How to verify a captain's licence in Panama

To verify a captain's licence in Panama, see the original AMP licence and ID, check that the grade covers the boat's length, tonnage and service, and check the expiry date. Then confirm with the AMP: its Gente de Mar online-queries page offers certificate verification and a sanctions lookup, and [email protected] answers by email.

What to check on the licence itself

• The original and the ID. Ask for the original AMP licence and the passport or cédula it was issued against. Names and numbers should match.
• The grade. Read the category: operador de lanchas, patrón de nave de placer, patrón de cabotaje, capitán de yate. Each has a limit by length or tonnage, and some are for pleasure craft only.
• The boat. Compare the limit with the boat's length overall and gross tonnage on its patente. A 2da. clase operador is for boats under 12 m; a 2da. clase patrón de nave de placer covers 8 to 20 m.
• The service. A pleasure-craft licence and a passenger licence are not the same thing. For paid trips, see captain requirements for paid trips.
• The expiry date, and for yacht or STCW titles, the medical and course certificates.

Grades and limits are listed in Panama captain licence types.

The AMP's online checks

The AMP's Consultas en línea page for Gente de Mar links two tools:

• Verificación de Certificados en línea, the AMP's certificate-verification system.
• Consulta de Infractores, a lookup of seafarers on the DGGM's infractions list, searchable by name, CT number or identity document number.

The AMP has also issued many seafarer documents electronically since Resolución ADM-165-2020. A 2021 trade-press report (Mundo Marítimo) said each carries a unique tracking number and a QR code for quick verification. If a certificate has a QR code, scan it and check that the page opens on an amp.gob.pa address.

The AMP does not say whether national-waters licences, the small-boat licences most charter captains hold, appear in the online system. If you cannot find one, do not assume it is fake; ask the AMP directly.

Verifying by email or in person

The AMP's Gente de Mar page gives [email protected] for verification requests. Send a clear copy of the licence, the holder's name and ID number, and say why you are asking, for example that you are an operator about to engage the captain. Ask for the reply in writing and keep it with your copy of the licence, so you can show it to an insurer or inspector later. You can also ask at the Departamento de Titulación at AMP headquarters in Diablo Heights. Get the captain's written consent before you send their document to anyone; it is their personal data.

Foreign licences: verify with the issuer

A captain may also show a USCG, RYA, MCA or other foreign licence. The AMP cannot verify those; the issuing authority can. USCG credentials can be checked online with the Coast Guard, as explained in verifying captain credentials. For RYA and MCA certificates, contact the issuer. Remember that a valid foreign licence still does not license work in Panama's national waters; see using a foreign licence in Panama.

Red flags

• Only a photo or photocopy is offered, never the original.
• The name or ID number on the licence differs from the passport or cédula.
• The grade is for a smaller boat or for pleasure craft, and the job is a bigger boat or paying guests.
• The licence has expired, or the captain says the renewal is “in process” with nothing in writing from the AMP.
• Course certificates come from a centre that is not on the AMP's list of recognised training centres, or whose authorisation had expired when the course was taken. See captain courses and schools.
• The captain appears on the AMP's infractions lookup.

None of these proves fraud. Each is a reason to stop and confirm with the AMP before the captain takes your boat or your guests out. For STCW-standard medicals, the AMP also publishes its list of authorised doctors, which helps you check where a certificate came from; see sea time, medical and paperwork.

For operators and owners: build it into your routine

SENAN and the AMP check the operator's licence on the water, and the ATP expects tour operators to use qualified personnel. So the check is the operator's job, not only the captain's.

• Keep a copy of every captain's licence, ID, medical and courses, with expiry dates in one sheet.
• Match each captain to each boat. A captain licensed for your 10 m boat may not be licensed for your 18 m one.
• Re-check before each season and before a captain moves to a bigger boat.
• Tell your insurer who will be operating; many policies name the operators or require approval.

For hiring more broadly, see hiring yacht crew in Panama City.

Your practical starting checklist

1. Ask for the original AMP licence and matching ID.
2. Read the grade and compare its limit with the boat's length, tonnage and service.
3. Check the expiry date and, for yacht titles, the medical and courses.
4. Search the AMP's online tools and scan any QR code.
5. Email [email protected] with a copy and the captain's consent if anything is unclear.
6. Verify any foreign licence with its issuing authority.

Frequently asked questions

The next question to answer

How AMP licences are earned. Read Become a boat captain in Panama.

What each grade covers. Read Licence types and limits.

The captains sub-hub. Read Captains and AMP licences.

Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare How to Verify Captain Credentials.

Official resources

Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.

• AMP: consultas en línea, Gente de Mar ↗
• AMP: Consulta de Infractores (DGGM) ↗
• AMP: Dirección General de Gente de Mar (licence lists and requirement sheets) ↗
• Mundo Marítimo (trade press, Apr 2021): AMP electronic certificates with QR codes ↗
• AMP: requisitos patrón de nave de placer de 2da. clase (TIT-AN7, Res. J.D. 053-2018) ↗