Indonesia and Portugal have signed an agreement to recognise each other's certificates for fishing vessel crews. Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) signed it in Jakarta on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. Portugal had signed it earlier in October in Lisbon.
It is a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). Under an MRA, each country accepts certificates issued by the other country. Many Indonesians already work on Portuguese fishing boats, the Portuguese government said.
What the agreement covers
The certificates follow STCW-F 1995. This is the international convention on training, certification and watchkeeping for fishing vessel crews. I Nyoman Radiarta explained this to the Indonesian news agency ANTARA. He leads the KKP agency for training and education in marine affairs and fisheries (BPPSDM KP).
He said the agreement covers skippers, officers, engineers and radio operators. The work is not finished. The two countries will now hold technical talks, ANTARA reported. They must agree how certificates will be checked and endorsed. CNBC Indonesia reported that the talks will also decide which certificates will be recognised.
Why Portugal wants it
Portugal's Ministry of Agriculture and Sea explained the main change. Indonesian workers can now be legally listed on the crew lists of Portuguese fishing boats. It also allows a crew to be made up of Indonesian workers, except for the skipper.
Salvador Malheiro is Portugal's Secretary of State for Fisheries and the Sea. He said that without Indonesian workers, 300 to 400 Portuguese fishing boats would have to stop working. The country would lose about 50 million euros in sales each year, he said.
What Indonesia says
Indonesia's fisheries minister, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, said recognition of certificates is an important step. It will give Indonesian fishing crews more chances to work abroad, he said. About 2,000 cadets graduate from his ministry's schools each year, ANTARA reported. They study subjects such as fishing and ship operation.
Indonesia's ambassador to Portugal, Susi Marleny Bachsin, said Portuguese employers had been waiting for the agreement. Without it, they did not want to take Indonesian crews, she told ANTARA.
What it means for fishing crews
The agreement is signed, but the rules for using it are not ready yet. Wait for official information from KKP or Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation.
Keep your STCW-F certificates, training records and identity documents valid. Keep copies in a safe place.
Be careful with agents who say they can get you a job in Portugal quickly because of the new agreement. Check the agent with the authorities before you pay or sign anything.
Read your work agreement before you sign it, and keep your own copy.
Cover photo: Fishing boats in the port of Sesimbra, Portugal, April 2010. Illustrative photo. Photo: Pedro Ribeiro Simões/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped).
Sources: ANTARA: Trenggono: Pengakuan sertifikasi awak kapal perluas peluang kerja (20 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), ANTARA: Indonesia-Portugal jalin kerja sama MRA terkait sertifikasi awak kapal (20 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), CNBC Indonesia: RI-Portugal Sudah Sepakat, Ini Alasan ABK Harus Bersertifikat (20 Oct 2026, in Indonesian), Government of Portugal, Ministry of Agriculture and Sea: Portugal formaliza acordo de cooperação no setor das pescas para integração de trabalhadores indonésios (9 Oct 2026, in Portuguese).
