Recruitment agencies (RPS), contracts and your protection
1The lesson in plain words
If you use an Indian recruitment agency, check its RPSL. It must not charge you for finding a job.
Why licensing
Under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), regulation 1.4, private recruitment and placement services (RPS) must be licensed. They may not charge seafarers for finding a job, and they must check that the shipowner meets the MLC. They must keep a register of the seafarers they place and hold insurance or similar cover in case they or the shipowner fail to pay. India ratified the MLC in 2015 and licenses these agencies through the DGMA.
The RPSL
An Indian agency needs a Recruitment and Placement Services Licence (RPSL) from the DGMA. You can check an agency's licence number and validity on the DGMA website. New Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Rules under the 2025 Act were notified in September 2026. They replaced the 2016 Rules and apply to agencies placing Indian seafarers on Indian and foreign ships.
Fees and fraud
You must not pay recruitment or placement fees. You may bear permitted personal-document costs, such as your passport, statutory medical certificate and national seafarer's book. The shipowner pays visa costs. Do not pay for a berth (a job on a ship). Reject unverifiable licences and demands to surrender original certificates. Be wary of job offers without an interview. Check the agency on the DGMA website and report suspected fraud.
Before you sign
Read your seafarer employment agreement (SEA) before signing; keep your signed original. Check the wages, contract length, leave, repatriation and the collective agreement. Check the ship's MLC certificate where certification is required, and its evidence of financial security for abandonment. The agency must give you this information. Sign-on must be recorded in your CDC and through the agency's records.
When things go wrong
Use the ship's on-board complaint procedure. You may also complain directly to the master or appropriate outside authorities. Contact the agency and DGMA promptly over unpaid wages or abandonment. Check current DGMA deployment advisories before accepting a berth. Your wider MLC rights are covered in Human factors.
2Key data
- MLC basis
- Regulation 1.4: recruitment and placement
- Indian licence
- RPSL, issued by the DGMA
- Current rules
- RPS Rules 2026 under the 2025 Act (Sept 2026)
- Fees
- No fee for the job itself
- India and the MLC
- Ratified 2015
3Key points
- 1
An Indian recruitment agency must hold a valid RPSL; you may also apply directly to a shipping company.
- 2
It may not charge you for the job; check its licence on the DGMA website.
- 3
Read your SEA before signing; keep your signed original.
- 4
Report fake agents and unpaid wages to the DGMA.
4Frequent mistakes
Wrong: Paying an agent a placement fee is normal if the job is good.
Right: A licensed RPS may not charge you for the job. A request for money is a warning sign.
Wrong: An agency's office and website prove it is licensed.
Right: Check its RPSL number and validity on the DGMA website.
5Practice case & exam keys
A friend has been offered a third officer's berth by an agency on social media. It asks for ₹1.5 lakh as a "processing fee" and his original CoC by courier. The agency's website shows a licence number. What do you tell him?
Show the answer
Do not pay or send the original CoC. Check the RPSL validity and match the listed agency name and contact details against the offer. Verify the offer through independently obtained official contacts. Report the prohibited fee demand and any suspected impersonation to DGMA, even if the licence is genuine. Keep the offer and payment request as evidence. Use licensed agencies or apply directly to known shipping companies.
Exam keys
- MLC regulation 1.4: licensed recruitment, no fees, registers, protection.
- RPSL issued by the DGMA; check online.
- RPS Rules 2026 replaced the 2016 Rules.
- Review the SEA before signing; retain your signed original. Complaints and advisories via the DGMA.
Finish this unit
When you've read it, answer three questions. Get all three right to finish the unit; opening the page alone doesn't count.
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