Registry coverage / United Kingdom
Verify a UK seafarer certificate
Last updated:
By the Docka team · Reviewed 7 September 2026
To verify a UK seafarer certificate, enter the Document ID and the seafarer's date of birth into the Online UK CoC/FSE checker at coccec.mcga.gov.uk, the document verification service of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Docka runs that lookup for you and returns the MCA's answer.
The checker covers far more than certificates of competency. Fourteen document types are on its list, from Able Seafarer to the Ships Cook Certificate of Competency.
Authority: Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Official verification portal: coccec.mcga.gov.uk. English. GOV.UK service.
What Docka confirms
- The check goes to the MCA's own GOV.UK service, the flag-state source for MCA-issued seafarer documents.
- Two inputs: Document ID and Date of birth. The MCA's privacy notice on the checker says it uses the date of birth and certificate number to confirm validity and does not retain them once the check is complete.
- Live and automatic. The result is time-stamped in Docka.
- The official form also asks for a document type. Docka asks you for the Document ID and the date of birth only.
What the portal asks for
| Input | Required |
|---|---|
| Document ID | Yes |
| Date of birth | Yes |
Do it yourself on the official portal
- Open coccec.mcga.gov.uk. The service header reads Maritime and Coastguard Agency document verification service, and the page says it verifies an MCA-issued certificate, document or licence of a UK registered seafarer or boatmaster, including flag state endorsements (FSEs).
- Select the Document Type from the drop-down (CoC, COP, FSE, GOC, LRC, ROC, BML and the others), then type the Document ID.
- Enter the seafarer's date of birth as day, month and year and press Check.
What to watch for
- The MCA gives no coverage cut-off on the checker page, and Docka has none to add.
- The MCA states it uses the date of birth together with the certificate number to confirm validity. Take the date from the passport or discharge book, not from memory.
- A flag state endorsement (FSE) is its own document type on the checker. Checking it confirms the UK endorsement, not the foreign certificate it recognises. Check that certificate with its own flag state.
The fourteen document types on the checker
The drop-down on the MCA form lists: Able Seafarer; ATO (Authority to Operate); CoC (Certificate of Competency); COP (Certificate of Proficiency); FSE (Flag State Endorsement); FSE Fishing; General Operator's Certificate; GOC Endorsement; LRC (Long Range Certificate); Rating; Restricted Operator's Certificate; ROC Endorsement; BML (Boat Master's Licence); Ships Cook Certificate of Competency.
So the same form authenticates a master's CoC, a GMDSS radio operator's certificate and a boatmaster's licence. Pick the type that matches the heading on the document.
Privacy on the MCA checker
The checker carries its own privacy notice. The data controller is the MCA. The date of birth and certificate number are used to confirm validity as part of the MCA's public task, the information is not retained once the check is completed, and it is not shared outside the MCA.
Content on the service is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated.
Boatmasters and fishing endorsements
Two entries on the list are easy to miss: BML (Boat Master's Licence) and FSE Fishing. If a candidate presents either, the same checker answers.
Both sit in the same drop-down as the CoC, so the lookup takes the same Document ID, the same date of birth and the same Check button.
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
- Is the UK checker only for certificates of competency?
- No. Its name says CoC/FSE, but the document type list also covers certificates of proficiency, GMDSS operator certificates (GOC, ROC, LRC) and their endorsements, ratings, Able Seafarer certificates, boatmaster's licences and the Ships Cook CoC.
- Does the MCA keep the date of birth I enter?
- The checker's privacy notice says the information is not retained once the validity check has been completed and is not shared outside the MCA.
- What is an FSE on the MCA checker?
- A Flag State Endorsement: the UK's recognition of a certificate issued by another country. On the checker it is a separate document type from CoC, with a further FSE Fishing variant.
- Can I check a boatmaster's licence on the same service?
- Yes. BML (Boat Master's Licence) is one of the document types in the drop-down.
- Does Docka send the seafarer's date of birth to the MCA?
- Yes, because the MCA form requires it. Docka asks you for the Document ID and the Date of birth, the two inputs the MCA check needs.