diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/config/stcw-canvas-conversion.ts b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/config/stcw-canvas-conversion.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ddca58e20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/config/stcw-canvas-conversion.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+import type { TemplateFieldPlacement } from '@ema-platform/api';
+
+/**
+ * One-time, one-way conversion of the hand-written STCW certificate template
+ * (`SEAFARER_CERTIFICATE_TEMPLATE` on the server) into an equivalent canvas
+ * layout.
+ *
+ * This is not a general HTML-to-blocks parser — none exists, and none is
+ * feasible: the canvas only ever emits absolute-positioned text/image blocks
+ * (see `layout-compiler.ts`), so a `<table>`, a `{{#if}}` fallback chain, or a
+ * border/outline rule has no block equivalent to convert to. What this does
+ * is reproduce *this one template's* known field positions as blocks, by
+ * hand, from its own `mm`-based CSS — an approximation good enough to keep
+ * editing visually from here, not a lossless round-trip. Once converted, the
+ * canvas becomes the new source of truth for the draft, same as any
+ * canvas-authored design; the original HTML is gone unless the draft is
+ * reverted before saving.
+ *
+ * What is lost, deliberately, by this conversion:
+ * - The bordered/outlined sheet frame, the `facts` table's row lines, and
+ *   every font/spacing rule in the template's `<style>` block — the canvas
+ *   has no border or table primitive, only positioned text and images.
+ * - The rank/proficiency fallback chain
+ *   (`rank ?? rankEngine ?? proficiencyDeck ?? proficiencyEngine ?? proficiencyOther`)
+ *   collapses to a single field (`form.certificate.rank`) — a CoP whose
+ *   applicant used one of the other fields will need that block's variable
+ *   changed by hand after conversion.
+ * - The "CERTIFICATE OF {COMPETENCY|PROFICIENCY}" title conditional becomes a
+ *   fixed literal ("CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY / PROFICIENCY") — the same
+ *   template is seeded for both licence types, and a canvas block cannot
+ *   branch on `licenseTypeName` the way the Handlebars `{{#if}}` did.
+ * - Amharic/English authority header text becomes two literal text blocks
+ *   rather than being drawn from the template source, so it can be edited or
+ *   removed like any other block.
+ */
+
+/** Guard: only offer the conversion for a draft that is actually this template, not any hand-written source. */
+export function looksLikeStcwTemplate(hbsSource: string): boolean {
+  return (
+    hbsSource.includes('has met the STCW requirements') &&
+    hbsSource.includes('table class="facts"') &&
+    hbsSource.includes('{{holderName}}')
+  );
+}
+
+const SHEET_WIDTH_MM = 297;
+const SHEET_HEIGHT_MM = 210;
+
+function xPct(mm: number): number {
+  return Math.round((mm / SHEET_WIDTH_MM) * 1000) / 10;
+}
+function yPct(mm: number): number {
+  return Math.round((mm / SHEET_HEIGHT_MM) * 1000) / 10;
+}
+
+let counter = 0;
+/** Stable-enough ids for a batch created in one call — matches the `blk_` scheme `useTemplateDraft` uses elsewhere. */
+function blockId(): string {
+  counter += 1;
+  return `blk_stcw${Date.now().toString(36)}${counter}`;
+}
+
+function text(
+  variable: string | null,
+  content: string | undefined,
+  x: number,
+  y: number,
+  width: number,
+  opts: Partial<TemplateFieldPlacement> = {},
+): TemplateFieldPlacement {
+  return {
+    id: blockId(),
+    variable,
+    text: content,
+    type: 'text',
+    xPct: x,
+    yPct: y,
+    widthPct: width,
+    fontSize: 14,
+    fontWeight: 'normal',
+    fontStyle: 'normal',
+    align: 'left',
+    color: '#111111',
+    ...opts,
+  };
+}
+
+function image(
+  variable: string,
+  x: number,
+  y: number,
+  width: number,
+): TemplateFieldPlacement {
+  return { id: blockId(), variable, type: 'image', xPct: x, yPct: y, widthPct: width };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Produces the block layout. Takes `licenseTypeName` only to pick the fixed
+ * title text (see the class doc above) — everything else is positional.
+ */
+export function convertStcwTemplateToBlocks(licenseTypeName: string): TemplateFieldPlacement[] {
+  const isProficiency = licenseTypeName.toLowerCase().includes('proficiency');
+  const blocks: TemplateFieldPlacement[] = [];
+
+  // Header: authority name, centered-ish block near the top. The template's
+  // flex-centered header has no block equivalent, so this is placed by eye.
+  blocks.push(
+    text(null, 'የኢትዮጵያ ማሪታይም ባለሥልጣን', 30, 6, 40, {
+      align: 'center',
+      fontSize: 13,
+      fontWeight: 'bold',
+    }),
+    text(null, 'ETHIOPIAN MARITIME AUTHORITY', 30, 9.5, 40, {
+      align: 'center',
+      fontSize: 15,
+      fontWeight: 'bold',
+      color: '#0b3d6b',
+    }),
+    text(null, 'Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia', 30, 13, 40, {
+      align: 'center',
+      fontSize: 9,
+      color: '#5b6b7f',
+    }),
+    image('logo', 8, 6, 15),
+  );
+
+  // Title
+  blocks.push(
+    text(
+      null,
+      `CERTIFICATE OF ${isProficiency ? 'PROFICIENCY' : 'COMPETENCY'}`,
+      15,
+      21,
+      70,
+      { align: 'center', fontSize: 20, fontWeight: 'bold', color: '#0b3d6b' },
+    ),
+    text('licenseTypeName', undefined, 15, 25.5, 70, {
+      align: 'center',
+      fontSize: 12,
+      fontWeight: 'bold',
+      color: '#c9a227',
+    }),
+  );
+
+  // Holder
+  blocks.push(
+    text(null, 'This is to certify that', 15, 30, 70, { align: 'center', fontSize: 10, color: '#34495e' }),
+    image('holderPhoto', 40, 34, 12),
+    text('holderName', undefined, 15, 42, 70, { align: 'center', fontSize: 17, fontWeight: 'bold' }),
+  );
+  // Seafarer number / nationality are two conditional fragments in the
+  // original — placed here as their own blocks rather than forced into one,
+  // so either can be deleted independently if a design does not need it.
+  blocks.push(
+    text('seafarerNumber', undefined, 15, 50, 34, { align: 'center', fontSize: 9.5, color: '#5b6b7f' }),
+    text('holderNationality', undefined, 51, 50, 34, { align: 'center', fontSize: 9.5, color: '#5b6b7f' }),
+  );
+
+  blocks.push(
+    text(
+      null,
+      'has met the STCW requirements and is entitled to serve in the capacity stated below, in accordance with the regulations of the Ethiopian Maritime Authority.',
+      15,
+      54,
+      70,
+      { align: 'center', fontSize: 10, color: '#34495e' },
+    ),
+  );
+
+  // Facts — the original table becomes six label/value pairs, two columns.
+  // Labels are literal text; the label column's own header cell ("Certificate
+  // No.", "Department", …) has no variable, so those are plain `text` blocks.
+  const rowY = [64, 68, 72];
+  const col = [
+    { labelX: 16, valueX: 30 },
+    { labelX: 55, valueX: 68 },
+  ];
+  const facts: { label: string; variable: string; row: number; col: number }[] = [
+    { label: 'Certificate No.', variable: 'certificateNumber', row: 0, col: 0 },
+    { label: 'Department', variable: 'form.certificate.department', row: 0, col: 1 },
+    // Approximates the original's rank/proficiency fallback chain with a
+    // single field — see the module doc for what this loses on a CoP.
+    { label: 'Rank / Capacity', variable: 'form.certificate.rank', row: 1, col: 0 },
+    { label: 'Date of Issue', variable: 'issueDate', row: 1, col: 1 },
+    { label: 'Application No.', variable: 'applicationNumber', row: 2, col: 0 },
+    { label: 'Valid Until', variable: 'expiryDate', row: 2, col: 1 },
+  ];
+  for (const fact of facts) {
+    const { labelX, valueX } = col[fact.col];
+    const y = rowY[fact.row];
+    blocks.push(
+      text(null, fact.label, labelX, y, 13, { fontSize: 9.5, color: '#5b6b7f' }),
+      text(fact.variable, undefined, valueX, y, 20, { fontSize: 9.5, fontWeight: 'bold' }),
+    );
+  }
+  // Limitations, conditional in the source — kept as its own row so deleting
+  // the block is how a design without a Limitations line removes it.
+  blocks.push(
+    text(null, 'Limitations', 16, 78, 13, { fontSize: 9.5, color: '#5b6b7f' }),
+    text('rankLimitation', undefined, 30, 78, 58, { fontSize: 9.5, fontWeight: 'bold' }),
+  );
+
+  // Footer: seal, signature block, QR — matching the original's left-16mm,
+  // right-16mm, bottom-12mm footer band.
+  blocks.push(
+    image('sealImage', 18, yPct(210 - 12 - 28), 12),
+    // The horizontal "signed above this line" rule under the signature image
+    // has no block equivalent (the canvas draws no shape primitives) and is
+    // dropped rather than faked with an empty text block.
+    image('signatureImage', 42, yPct(210 - 12 - 20), 16),
+    text('approverName', undefined, 38, yPct(210 - 12), 24, { align: 'center', fontSize: 9, fontWeight: 'bold' }),
+    text('approverRole', undefined, 38, yPct(210 - 12 + 3.5), 24, { align: 'center', fontSize: 8, color: '#5b6b7f' }),
+    image('qrImage', xPct(297 - 16 - 26), yPct(210 - 12 - 26), 9),
+    text(null, 'Scan to verify', xPct(297 - 16 - 34), yPct(210 - 12), 12, {
+      align: 'center',
+      fontSize: 7,
+      color: '#5b6b7f',
+    }),
+  );
+
+  return blocks;
+}
diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/hooks/useTemplateDraft.ts b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/hooks/useTemplateDraft.ts
index f065337c0..470031eaf 100644
--- a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/hooks/useTemplateDraft.ts
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/hooks/useTemplateDraft.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,19 @@ export function useTemplateDraft(templates: LicenseTemplate[]) {
     );
   }, []);
 
+  /**
+   * Replaces the draft's blocks wholesale — how a one-time HTML-to-canvas
+   * conversion hands off its result. Distinct from `addBlock`/`updateBlock`,
+   * which grow or edit the canvas one block at a time; this is the only
+   * caller that sets the whole array in one step.
+   */
+  const replaceAllBlocks = useCallback((blocks: TemplateFieldPlacement[]) => {
+    setPlacements(blocks);
+    setSelectedBlockId(null);
+    setCurrentPage(0);
+    setExtraPages(0);
+  }, []);
+
   const deleteBlock = useCallback((id: string) => {
     setPlacements((prev) => prev.filter((block) => block.id !== id));
     setSelectedBlockId((current) => (current === id ? null : current));
@@ -213,6 +226,7 @@ export function useTemplateDraft(templates: LicenseTemplate[]) {
     addBlock,
     updateBlock,
     deleteBlock,
+    replaceAllBlocks,
     editorRef,
     isPublished,
     dirty,
diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/pages/CertificateDesignerPage.tsx b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/pages/CertificateDesignerPage.tsx
index d775efa07..b69590a47 100644
--- a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/pages/CertificateDesignerPage.tsx
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/certificate-designer/pages/CertificateDesignerPage.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import {
   IconLayoutBoard,
   IconLock,
   IconPlus,
+  IconWand,
 } from '@tabler/icons-react';
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 import {
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ import { TemplateVariableList } from '../components/TemplateVariableList';
 import { TemplateVersionList } from '../components/TemplateVersionList';
 import { pageOptionsFor } from '../config/designer';
 import { compileLayoutToHbs } from '../config/layout-compiler';
+import { convertStcwTemplateToBlocks, looksLikeStcwTemplate } from '../config/stcw-canvas-conversion';
 import { useDesignerActions } from '../hooks/useDesignerActions';
 import { useTemplateDraft } from '../hooks/useTemplateDraft';
 import { useTemplatePreview } from '../hooks/useTemplatePreview';
@@ -100,6 +102,7 @@ export function CertificateDesignerPage() {
   const [newOpen, setNewOpen] = useState(false);
   const [newName, setNewName] = useState('');
   const [deleteOpen, setDeleteOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [convertOpen, setConvertOpen] = useState(false);
   const [mode, setMode] = useState<'canvas' | 'source'>('canvas');
 
   const selectedType = licenseTypes?.items?.find((type) => type.id === typeId);
@@ -259,6 +262,16 @@ export function CertificateDesignerPage() {
 
               <Tabs.Panel value="canvas" pt="sm">
                 <Stack gap="sm">
+                  {!draft.usesCanvas && (
+                    <Paper withBorder p="xs" bg="var(--mantine-color-yellow-light)">
+                      <Text size="xs">
+                        {t(
+                          'designer.sourceOwnsCanvas',
+                          'This design is hand-written HTML (see the HTML source tab) — the canvas below is empty because it has no blocks, not because the design is empty. Adding a block here starts a canvas layout that will replace the hand-written HTML on save.',
+                        )}
+                      </Text>
+                    </Paper>
+                  )}
                   <TextInput
                     label={t('designer.name', 'Version name')}
                     value={draft.name}
@@ -303,6 +316,26 @@ export function CertificateDesignerPage() {
                     </Text>
                   </Paper>
                 )}
+                {!draft.usesCanvas && looksLikeStcwTemplate(draft.source) && !editingLocked && (
+                  <Paper withBorder p="xs" mb="sm">
+                    <Group justify="space-between" wrap="nowrap">
+                      <Text size="xs" c="dimmed">
+                        {t(
+                          'designer.convertHint',
+                          'Recognised as the STCW certificate layout — it can be converted to visual-editor blocks to keep editing it there.',
+                        )}
+                      </Text>
+                      <Button
+                        size="xs"
+                        variant="light"
+                        leftSection={<IconWand size={14} />}
+                        onClick={() => setConvertOpen(true)}
+                      >
+                        {t('designer.convertToCanvas', 'Convert to canvas')}
+                      </Button>
+                    </Group>
+                  </Paper>
+                )}
                 <TemplateEditor
                   name={draft.name}
                   onNameChange={draft.setName}
@@ -457,6 +490,65 @@ export function CertificateDesignerPage() {
         </Stack>
       </Modal>
 
+      <Modal
+        opened={convertOpen}
+        onClose={() => setConvertOpen(false)}
+        title={t('designer.convertToCanvas', 'Convert to canvas')}
+        size="md"
+      >
+        <Stack gap="md">
+          <Text size="sm">
+            {t(
+              'designer.convertExplain',
+              'This reproduces the certificate’s fields as visual-editor blocks so you can keep editing it there. It is an approximation, not an exact copy:',
+            )}
+          </Text>
+          <Stack gap={4} component="ul" style={{ margin: 0, paddingLeft: 20 }}>
+            <Text component="li" size="sm">
+              {t(
+                'designer.convertLoseBorder',
+                'The sheet border, outline and table row lines are dropped — the canvas has no border or table to draw them with.',
+              )}
+            </Text>
+            <Text component="li" size="sm">
+              {t(
+                'designer.convertLoseFallback',
+                'A Certificate of Proficiency’s rank/proficiency field collapses to one block (Rank / Capacity) — if the applicant used a different field, that block’s variable needs changing by hand.',
+              )}
+            </Text>
+            <Text component="li" size="sm">
+              {t(
+                'designer.convertLoseTitle',
+                'The "Certificate of Competency / Proficiency" title becomes fixed text for whichever licence type you are converting from — it no longer switches automatically.',
+              )}
+            </Text>
+          </Stack>
+          <Text size="sm" fw={600}>
+            {t(
+              'designer.convertIrreversible',
+              'Once converted, the canvas becomes this draft’s design — the hand-written HTML is replaced on save.',
+            )}
+          </Text>
+          <ModalFooter>
+            <Button variant="default" onClick={() => setConvertOpen(false)}>
+              {t('common.cancel', 'Cancel')}
+            </Button>
+            <Button
+              leftSection={<IconWand size={14} />}
+              onClick={() => {
+                draft.replaceAllBlocks(
+                  convertStcwTemplateToBlocks(selectedType?.name?.en ?? 'Certificate of Competency'),
+                );
+                setConvertOpen(false);
+                setMode('canvas');
+              }}
+            >
+              {t('designer.convertToCanvas', 'Convert to canvas')}
+            </Button>
+          </ModalFooter>
+        </Stack>
+      </Modal>
+
       <PdfPreviewModal
         opened={Boolean(previewUrl)}
         onClose={closePreview}