ID No. is shown on the top left hand corner of the certificate. Then type the Certificate number into Certificate No.
- Press Search. Reset clears both boxes.
What to watch for
- The ministry publishes no coverage caveat on the form itself. We have no statement from the authority about how far back the online record reaches, so treat an unrecognised older certificate as unresolved and ask the ministry.
- Both fields are marked mandatory. A lookup with the certificate number alone is not possible on this portal, in Docka or by hand.
- The form is plain HTML and works without JavaScript, which makes it one of the easier portals to open on a slow connection at sea.
Why the Seafarer ID matters
Most flag-state checkers key on the certificate number and, sometimes, a date of birth. Cyprus keys on the seafarer's own registration number with the Department of Merchant Shipping.
The practical effect: you cannot authenticate a Cyprus certificate from a photocopy that cuts off the top left corner. Ask for the full first page.
For an agency this is useful. A recycled certificate (a real number placed on another person's document) is exactly what a pairing test is built to catch, because the ID on the page and the number must belong together in the ministry's record.
What the form does and does not tell you
The form's title is Authentication of Seafarer Certificate. It confirms the pairing of ID and certificate number against the ministry's record.
It does not let you browse a seafarer's other certificates, and it does not show a copy of the document the way the Danish service does. Read the answer for the certificate you asked about, then ask about the next one separately.
How Docka labels the result
Every document in Docka carries one of four levels. The level says how far the check reached, and a lower level is never rounded up.
- L0 Self-uploaded, not yet verified: Self-uploaded, on file, but not yet checked or verified by anyone.
- L1 Reviewed by staff: A human reviewer opened the actual document and confirmed it, holder-bound to this person, not a government registry check.
- L2 Registry-confirmed: The document was confirmed to exist in a registry, but the holder's identity was not verified (holder-bound to the document, not the person).
- L3 Government-verified: Verified against the issuing government's maritime registry.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the Seafarer ID on a Cyprus certificate?
- Top left hand corner of the certificate, according to the note on the ministry's own form.
- Can I check a Cyprus certificate with the certificate number only?
- No. The form marks both Seafarer ID No. and Certificate No. as mandatory.
- Which authority issues Cyprus seafarer certificates?
- The Shipping Deputy Ministry, through its Department of Merchant Shipping. The check form sits on the ministry's eservices.dms.gov.cy domain.
- Does the Cyprus form work without JavaScript?
- Yes. It is a plain form with two text boxes, a Search button and a Reset button.
- Is Docka's Cyprus answer a government verification?
- It comes from the flag-state ministry's own form, so a confirmed pairing is labelled at the top of Docka's trust ladder. An unrecognised pair is labelled as not found, never as invalid.