Immigration authority cracks down on seafarers’ identity documents

Seafarers’ identity document

Under Brazilian immigration regulations, a seafarers’ identity document (SID), often colloquially – and misleadingly – referred to as a “seaman’s book” (seafarer discharge book/seaman’s service book), is accepted as a stand-alone travel document with the same standing as a passport, laissez-passer, and other forms of personal identification.

In 2010, Brazil ratified Convention 185 of 2003 (C185) of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on SIDs, which resulted in the automatic denunciation of ILO Convention 108 of 1958 (C108). The C185 with increased security eventually entered into force in 2015, having revoked the decree that regulated the previous Convention in the domestic legislation.

Therefore, only SIDs issued by ILO C185 member states are legally valid in Brazil as a travel document to exempt working seafarers from the need for a visa, regardless of nationality. No crew change will be allowed by the immigration authority (Federal Police) without an ILO C185 SID (or a valid passport with a visa).

The list of countries that have ratified ILO C185 can be found in the ILO database.

Heightened immigration controls

Until recently, the immigration authority (Federal Police) continued to accept SIDs issued under the ILO C108 Convention to allow shore leave, transit and transfer of seafarers, even though only the C185 is legally in force in Brazil.

However, triggered by a new regulatory amendment by the National Immigration Council (CNIg), effective from October 2020, the Federal Police adopted a rigorous approach to seafarers’ documents. They reiterated that to enter, transit in or leave Brazil foreign seafarers working as crewmembers aboard cargo vessels, cruise ships or platforms in Brazilian jurisdictional waters will need

a) When holding a valid C185 SID:

• Temporary Work Visa type ‘V’ (VITEM V) for stays exceeding 180 days aboard foreign ships or platforms
• VITEM V visa for working onboard Brazilian-flagged ships or platforms, regardless of the term of employment

b) When NOT holding a valid C185 SID:

• Visitor Business Visa (VIVIS) for stays up to 90 days per migratory year, non-extendable
• VITEM V visa for working onboard Brazilian-flagged ships or platforms, regardless of the term of employment
• VITEM V visa for stays exceeding 180 days aboard foreign cargo vessels and cruise ships
• VITEM V visa for stays exceeding 90 days per year on platforms and aboard vessels other than cargo and cruise ships

The list of countries whose seafarers without a C185 SID need a visa to enter Brazil can be found on the website of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

c) No visa will be required from:

• Crewmembers and other foreign shipboard professionals whose nationality exempts them from a VIVIS visa, for stays of up to 90 days per migratory year, when producing a passport valid for the duration of the stay
• Crewmembers holding a valid C185 SID, for a maximum stay of 180 days per migratory year, provided they enter the country on a vessel or demonstrate that the purpose of entry is to embark on a platform, a cargo vessel on an ocean-going voyage or a cruise ship sailing along the coast
• Foreign seafarers carrying a SID not in conformity with ILO C185 standards may remain on board the vessel, but may not come ashore, at the discretion of the Federal Police.

Breach of the immigration regulations may subject the seafarer and the carrier to pecuniary fines.

For detailed information, please consult our publication Immigration Controls on Seafarers in Brazil, available for free download on our secure website.

Update 14 December 2020: The Federal Police relaxed the rules for seafarers from ILO C185 countries that still hold SIDs issued under ILO C108.

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Published 30 November 2020. Updated 14 December 2020

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