Becoming a seafarer in Russia as a career change

Official rules for adults who already have a profession on shore.

Age limits

Certificates under the Russian certification regulation are issued to persons aged 18 or over who are medically fit for work on seagoing ships.
Source: Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 378 of 08.11.2021 — Regulation on certification of crew members of seagoing ships, para. 9

Entry through your shore profession

Your profession on shore	Role at sea	Course	Where and on what terms
Cook	Ship's cook	Training on the specifics of working as a ship's cook at a maritime education institution	People who already hold a cook qualification can get the ship's cook certificate through training on the specifics of working as a ship's cook. Source: Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 378 of 08.11.2021 — Regulation on certification of crew members of seagoing ships, para. 61 The ship's cook certificate also requires documented seagoing service as part of the programme, preparing food under the direct supervision of a ship's cook or a qualified training supervisor. Source: Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 378 of 08.11.2021 — Regulation on certification of crew members of seagoing ships, para. 61
Electrician	Ship's electrician (electro-technical rating)	Ship's electrician vocational training programme (STCW A-III/7)	The ship's electrician certificate requires vocational training under the ship's electrician programme at a maritime education institution, meeting STCW section A-III/7, plus documented onboard service maintaining electrical equipment. Source: Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 378 of 08.11.2021 — Regulation on certification of crew members of seagoing ships, para. 60
Any profession, no maritime education	Deck or engine watch rating	Watch rating vocational training programme (STCW A-II/4 or A-III/4)	For watch rating and ship's electrician certificates, seagoing service gained during vocational training programmes counts regardless of ship size, engine power or navigation area. Source: Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 378 of 08.11.2021 — Regulation on certification of crew members of seagoing ships, para. 35

Minimum set of documents

Minimum for any first job on board: a medical certificate of fitness, basic safety training under STCW VI/1, and the certificate for your position issued by a harbour master.
Source: Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 378 of 08.11.2021 — Regulation on certification of crew members of seagoing ships, para. 11
People who have not passed the medical examination are not allowed to work on a ship.
Source: Merchant Shipping Code of the Russian Federation (No. 81-FZ), Article 57

How to avoid scams

Recruitment and placement agencies must not charge seafarers for finding them a job; the seafarer pays only for the medical certificate, the seafarer's book and a passport.
Source: ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended — Standard A1.4
Certificates are issued only to people trained at licensed education institutions whose quality standards system is verified by a classification society — check that your school is on the Ministry of Transport list of recognised institutions.
Source: Order of the Ministry of Transport No. 378 of 08.11.2021 — Regulation on certification of crew members of seagoing ships, para. 9
The law provides for central electronic records of certificates and for answering requests from interested persons about a certificate's status.
Source: Merchant Shipping Code of the Russian Federation (No. 81-FZ), Article 54