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Residence in the Netherlands as a crew member

You have a residence permit to work as a crew member on a seagoing vessel in a Dutch seaport. This page tells you what your rights are, what your employer must do for you and what you can do in case of problems or complaints. Your employer is a shipping company or manning agency, for example.

Your rights

The residence permit allows you to stay in the Netherlands for a maximum of 11 months. Your residence permit states the expiry date. With your residence permit, you have the following rights:

  • You are entitled to live on the ship for free and your meals are included. You receive wages. 
  • You may only carry out work that falls under normal ship's work. This means taking care of the ship, crew, cargo and passengers on a daily basis. It does not include work such as major maintenance, renovation and construction of marine vessels.

Your duties

You must report relevant changes in your situation to the IND. This is referred to in the law as the obligation to notify. You must do so within 4 weeks of the change. For more information, visit www.ind.nl/nl/plichten-vreemdeling-en-referent-familielid.

Complaints or problems

You may face unpleasant situations during your stay. In the situations below, you should always submit a report to the IND.

Complaints or problems with your employer

Are you having problems with your employer? Or is your employer not complying with the IND’s rules? Then you can make a report to the IND via the fraud form at www.ind.nl. The IND will then investigate if measures need to be taken. Depending on the complaint, the IND will report it to the police and/or the Netherlands Labour Authority (NLA).

You can also contact Nautilus International. Nautilus is the Dutch union for maritime professionals. You can email them at infonl@nautilusint.org or visit the website at www.nautilusint.org.

Serious cases

In serious cases, such as abuse or exploitation, please contact the NLA directly. Make a report to the NLA using the report form at www.nlarbeidsinspectie.nl or call 0800 51 51. In case of immediate danger to life, call the Dutch police via 112. It is also important that you make a report to the IND via the fraud form at www.ind.nl.