A decisive step toward eliminating bureaucracy and facilitating the Greek seafarers was taken today, with the digitization of their most critical professional documents.
“The new era of digital reforms in shipping is arriving in a decisive manner, through reforms that address the industry’s real needs and upgrade the services provided to our seafarers,” said the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Vasilis Kikilias, during the presentation of the new online application for submitting requests for the issuance and endorsement of Certificates of Seafarer Competency, Certificates of Competency, and Certificates of Endorsement for Greek seafarers, which took place today at the Ministry.
As he emphasized, the new digital service solves a long-standing problem for seafarers, as it reduces bureaucracy and makes procedures more flexible, faster, and more transparent. This means that from now on our seafarers will be able to quickly, easily, and without hassle to submit their supporting documents, know what is required to complete their application, and receive efficient service.”
He added that these measures are directly linked to the Ministry’s efforts to support the seafaring profession, strengthen the Greek flag, and attract more young people to the maritime sector.
He also made special mention of the efforts of the Ministry’s departments and the Hellenic Coast Guard, commending the officers and civilian staff for their response. As he said, “This proves that anything is possible within the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, as long as there is the will to do so. The goal is to move things forward. This effort will continue in the best possible way and in collaboration with all those involved in maritime affairs, respecting their views, appreciating their efforts, their contributions, and continuing on the same path, without deviation.”
The new application, developed by the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Governance and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, is a comprehensive information system for the electronic management of applications for Certificates of Seafarer Competency, Certificates of Competency, and endorsements for seafarers, with the aim of reducing bureaucracy and minimizing the need for seafarers to appear in person at government offices, faster processing of applications and enhancing transparency and traceability at all stages of the process.
Through the website ani.gov.gr, seafarers and their authorized representatives will be able, with secure authentication via TAXISnet codes, to submit online applications for the issuance and endorsement of Certificates of Seafaring Competence, for the issuance and endorsement of Certificates of Proficiency, as well as for the endorsement of certificates. At the same time, the system allows users to upload supporting documents electronically, pay fees, track the status of each application in real time, and automatically generate a unique reference number.
The new application leverages critical national digital infrastructure, such as authentication via TAXISnet, the Interoperability Center, the National Communications Registry, the Single Digital Portal gov.gr, and e-Paravolos services. At the same time, interoperability is planned with services such as the Criminal Record, Military Registration, and digital high school diplomas, while government users will be able to send automated notifications regarding missing information, corrections, next steps, and approvals or rejections of applications.
In the first phase, the application will go into production—pilot mode, processing forty (40) applications per day: twenty-five (25) for the Master’s specialty and fifteen (15) for the Engineer’s specialty. The new digital process will operate in parallel with the existing paper-based application process and with e-rantevou, which has been in operation since December 2025.
The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Stefanos Gikas, the Secretary General for Shipping and Ports, Manolis Koutoulakis, the Commander of the Hellenic Coast Guard (LCG), Vice Admiral Christos Kontorouhas, the Deputy Commanders of the Hellenic Coast Guard, Vice Admirals Fotios Kiamos and Efstratios Drakoulis, representatives of the shipping community, and other senior and top-ranking officers of the Hellenic Coast Guard.
