Do passengers and crew on cargo ships require visas?
If I am on a cargo ship that docks in a foreign country, like Brazil for example, but I do not come ashore and do not intend to come ashore will customs still board and demand passports and visas for all passengers and crew?
I am assuming the ship is refueling or is only stopping temporarily at the port.
Best Answer
As a rule (but not an ironclad one), no, you will not require a visa if you stay on board. Immigration takes place only on disembarkation.
Procedures do vary from country to country though, and some countries such as Australia do require being in possession of a valid visa in order to enter their territorial waters, even in transit.
Pictures about "Do passengers and crew on cargo ships require visas?"
Do crew members need visa?
To all crew members of international airlines or personnel on ships and cruise liners: If you travel to the United States for a limited period of time as a crew member, i.e. as part of your work on board, you need a so-called C-1/D visa.Do I need a visa to work on a ship?
Most staff on cruise ships do not come from the same country from where the ship is registered. Therefore many of them need a valid visa and/or work permit to work on a cruise ship legally. If your ship embarks from a port in the USA or you have a stopover in one of the US ports, you will need the appropriate visa.Can you travel as a passenger on a cargo ship?
Only around 1% of the world's freighter ships accept passengers, according to travel agents. Those that do tend to accommodate only up to 12 people at a time, the maximum allowed without a doctor on board.Do cargo ships have a crew?
Commercial vessels typically have 20 to 30 crew members, including two or three cooks and stewards in the kitchen and four engineers to run the power plant. Most crew members are classified as "able seamen," performing deck, wheelhouse and other duties.Cargo Ship Accommodation
More answers regarding do passengers and crew on cargo ships require visas?
Answer 2
For the crew of a ship, the seaman's book can replace visa in certain circumstances. It requires nations which have ratified the relevant conventions, and it applies to merchant crew who travel with their ship to a port or towards their ship waiting in a foreign port.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Julius Silver, Tom Fisk, mali maeder, mali maeder