Pass the MI-319 deck officer exam and earn your Marshall Islands endorsement through IRI.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) operates the world's second-largest ship registry by gross tonnage, with over 5,000 vessels flying its flag. The registry is administered through International Registries, Inc. (IRI), a private company operating under authority delegated by the RMI Maritime Administrator, with headquarters in Reston, Virginia and a network of regional offices in Piraeus, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Rotterdam, Dubai, and Shanghai. For seafarers, the Marshall Islands is not a nationality requirement - RMI issues officer endorsements to mariners of any nationality who already hold a national Certificate of Competency from an STCW-compliant state and who pass the RMI's own requirements.

Issuing authority/authorities

The RMI Maritime Administrator, operating through International Registries, Inc. (IRI), issues Certificates of Receipt of Application (CRA) and full RMI officer endorsements. RMI regulations are published as the Marshall Islands Marine Notice (MN) series (for example, MN 7-039 on officer endorsements, MN 7-042 on medical standards, MN 2-011-21 on STCW training). The RMI is fully compliant with the STCW Convention as amended in 2010 and is on the IMO White List. There is no RMI-administered mariner academy - the registry qualifies foreign officers and ratings who have already trained under another flag, with an RMI-specific written exam layered on top for senior deck officers.

Officer pathways

Any deck officer who holds a valid national CoC (USCG, DG Shipping India, MARINA Philippines, MCA UK, Transport Canada, and so on) can apply for an RMI endorsement. The senior deck officer written exam is the MI-319, a multiple-choice test covering RMI-specific regulations, Marine Notices, COLREGS, bridge resource management, ship construction, stability, cargo operations, and emergency procedures. Candidates for Master and Chief Mate endorsements on RMI-flagged vessels must sit the MI-319. Junior deck officers (OOW level) typically qualify through document review and STCW verification without the full MI-319, depending on vessel type and tonnage. Engineer officers have an analogous process centred on the MI-339 series of forms and, for senior engineers on certain vessel types, a written assessment on RMI Marine Notices and ship systems. All officer endorsements require a valid GMDSS certificate for deck and a valid High Voltage certificate for engineers where applicable.

Rating / unlicensed pathways

RMI issues Certificates of Endorsement for ratings (Able Seafarer Deck / Engine, Ordinary Seaman, Wiper) on the basis of the applicant's national CoP plus STCW Basic Training and any specialised endorsements (tanker familiarisation, Ship Security Awareness). There is no RMI-specific rating written exam; the qualification is document-based.

Naval pathways

Not applicable - RMI does not operate a navy. The registry is purely a civilian commercial flag state.

Pass thresholds & exam structure

The MI-319 is a written multiple-choice exam, currently administered at IRI offices and approved third-party test centres, with a passing mark of 70% overall and a higher effective threshold on the COLREGS section, where any missed rule draws scrutiny from the assessor. MMCE.app enforces a 90% pass threshold on the rules module to match that real-world emphasis, and a 70% threshold on every other module. The MI-319 is open to re-sit after a 30-day waiting period, and IRI publishes a current syllabus breakdown on the International Registries website that MMCE.app's question bank mirrors.

Training & sea service requirements

RMI accepts sea service documented on any STCW-compliant national CoC and does not impose additional sea-time requirements beyond the issuing state's. All STCW modular certificates (Basic Training, Advanced Fire Fighting, Medical First Aid, Medical Care, Proficiency in Survival Craft, GMDSS, ARPA, ECDIS, Ship Security Officer or Designated Security Duties) must be valid. Medical fitness must meet RMI medical standards per Marine Notice 7-042, which largely tracks STCW A-I/9. Officers must complete Bridge Resource Management and Engine Room Resource Management training, and Masters and Chief Engineers require leadership and managerial skills training under STCW A-II/2 and A-III/2.

How to study with MMCE.app

Pick deck at onboarding and drop into the MI-319-aligned question bank. The adaptive IRT 3PL engine tracks your ability per module - nav-gen, nav-prob, rules, deck-gen, deck-safe - and pushes you toward the 90% Rules of the Road threshold before letting you plateau. MMCE.app's COLREGS module covers every rule in the current International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, with diagram questions for crossing, head-on, and overtaking situations, IALA-B buoyage, lights and shapes, and sound signals - exactly the emphasis the MI-319 carries. RMI-specific Marine Notice content is tagged so candidates can drill the flag-specific regulations separately from STCW-wide material. Full-length diagnostic tests reproduce the MI-319 paper length so exam day feels routine.

Related credentials on MMCE.app

Many MI-319 candidates already hold an Indian DG Shipping CoC, a Filipino MARINA CoC, or a USCG MMC - see the /india, /philippines, and /usa hubs. The /international hub covers COLREGS, STCW, MARPOL, and SOLAS content that underpins every flag state's exam.