Registration procedures

• The following maritime companies may be authorised : companies whose business is the buying and selling, the chartering in and the chartering out, and the management of seagoing ships, as well as the financial and commercial operations that relate directly or indirectly to such activities (article  8.0.0-1., of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act ).

• The maritime company that establishes an office in Luxembourg must, before commencing its activities, be accredited by the Minister of Economy (article  8.0.0-2 of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act ). The link for the electronic application form is here.

• The maritime company must secure by convention the services of a person or legal entity to fulfill the duties of the company's maritime manager. This appointed manager must be accredited by the Minister of Economy (article  8.0.0-4, of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act ). The link for the electronic application form is here.

• The maritime manager must reside in Luxembourg and must be able to provide evidence of his or her personal probity and professional experience (article  Art. 8.0.0-4. of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act ).

• The following ships may enter the register: vessels with a tonnage of at least  200 Gross tons (as per ITC 1969) which are used, or are intended to be regularly used for surface- or sub-marine navigation and operated or destined to be operated for commercial purposes.  ,  (article  1.1.1-1.  of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act). Only vessels under 15 years of age may be registered for the first time under the Luxembourg flag (article  2.0.0-2. of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act).

• The ship must be classed by one of the following authorised classification societies:

    American Bureau of Shipping

    Bureau Veritas SA

    China Classification Society

    Croatian Register of Shipping

    DNV

    Korean Registry

    Lloyd’s Register

    NKK

    RINA

• The ship must be subject to inspection by the Commissariat aux affaires maritimes or the maritime administration of a EU Member State or by one of the authorised classification societies (article  2.0.0-2. of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act).

• Every seaman employed on a Luxembourg flagged vessel must hold a Luxembourg seaman's book. The link for the electronic application form is here.

• Every seamen employed on a Luxembourg flagged vessel must be covered by a social security, as set out in (article  4.0.0-1. of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act and article  4.0.0-2. of the amended Luxembourg Maritime Act).  This table helps you identifying the applicable social security scheme.

• The Company shall ensure, at all times, that regardless of their capacity and/or duties, seafarers serving on board passenger ships, tankers, high-speed craft (HSC) or mobile offshore unit (MOU) and mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) meet the following requirements :

    health (medical certificate);

    training (including additional training and updates);

    experience and certification.

• The master and all the officers must hold a Luxembourg endorsement and present this document for inspection by a Port State Control Officer (PSCO), if and when requested.

• Certificates of Competency (CoCs) and/or Certificates of Proficiency (CoPs) issued by any Member State of the European Union (EU) are recognized in Luxembourg.

• CoCs and/or CoPs issued by a non EU state may also be recognized in Luxembourg provided that permission for endorsement has been granted by the European Commission and an agreement for the recognition of certificates has been signed with the third country. 

    The list of the countries currently recognized by Luxembourg is available here.

• CoCs and/or CoPs issued by countries who are not part of the list can not be recognized. (A procedure for the recognition of a third-country by the European Commission may be initiated after the evaluation of a formal request presented to the Commissioner of maritime affairs).

• The electronic application form for the Endorsement attesting the issue of a Certificate of Competency and/or a Certificate of Proficiency is available here.