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What it regulates
Regulates examinations and medical fitness certificates for seafaring and professional diving within its scope. It also governs preventive maritime-health activities, reporting of suspected occupational disease and clinical records. The Social Marine Institute organises and supervises the examinations, which are free of charge.
Who it applies to
People requiring medical fitness to work on Spanish-flagged vessels, professional divers covered by the cited provisions of Law 47/2015, embarked maritime-fishing workers and maritime-health centres. The personal and Social Security eligibility requirements in Article 6 must be met.
Key provisions
Distinguishes initial, periodic and extraordinary examinations for seafaring and diving. An extraordinary examination may be required while an earlier certificate is valid if psychophysical conditions change, at the worker’s or employer’s request or on the Institute’s initiative.
Article 5Assessment is adapted to the person and work environment. Initial seafaring examinations include at least Annex II; Annex III guides fitness assessment, and additional tests and specialist reports may be requested.
Article 7The outcome may be fit, fit with restrictions or unfit, with restrictions tailored to the post or diving activity. A second opinion may be requested within fifteen working days starting the day after notification of the assessment.
Article 8The maximum validity of a seafaring certificate is two years, or one year for those under eighteen. A diving certificate is valid for at most one year. The examining doctor may set a shorter individual period.
Article 10Equivalence of certificates issued outside Spain requires the conditions in Article 12, including residence abroad, a recognised practitioner and compliance with the applicable conventions; the certificate must be at least in English.
Article 12Occupational clinical records are retained for at least twenty years, unless specific exposure rules require longer. Security, confidentiality and access restricted to authorised personnel are required.
Article 17Coordination includes epidemiological surveillance, pregnancy and breastfeeding situations, and reporting diseases of possible occupational origin. It goes beyond issuing a fitness certificate.
Article 18History and versions
Initial publication: 15/06/2024 · Initial entry into force: 01/07/2024
BOE-A-2024-12121Adopted on 28 May 2024, published on 15 June 2024 and in force from 1 July 2024. It expressly repeals Royal Decree 1696/2007. The checked record contains no subsequent amendments; the database update in December 2025 is not itself an amendment.
All text versions recorded by the BOE
| Publication | Effective date | Official reference | Affected provisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15/06/2024 | 01/07/2024 | BOE-A-2024-12121 | Preamble, Chapter I, Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4, Chapter II, Article 5, Article 6, Article 7, Article 8, Article 9, Article 10, Article 11, Article 12, Chapter III, Article 13, Article 14, Article 15, Article 16, Chapter IV, Article 17, Chapter V, Article 18, Additional provision first, Additional provision second, Additional provision third, Repealing provision sole, Final provision first, Final provision second, Final provision third, Final provision fourth, Signature, Annex I, Annex II, Annex III, Annex IV, Annex V |
Transitional provisions and application notes
The voyage extension concerns a seafaring certificate expiring at sea, until the next port where another can be obtained, and cannot exceed three months. It is neither a general extension nor an automatic extension of diving certificates.
Article 10The indicative clinical lists do not turn an isolated diagnosis into automatic fitness or unfitness. Assessment belongs to medical practitioners in light of the post and the circumstances specified in the regulation.
Article 7A second opinion and an administrative appeal are distinct routes. The one-month appeal period is calculated under Article 11 from notification of the assessment or, if a second opinion was requested, its notification.
Article 11Certificates for obtaining professional qualifications under additional provision two are valid solely for that purpose. They must not be equated without verification to the fitness required to embark.
Additional provision secondRoyal Decree 1696/2007 is expressly repealed from 1 July 2024. Its former annual limits for people under twenty-one and over fifty, and its fifteen-year minimum record-retention period, must not be carried over as current rules of this decree.
Repealing provision sole
Official BOE legal relationships
Earlier references (3)
- Repeals · BOE-A-2007-22533
- Amends · BOE-A-1995-19848
- In accordance with · BOE-A-2015-11346
