Since the beginning of February 24, 2022, many citizens of Ukraine have found themselves on the territory of Poland. Many of them are professionals from various fields of activity. For example, thanks to this there are many competent engineers, managers and programmers in Poland. Also, quite a lot of sailors from Ukraine found themselves in Poland, who wish to continue working.
Is it possible to work in Poland on seafaring vessels, having maritime documents from your native country? How to apply for a seafarer's card in Poland? You can find out the answers to all these questions by reading this article.
Who needs a seaman's card?
Let us first understand what a seafarer's card is and whether it is different from the term «maritime documents». In general, a seaman's card (in Polish - książeczkę żeglarską) is a special document that certifies the identity of a ship's employee and confirms his qualification for the relevant job. Maritime documents are different, depending on the place of work, position and specifics. More recently, the seafarer's book in Poland has undergone visual changes and now it includes more personal data. That is, it is necessary to obtain this document for those who work on seagoing vessels or those who study at a maritime school.
List of documents required to obtain a sailor's card
Getting various documents, especially in a foreign country, is always a difficult process. However, if you know the required list of documents, there is nothing complicated about such a task. We have collected a list of documents that you will need when applying for a seaman's card in Poland:
The application form, which can be found here.
A completed application form.
A document proving maritime professional qualification. For example, basic safety training, a maritime diploma or certificate or an agreement with an owner with a Polish-flagged vessel.
Original and photocopy of a valid medical certificate confirming the possibility of working on a vessel.
Three photo cards (size 3.5 x 4.5 cm).
Identity card + two-sided photocopy.
Proof of payment of the relevant state duty (the amount of the state duty is PLN 200).
As you may have realized, the list of documents may vary slightly. It all depends on the grounds on which you wish to obtain maritime documents.
Process of processing maritime documents in Poland
The processing of maritime documents in Poland takes place in maritime uządas. There are only three such institutions in Poland. Here are the addresses where they are located:
Gdynia, Chrzanowski str. 10. Phone: +48 58 355-33-60.
Słupsk, str. Sienkiewicza 18. Phone: +48 59 8474256.
Szczecin, str. Jan z Kolna 9.
In order to obtain a seafarer's card, you must first collect all the necessary documents. It goes without saying that you must obtain your basic seaman's training certificates beforehand. Here are some other important nuances:
A seaman's book is issued for a period of 10 years. Seafarer's books for foreigners who are not EU citizens are issued for a period of 5 years.
The application for issuance or replacement of the sailor's book must be submitted in person. The application can also be submitted electronically, in which case the application must be accompanied by a qualified electronic signature.
A fee of PLN 200 is charged for the issuance of a sailor's book.
Is it possible to exchange Ukrainian maritime documents for Polish ones?
Ukraine also has a seaman's passport, which grants access to work in ports or on ships. However, it differs significantly from the Polish version. Some employers in Poland require local maritime documents, so it may be necessary to exchange Ukrainian documents for Polish ones.
Let us emphasize at once that there is no such possibility to exchange Ukrainian maritime documents for Polish ones. This is due to the peculiarities of local legislation. Maritime documents in Poland are regulated by the Act of May 23, 1991 on work on merchant marine vessels and the Decree of the Minister of Infrastructure of April 2, 2003 on the seafarer's book. What to do then? The only way is to obtain a seafarer's card in Poland from scratch. To do this, you need to collect all the documents we wrote above and additionally pass the CES 6.0 seafarer qualification test.
Is it possible to check the validity of maritime documents?
There is a unified system for checking maritime documents in Poland. You already know that there are different types of maritime documents, so this database contains all valid documents. The name of this electronic database is PHICS (Polish Harbours Information and Control System).
However, this database cannot be used by ordinary users or seafarers. It is available only for top management, ship owners, port administration and so on. It was created specifically to enable the competent authorities to verify the qualifications and legitimacy of the ship's employees.
