National jury exam for the master and his/her substitute

Published on 13/02/2024 | Updated 24/04/2024

Verification of the level of knowledges required required for the master and his/her substitute’s duties

Basic requirements to access the function of master and his/her substitute

Access to the functions of captain and his/her substitute (chief mate or chief engineer - art. L. 5612-3, French Transport Code) is subject to hold a professional qualifications (STCW certificate of competency - COC) and verification of French language skills and of French legal matters knowledge, both enabling the keeping of on-board documents and the exercise of the prerogatives of public authority attributed to the officers occupying this function.

In the section "crew composition" you will find all the information regarding the conditions for aptitude to command a French-flagged ship.

The national jury’s role

An officer whose nationality entitles him/her to claim access to the duties of captain/substitute on board a ship flying the French flag, but who can’t prove his level of knowledge of the French language and/or French legal matters, may ask to be registered for the examination of the national jury responsible for evaluating the French language and legal skills.

For the evaluation of the knowledges of the officers boarded on RIF ships, the national jury organised by the RIF Office is composed:

a manager of the RIF Office;
a maritime training professor (from the French Maritime Academy - ENSM);
a crew manager of a shipowner company;
a capitain of a French-flagged ship.

The knowledge required of an officer is assessed by means of a written test in French and an interview in French with the members of the jury. The purpose of this exam is:

assess the officer’s ability to communicate with the French authorities in a specific professional context and to draft reports and on-board documents in French;
to assess the officer’s knowledge of the legal matters required for the performance of his duties. They are based in particular on a practical case dealing with the general organisation of French maritime administration and justice, the powers and prerogatives of public authority conferred by French law on the captain of a ship.

The questions asked by the jury members are adapted to the type of navigation and the characteristics of the ship corresponding to the master’s certificate for which the person concerned has obtained recognition, as well as to the diploma, certificate or attestation which is lacking.

Application to the national jury exam

Applicants must:

be a national of an EU Member State, a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, Switzerland or one of the 7 States party to agreements signed with France which have the same scope in terms of the right to reside and work (Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo (Brazzaville), Ivory Coast, Niger, Togo, Tunisia);
hold a valid STCW certificate entitling them to carry out the duties concerned (captain, chief officer or chief engineer);
have been recognised as fit to sail by an approved doctor;
have been offered employment by a shipowner as captain/chief mate/chief engineer on board a vessel registered under the French flag with the RIF.

To be registered for the national jury exam, the candidate must complete the following form:

Application form for the national jury of evaluation pdf - 383 kb

This form has to be send on rif.equipage@mer.gouv.fr with all the supporting documents required (page 02).

Prepare the national jury exam

In order to best prepare officers applying before the national jury for evaluating the knowledge required for the functions of captain and substitute on board ships flying the French flag, the RIF Office provides test preparation support.

The "knowledge guide" ("précis de connaissances édition 2024") allows candidates to prepare for the written sea report test as well as the oral interview test with the jury:

Précis de connaissances 2024 : préparer l'épreuve du jury national (capitaine et suppléant)_GU RIF pdf - 6.5 Mb