Two hours before departure from Fort Lauderdale, the agent calls: one of your deckhands has been refused boarding on his flight because his B1/B2 has expired, and your chief officer medical certificate ran out yesterday. Neither should have been a surprise. Both were sitting in a spreadsheet nobody was reading.
What must be tracked
| Document | Typical purpose |
|---|---|
| Passport | Identity, travel, clearance; many states require validity well beyond the trip |
| Seafarer discharge book | Official record of sea service |
| ENG1 or equivalent medical | Fitness for sea service; issued by an approved doctor |
| STCW basic training | Minimum safety training for all crew |
| Certificate of Competency (CoC) | Licensed roles: master, officers, engineers |
| Flag state endorsement / CoR | Recognition of a CoC by the yacht flag |
| Security awareness / PSSR / designated security duties | ISPS-related requirements |
| Visas and work permits | Entry and work rights in the cruising area |
The expiry matrix
Build one register that shows every crew member against every document with the expiry date, and drive it off a rolling alert schedule.
- 90 days out: notify the crew member and the head of department; book renewals; medicals and CoC revalidations take longer than people think.
- 60 days out: confirm the booking exists and the paperwork has been submitted.
- 30 days out: escalate to the captain if it is not resolved.
- Expired: the crew member may not sail in that capacity. This is not negotiable and is not the purser decision to soften.
Colour-coding a spreadsheet is fine; forgetting to look at it is not. Set calendar reminders that fire independently of the file.
Visas and work permits
Requirements depend on nationality, flag, cruising area and role, and they change. The principles are stable:
- The US B1/B2 is commonly used by yacht crew for entry, and there are strict limits on what activity it permits. The rules, the interview waits and the interpretation at the border vary. Confirm with the yacht agents and immigration advisers, and never coach a crew member on what to say at a border.
- Schengen and other regional rules turn on days spent, not only on entry stamps. Track them.
- Work permits are separate from visas and are not implied by them.
Sea service and discharge
Crew build careers on documented sea time. The purser supplies sea service letters and testimonials that state the yacht name, flag, gross tonnage, propulsion power, dates onboard, capacity, and days at sea and at anchor. Get the format right the first time: a badly worded letter can cost a crew member a licence.
Onboard Notes
- The purser tracks and reminds; the crew member remains responsible for holding valid documents. Say this at induction and put it in writing.
- Never hold crew passports without a clear, lawful reason and a documented, accessible procedure. Crew must be able to retrieve their own documents.
- Visa and immigration rules are jurisdiction-specific and change frequently. This is not immigration advice; confirm with agents and professional advisers before travel is booked.