Coast Guard Navik (General Duty / Domestic Branch)

Serving on Coast Guard ships and boats and at shore bases. Work includes seamanship, patrolling, boarding and checking vessels, search and rescue, and upkeep of the ship and its equipment. Navik (Domestic Branch) staff work as cooks and stewards, feeding and looking after the crew and officers' messes.

A day in the work
On a ship, the day starts early with physical training and a muster. Then you stand a watch or do your allotted duty on deck, such as keeping lookout, handling ropes and boats, or maintaining equipment. When the ship is on patrol, you may help in a boarding party that checks a fishing boat or a suspicious vessel. You may also join a rescue drill or a real rescue. On shore postings the pace is more regular, with drills, training and upkeep of the base.

1. Step 1 · Class 9–12Take Physics and Maths in Class 11–12 if you want the General Duty post. Build running, push-ups and swimming into your week. General Duty also needs eyesight of 6/6 and 6/9 without glasses, so look after your eyes.
2. Step 2 · Class 12 pass, age 18–22Apply online when the Coast Guard announces a CGEPT cycle. In 2026 the window was 6–21 October 2026 on ssc.gov.in, and it is now closed. Notices come out once or twice a year at different times, so watch the official sites. Men applying for General Duty must upload a domicile certificate because recruitment is zone-wise.
3. Step 3 · Stage-I (online test)A computer-based test. For General Duty it tests Class 10 level Maths, Science, English, Reasoning and General Awareness, plus Class 12 Physics and Maths. The 2026 notice reportedly uses 100 MCQs in 1 hour with no negative marking. Pass marks are reportedly 40, or 35 for SC/ST. Older notices used two sections, so read the current notice. Your Stage-I marks decide your merit. (reported — check with the official body)
4. Step 4 · Stage-II (1–2 days at a Coast Guard centre)Identity and biometric check, a Physical Fitness Test, an assessment and adaptability test, document verification and a recruitment medical. All of these are only 'qualify' tests. For men the PFT is reportedly a 1.6 km run in 6 min 30 sec, 20 squats, 15 push-ups and 15 bent-knee sit-ups, done without a break. Women have easier targets (reported). (reported — check with the official body)
5. Step 5 · Stage-III and Stage-IV (INS Chilka)If you are in merit for the vacancies, you report to INS Chilka for an Aadhaar-based identity check, document check, final pre-enrolment medical and police verification. In the older notice you travelled there at your own expense. Your certificates are then verified with your Board. Fake documents lead to termination. In the 2026 cycle, Stage-III was tentatively planned for early May 2027 (batch 01/2027) and mid Oct 2027 (batch 02/2027).
6. Step 6 · TrainingBasic training at INS Chilka covers academics, sports, parade, sailing, boat pulling, swimming, trekking and firing. The Coast Guard recruitment page gives 16 weeks for General Duty, while an older Coast Guard training page says 24 weeks. After that come sea training and professional training of 6 months to 2 years. Your trade is allotted on your training performance and the service's needs. You can be discharged as unsuitable if your progress or conduct is poor.

• Navik (General Duty): sailor on ships and boatsStarts after: Class 12 with Physics and Maths The main route for operational sea duties. Men and women can both apply. In the 2026 notice, about 260 posts were listed across the two batches, with 26 for women (tentative).
• Navik (Domestic Branch): cook or stewardStarts after: Class 10 Men only. Trained at INS Chilka, then sea training and professional training as a cook or steward. The vision standard is more relaxed than for General Duty. In the 2026 notice, 25 posts were listed, all in batch 02/2027.

Fees from: Coast Guard advertisement via SSC, 6 Oct 2026 · Coast Guard CGEPT 02/2025 notice. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Pay starts at a fixed government level with allowances on top, and it grows with promotions, years of service and the kind of posting, such as sea duty versus a shore base.

In the 2026 notice, women can apply for Navik (General Duty) for the first time in my sources, with 13 posts per batch. Navik (Domestic Branch) is for men only. Women's physical targets are different (152 cm height; easier PFT, reported), and some hill and north-eastern domiciles get a height relaxation (reported). I found no disability-specific openings, and the medical standards are strict.

• Class 7–9Start a simple routine of running, squats and push-ups three or four days a week, and learn to swim at a safe, supervised pool or with a trained instructor. Slowly aim for the run time Navik candidates are tested on.
• Class 10–12Choose Physics and Maths in Class 11 if this is your goal. Read the free NCERT textbooks for both subjects, because the General Duty test includes Class 12 level questions in them.Open link ↗
• College or afterJoin the NCC (the Naval Wing, if your school or college has one) or a local sports or adventure club. Also read the current Coast Guard notice on joinindiancoastguard.cdac.in so you know the age, medical and fitness rules before you apply.Open link ↗

• The 2026 application window (6–21 Oct 2026) has closed. Dates, vacancies and who can apply change every cycle, so check joinindiancoastguard.cdac.in and ssc.gov.in for the next notice.
• Navik General Duty needs Class 12 with Physics and Maths. A Class 10 pass is enough only for the Domestic Branch (cook or steward). Diploma holders can look at the separate Yantrik post.
• Medical standards are strict. For General Duty, candidates who use glasses are reportedly not eligible, and tattoos are not allowed except in limited cases such as inner forearm and tribal-community concessions (reported).
• All original documents are checked with your Board or university. If they are found false, you are terminated.