The term “license” refers to the official permission required by law for activities such as construction, use, operation, or transport, granted by the competent authority. There are many types of licenses, including operating licenses, building permits, and motor vehicle licenses. One of these is the maritime license. A maritime license was introduced to ensure navigational safety. Today, all vessels on the sea—large or small, commercial or recreational—such as boats, ships, and skiffs are required to carry a maritime license. In the following text, we will explain how to perform an E-Government Maritime License Inquiry.
You can carry out E-Government maritime license inquiries, as well as other maritime-related procedures and the services mentioned above, through the General Directorate of Coastal Safety.
General Directorate of Coastal Safety Services
The General Directorate of Coastal Safety is an organization under the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, headquartered in Istanbul. Its mission is to support the safety of Turkish- and foreign-flagged ships navigating Turkish seas and territorial waters. The directorate provides coastal safety and ship salvage services, pilotage, rescue of life, property and vessels, assistance, salvage and wreck removal, and associated services such as towing and diving. It also operates and invests in coastal radio stations and systems like Automatic Identification System (AIS) and dGPS, maintaining these services to ensure navigational safety.
The General Directorate conducts its activities across seven core service areas, three of which are authoritative functions.
Within its designated scope and as a monopoly in certain fields, the directorate provides services in seven main areas: ship salvage, search and rescue (life-saving), Turkish Straits Vessel Traffic Services Authority, lighthouse authority, maritime communications and NAVTEX coordination, pilotage services, and towing services.
More specifically, the General Directorate of Coastal Safety organizes its work under the following services: historical lighthouses and those opened for tourism, international activities, radio operations, vessel traffic and pilotage services, navigational aids, salvage services, and maritime services.
How to Check Maritime License on E-Government
E-Government refers to the electronic delivery of government services. Launched several years ago, the E-Government platform now handles most services provided by public institutions. To access the official site, first obtain your personal E-Government password from a PTT branch (the fee is minimal). On the E-Government website, click the e-Devlet Şifresi (E-Government Password) option, then enter your Turkish Identification Number and the password you received from PTT to log in. If you do not have that password, you can use other login methods such as Mobile Signature, Electronic Signature, or Internet Banking. After entering your credentials correctly and signing in, you can perform the desired transactions.
- The maritime license inquiry is carried out by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety. After signing in to E-Government, you can either follow the dedicated service link for the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and verify your identity to query a license, or type “Deniz Ruhsat Sorgula” (Check Maritime License) into the search box at the top right of the E-Government page, then fill in the required fields on the opened page to complete your inquiry quickly and easily.
By clicking the “Verify My Identity Now” button shown in the image above and entering your information correctly, you can easily complete the E-Government maritime license inquiry.