Starting May 9, 2026, all licensed manning agencies (LMAs) will be required to file seafarers’ documents online to help speed up processing.
In an advisory, MARINA said the nationwide online processing system will be implemented through the Seafarer’s Record Book (SRB) and Seafarer’s Identity Document (SID) Expedite Application System.
According to MARINA, walk-in applications have been causing delays in processing. The agency noted that only 50 percent of LMAs are currently using its online platform.
MARINA said it has been processing an average of 200 applications daily through the online system. Once all LMAs fully adopt the platform, processing time could be reduced to as fast as three hours from the current seven hours.
