Seafarers ID

A seafarers' ID is an official document proving that you have worked in the maritime sector . It is intended to facilitate the shore leave in foreign ports, especially if the passport is kept by the captain on the ship during the duty on board.

The seafarers' ID is regulated under international law in the ILO Convention 185 on IDs for Seafarers from 2003, which was ratified by 35 states in 2019. According to Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention, each signatory state must issue its seafarers upon request a seafarers' identity card with a specific content. According to Art. 6 Para. 4, card holders in each signatory state must be given a short-term, visa-free shore leave.

In some countries, the seafarer's card also serves as proof of training for seafarers according to the STCW Convention .

Germany

Germany has not ratified the ILO Convention on Seafarers' Passports. In Germany, the replaced Seafarers' identity since the entry into force of Seearbeitsgesetzes the 2013 discharge book . It is voluntary for seafarers, can be requested from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency for a fee of € 25 and is valid for ten years. The legal basis is Section 62 of the Seafarers' Qualification Ordinance .

The German seafarer's identity card does not serve as a passport substitute or proof of identity and is to be distinguished from the emergency travel document for seafarers according to Section 13 (5) and the pass for seafarers according to Section 24 (2) of the Residence Ordinance (formerly: Landgangausweis ).

German seafarers' ID (front)
German seafarers' ID (back)

People's Republic of China

In China , the Office for Safety at Sea (海事局) issues a Seafarer's Passport (海員證) to Chinese seafarers . The legal basis is an ordinance of the Ministry of Transport from 2008. ILO Convention 185 has not yet been ratified. The seafarers pass is machine-readable and valid for five years.

chinese sailor passport (envelope)
Chinese sailor passport (inner part)

Philippines

The Philippines , the home country of around a quarter of all seafarers in international shipping, ratified ILO Convention 185 in 2012. The identification document is the Seafarer's Identification and Record Book , which also proves the criteria of the STCW convention. The name still indicates the tradition of the seafaring book . It is issued by the Maritime Industry Authority for a fee of 800 pesos and is valid for 10 years.

United Kingdom

In the UK , the Ordinary Seaman Certificate is required to work on board a merchant ship. ILO Convention 185 has not yet been ratified. According to the STCW Convention, applicants must, among other things, prove their identity, be of a minimum age and complete a health and drug test.

United States

The ID card for seafarers from the USA has been the Merchant Mariner Credential since 2009 , although the United States has not ratified ILO Convention 185. It also demonstrates the criteria of the STCW convention. It is issued by the National Maritime Center of the United States Coast Guard after verification of the applicant , is machine-readable, and is recognized as an identification document by the Transportation Security Administration .

In addition, there is the Transportation Worker Identification Credential as another document for seafarers that allows access to protected port facilities.