The Internship Programme is run by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea at its Registry in Hamburg, Germany. Full-time interns join the Legal Office, Library and Archives, Linguistic Services, or Press Office and complete assignments under Registry supervision.
The April–June 2027 intake is open until 30 September 2026, and applications for later internship periods may also be submitted. The Tribunal offers approximately 20 internships each year.
Benefits & funding
- The internship is not remunerated; interns or their sponsoring institutions normally pay travel, accommodation, living, visa, and insurance costs.
- A limited Trust Fund route can provide a monthly living allowance and possible travel assistance to applicants who meet its developing-country nationality, normal-residence, and financial-need conditions.
- Successful interns receive a certificate describing the internship period, examples of assigned work, and an evaluation of performance.
Eligibility
- Applicants must have completed at least three years of university study.
- Applicants should normally remain enrolled in a degree-granting or postgraduate course during application and the internship, or have graduated within the previous 12 months; people who have already started working are not eligible.
- Applicants need a good command of English and/or French and an interest relevant to the Tribunal, including law of the sea, public international law, international affairs, political science, public information, library science, or translation.
- The programme welcomes students and recent graduates worldwide; applicants are normally expected to be no older than 32, but the official wording does not state an absolute age bar.
- The internship is full-time and usually lasts three months in Hamburg.
- Trust Fund support is a separate conditional route for nationals of a developing country on the current OECD DAC list who normally reside there and need help with travel and living costs.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Bachelor · Master Enrolled · Master · PhD Enrolled · PhD
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Complete the online application form and choose the requested internship period.
- 2Upload a covering letter of no more than one page explaining the ITLOS fit, academic and career goals, and expected benefit, together with a résumé or curriculum vitae.
- 3Add supporting material, including a research sample in English or French of no more than 10 pages, enrolment or degree evidence, transcripts, references, and language certificates where relevant.
- 4Provide English or French translations for accompanying documents in other languages and keep each upload within the form’s 1 MB limit.
- 5Indicate any request for Trust Fund support in the form and submit by the applicable deadline; incomplete or late applications are not considered.
Program timeline
30 September 2026
Application deadline for the April–June 2027 internship period.
Approximately one month after the deadline
The internship coordinator contacts applicants with the selection decision.
Full-time internship period in Hamburg.
April–June 2027