Brazil to enforce new seafarer immigration requirements

Brazil to enforce new seafarer immigration requirements
The Editorial Team April 26, 2023 https://safety4sea.com/brazil-to-enforce-new-seafarer-immigration-requir...

NorthStandard P&I Club informs that Brazil is expected to start enforcing new seafarer identity requirements as ILO C185 takes full effect.

As of 1 May 2023, it is anticipated that the Seafarer Identity Document (SID) issued in accordance with ILO Convention C185 will become the official immigratory document for seafarers in Brazil. Consequently, Brazil will no longer consider the Seaman’s Book issued under ILO Convention C108 to be a valid immigration document for seafarers.

Brazil ratified ILO C185 in 2010, revoking ILO C108, before coming into force in 2015. However, Brazilian authorities continued to accept seaman’s books issued under ILO C108 for the purposes of permitting the movement of seafarers. In 2022, the country’s immigration police released an official circular advising that this exception would end on 30 April 2023, with no provision for a new extension.

Breaching this requirement is expected to result in the levy of immigration fines.