Visas & Vaccinations
Visas
Make sure you’ve got the correct visa, or it could cost you your job. Visas depend on your nationality and where you are travelling. Certain countries have specific visa requirements, but here are the 3 main visas yachties encounter:
UK (non-EU) citizens working in the EU – EU Work Visa
Since the UK left the EU (31/12/2020) UK citizens can only stay in the EU for ‘tourist’ purposes for 90 days within a 180-day period and can only work in the EU with a valid work visa.
Although working onboard a vessel is seen as work offshore, some EU-flagged vessels (EG: France & Spain) require crew working onboard to have the legal right to work in the EU, so UK citizens will require the EU work visa.
For the Professional Yachting Association’s Guide to Brexit Regulations for yacht crew, visit https://www.pya.org/News/Guide---Brexit-regulations-for-yacht-crew.aspx
Non-Americans Travelling to The USA - B1/B2 Visa
Essential for non-American, non-immigration superyacht crew either wishing to work on a luxury US flagged yacht and/or on a yacht entering US waters.
- B1 Visa = Visitor for Business
- B2 Visa = Visitor for Pleasure
For more information, visit the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Non-EU Crew Travelling to The Schengen Zone - Schengen Visa
The 26 European countries that make up The Schengen Zone allowing for free travel within it, include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
If you’re a citizen from outside the Schengen Zone looking for work on a yacht in Europe, you will need a Schengen Visa from the embassy of the country you will be FIRST visiting EG: France if you’re based in Antibes.
US citizens don’t require a Schengen Visa prior to arrival. The most common Schengen Visa is category “C”, valid for a maximum of 90 days, for every 6-month period starting from the date of entry.
For more information and to check if you need a Schengen Visa visit https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/who-needs-schengen-visa/
Vaccinations
Yacht crew travel around the world, often to remote places, so make sure you’re up to date with your vaccinations, especially with some countries (as of July 2022) lifting COVID-19 travel restrictions. More and more owners are requesting that their crew are vaccinated against the virus and some stipulate that continued employment relies on it.
The main vaccinations to consider when joining a vessel.
COVID 19 (Coronavirus)
Location: Worldwide
Symptoms: High temperature, shivering, new, continuous cough, loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, shortness of breath, lethargic, aching body, headache, sore throat, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, feeling sick.
UK booster frequency: Annual
Yellow Fever
Location: Tropical and subtropical areas of Africa and South America. Spread by infected mosquito.
Symptoms: fever, muscle pain with prominent backache, headache, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting.
Immunisation: The Yellow Fever vaccine provides lifelong protection for most people. With a further dose recommended for a small number of travellers visiting high risk areas, including those vaccinated when they were pregnant. The vaccine is called Stamaril and certain countries require a Yellow Fever Certificate.
Tuberculosis (TB)
Location: Worldwide, but most prevalent in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa.
Symptoms: Persistent cough, weight loss, night sweats, high temperature, fatigue, loss of appetite.
Treatment: BCG vaccine protects against TB, but risk of infection can be reduced by good ventilation, natural light and good hygiene.
Polio
Location: Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan
Symptoms: High temperature, extreme tiredness, headaches, vomiting, stiff neck, muscle pain.
UK immunization: children usually get the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) at 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months and 4-6 years.
Tetanus
Location: Worldwide, spores of tetanus bacteria are in the environment, apparent in soil, dust and manure.
Symptoms: if you have a serious or dirty wound and you haven’t been fully vaccinated
UK immunisation frequency: the first 3 doses are given at 8, 12 and 16 weeks, with a booster at age 3 and a final dose at 14 years of age.