IMPORTANT: For a step-by-step guide for applying for C1/D visas please click here. Frequently asked questions about the visa application process can be found here.
Crewmember (D) visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons working on board commercial sea vessels or international airlines in the United States, providing services required for normal operation and intending to depart the United States on the same vessel or any other vessel within 29 days. If you travel to the United States to join the vessel you will work on, in addition to a crewmember (D) visa, you also need a transit (C-1) visa or a combination C-1/D visa.
The United States is defined as including the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You are not considered to have departed the United States until the vessel you are on travels to international waters destined to a foreign port.
You may apply for a crewmember visa without being employed at the time of your visa application. However, the crewmember visa may only be used for entry to a U.S. port if you are employed on the sea vessel or aircraft on which you arrive.
We cannot guarantee that you will be issued a visa. Do not make final travel plans or buy tickets until you have a visa.
Spouses and Children
Your spouse and unmarried, minor children may apply for visitor (B) visas to accompany you, if they will not perform services required for normal operation of the vessel.
If your spouse and/or children plan to enter the United States for another purpose, then they must apply for the visa category required for that purpose of travel. Review all visa categories.
Examples of Travel Purposes Which Require Crewmember (D) Visas
- pilot or flight attendant on a commercial airplane
- captain, engineer, or deckhand on a sea vessel
- lifeguard, cook, waiter, beautician, or other service staff on a cruise ship
- trainee on board a training vessel
Examples of Travel NOT Permitted on Crewmember (D) Visas
| You do not qualify for a Crewmember Visa if: | You may be able to apply for the following visa category: |
| Dry Dock: The primary services you will perform are dry dock repairs under warranty while the boat is docked at a U.S. port. | B-1 |
| Fishing Vessel: You are a crewmember on a temporary basis on a fishing vessel that has a home port or operating base in the United States. | H-2 |
| Coasting Officer: You are a replacement coasting officer employed when an officer of a foreign vessel is granted home leave, and the vessel does not remain in U.S. waters for more than 29 days. | B-1 |
| Private yacht: You are a crewmember on a private yacht sailing out of a foreign port which will be cruising in U.S. waters for more than 29 days. | B-1 |
| Outer Continental Shelf: You are a crewmember going to the Outer Continental Shelf. | B-1 |
For additional information about crewmember visas please visit:https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/crewmember-visa.html
For a step-by-step guide for applying for C1/D visas please click here. Frequently asked questions about the visa application process can be found here.
