Maritime Crew Visa

This visa is for foreign crew (including supernumerary crew) employed, or under offer of employment, on non-military ships on international voyages to Australia and the ship is:

• used for commercial trading purposes or for carrying paying passengers
• owned and operated by a foreign government to do scientific research
• approved for ‘public vessel status’ by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In general terms, foreign crew of cargo vessels and cruise ships (other than Australian Permanent Residents and those New Zealand citizens who are eligible for a Special Category visa) are required to hold a Maritime Crew visa. Crew of yachts do not normally qualify for this visa and should seek to obtain a visitor visa or a Superyacht Crew visa.

A spouse and dependent children may also make individual applications for a Maritime Crew visa to accompany a crew member on their ship to Australia.

The Maritime Crew visa is not valid for air travel to Australia.

The Maritime Crew visa is not valid for air travel to Australia. The Maritime Crew visa permits crew to enter Australia by sea only, for the purpose of allowing them to work on their ship.

Crew or their spouse and dependent children wanting to travel to Australia by air to join their ship must apply for a suitable visa which allows entry by air.

Any crew on board a vessel that is ‘imported’ (that is subject to an entry declaration) by the Australian Customs Service (Customs), must hold another visa, not the Maritime Crew visa, to remain lawfully in Australia.

Crew are not permitted to sign-on to an imported vessel in Australia with a Maritime Crew visa; they must hold an appropriate visa such as a 457 business visa.

There is no application charge for the Maritime Crew visa.

If you are granted this visa, you can:

• enter Australia by sea only, on multiple occasions during the three (3) year life of the visa
• enter only as crew, or spouse or dependent child accompanying a crewperson, signed on to a non-military ship
• only perform work in relation to the usual operational requirements of the ship while you are in Australia

Travelling to Australia by sea

Your Maritime Crew visa is only valid for entry to Australia by sea as crew, supernumerary crew, or the spouse or dependent child of crew on a non-military ship.

If you sign off your ship while it is in Australia, you will have five (5) days to either depart Australia or sign onto another non-military ship.

If the ship on which you travel to Australia is ceasing its international voyage status and is declared ‘imported’ for domestic consumption by the Australian Customs Service (Customs), you will have five (5) days to depart Australia, sign onto another non-military ship or obtain another suitable visa from the department to authorise your continued lawful stay in Australia.

The master of the vessel should make the crew aware if Customs ‘imports’ the vessel. Crew are not permitted to sign-on to an imported vessel with a Maritime Crew visa; they must hold an appropriate visa such as a 457 business visa.

Note: If there are compelling reasons beyond your control which may prevent your departure from Australia within the five (5) day sign off period, you must contact an authorised officer from either Customs or the department to consider an extension to the five (5) day period while you are still lawful.

Travelling to Australia by air

You cannot use your Maritime Crew visa for air travel to Australia. If you have been granted a Maritime Crew visa and you have to travel to Australia by air to join your ship in Australia, you must obtain another type of visa which permits travel by air, such as a Transit visa, an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or a Visitor visa.

Using a Transit Visa

You must already hold a Maritime Crew visa in order to be granted a Transit visa to travel to Australia by air to join a vessel as crew. Usually a Transit visa will only allow a single entry to Australia by maritime crew. A new Transit visa will be required each time you seek to travel to Australia by air to join a ship.

You must sign onto your ship within five (5) days of arrival in Australia.

Note: If you are unable to sign onto your ship within five (5) days of arrival, you must apply for another visa (for example, a Visitor visa) during the five (5) day period or you will become unlawful and your Maritime Crew visa will cease. This would require you to re-apply for a Maritime Crew visa from outside Australia if you wish to enter Australia again as crew.

Using an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or a Visitor Visa

You must have been granted your Maritime Crew visa before you sign onto your ship.

You can only apply for a Maritime Crew visa while you are outside Australia.

If you do not already hold a Maritime Crew visa you are strongly encouraged to apply for a Maritime Crew visa well before you intend to fly to Australia.

You must sign onto your ship during the validity period of your visa, (that is, three (3) months from arrival in Australia for an ETA, a Visitor visa is usually three (3) months but may be shorter).

Bringing family

Your spouse and dependent children (generally those under 18 years of age), who are travelling to Australia with you as a member of crew of a non-military ship, can each apply on separate applications for a Maritime Crew visa.

The crew member must already have applied for, or been granted their Maritime Crew visa and a Maritime Crew visa cannot be granted to a spouse or dependent child until after the crew member has been granted their visa.

A spouse and dependent children must remain on the same vessel as the crew member, in order to continue to hold their Maritime Crew visa. If a crew member’s Maritime Crew visa ceases for any reason, the Maritime Crew visa held by a spouse or dependent child will also cease.

A spouse and dependent child entering Australia by air and travelling with a crew member, or joining a crew member onboard a ship, must apply for another visa which permits entry by air as the Maritime Crew visa is not valid for air travel.

Work and Study

Maritime crews are only able to perform work in relation to the usual operational requirements of the ship while they are in Australia. A spouse or dependent child is not permitted to work or study while in Australia.

Health

The health of you and your family is your responsibility. You will not be covered by Australia’s national health scheme unless you are from a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. Any cost associated with any medical treatment required by you or your family when in Australia is your responsibility. You may wish to discuss this with your shipping employer.

If, at the time you enter Australia on your ship, you are suffering from any infectious disease, or one which may pose a public health threat in Australia such as tuberculosis, the master of your ship will be required to notify the relevant quarantine authorities in Australia.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this visa you must:

• be outside Australia at time of application
• provide details of your valid national passport (a seafarer’s identity document is not acceptable)
• be a crew member employed on a non-military ship or under offer of employment on a non-military ship
  or
• be the spouse or dependent child of one of the above who will accompany that crew person on their ship, and the crew person has already either been granted a Maritime Crew visa or has applied for one.

Note: Crew who are employed or under offer of employment includes supernumerary crew who may be under contract or subcontract to provide services, maintenance or warranty work on a ship while it is at sea. Crew also includes scientific research personnel on a scientific research ship owned by a foreign government.

All applicants must meet character requirements.

Obligations

You must continue to satisfy the legal requirements under which you were granted the visa, and its specific requirements while you are in Australia, or your visa will cease and will be invalid.

If your visa becomes invalid, you will be prevented from leaving your vessel while it is in Australia, or you may be removed from the vessel and placed in detention until arrangements for your departure from Australia are made.

Your Maritime Crew visa normally remains valid for three (3) years from the date it is granted.

• you do not sign onto your ship within five (5) days of arriving in Australia by air on a transit visa and hold no other visa (other than a Maritime Crew visa) to remain in Australia
• any other visa that you hold is cancelled, or if you are in Australia on any other type of visa (other than a Maritime Crew visa) and that visa expires and you become unlawful
• you sign off your ship and you do not depart Australia within five (5) days, obtain another type of visa or sign onto another non-military ship in that time
  or
• the ship on which you travel to Australia is ceasing its international voyage status and is declared ‘imported’ for domestic consumption by the Australian Customs Service (Customs), and within five (5) days you do not depart Australia, sign onto another non-military ship, or you do not obtain another suitable visa from the department to authorise your continued lawful stay in Australia. The master of the vessel should inform the crew if Customs ‘imports’ the vessel.

If you are a crew member, your Maritime Crew visa will automatically cease and be invalid if:

Note: If there are compelling reasons beyond your control which may prevent your departure from Australia within the five (5) day sign off period, you must contact an authorised officer of Customs or the department to consider an extension to the five (5) day period while you are still lawful.
Your Maritime Crew visa will also be ceased if:

• you no longer satisfy the legal requirements under which you were granted the visa
• you perform work while in Australia other than work that is required in relation to the usual operational requirements of the ship
  or
• it is determined that your presence in Australia is undesirable.

If you are a spouse or dependent child of a crew member, your Maritime Crew visa will automatically cease and be invalid:

• if the crew member who is the spouse/parent of the holder has their Maritime Crew visa ceased or cancelled
• if any other visa that is held is cancelled, or if the person is in Australia on any other type of visa and that visa expires and the person becomes unlawful
• if the visa holder enters Australia on a ship but not with the crew member who is the spouse/parent of the visa holder (and no other visa other than a MCV is held)
• if the visa holder ceases to accompany the crew member who is the spouse/parent of the visa holder and does not depart Australia, or obtain another suitable visa from the department to authorise their continued lawful stay in Australia
  or
• if the ship on which the visa holder travels to Australia is ceasing its international voyage status and is declared ‘imported’ for domestic consumption by the Australian Customs Service (Customs), and within five (5) days the visa holder does not depart Australia, join their crew member spouse/parent on another non-military ship, or does not obtain another suitable visa from the department to authorise their continued lawful stay in Australia.

Your Maritime Crew visa will also be ceased if:

• you no longer satisfy the legal requirements under which you were granted the visa
• you perform any work while in Australia
  or
• it is determined that your presence in Australia is undesirable.