One of the most common questions from yacht crew — new and experienced alike — is deceptively simple: how long does STCW actually last? The short answer is five years for the perishable elements. The longer answer is worth understanding, because getting it wrong can cost you a contract.
The five-year rule
Since the 2010 Manila Amendments came fully into force, seafarers must revalidate certain STCW elements every five years. This applies to the practical, perishable skills:
- Personal Survival Techniques (PST)
- Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF)
These are the modules where competence fades without practice — which is exactly why they must be refreshed. The classroom-based elements, Elementary First Aid and Personal Safety & Social Responsibility, do not currently require revalidation.
What “expiry” really means
Your original STCW certificate doesn’t display a hard expiry date the way a passport does. Instead, employers and flag states expect you to demonstrate that you’ve updated your training within the last five years. If you can’t, you’re effectively non-compliant — and a captain cannot legally sign you on.
This catches a lot of experienced crew off guard. You may have worked at sea for a decade, but if your last fire fighting refresher was six years ago, you’re grounded until you revalidate.
How to stay compliant
The fix is straightforward: book an STCW Refresher. It condenses the perishable modules into a focused reassessment — far shorter than the original five-day course.
A single expired ticket can lose you a season. Track your dates before they lapse.
The smartest crew treat certificate expiry like any other deadline: they diarise it, and they revalidate a couple of months early — before the busy season, not during it. If you’d like help keeping track, ask us about our Renewal Tracker, which logs your dates and reminds you before they expire.