A foreign national who wants to enter the United States often needs to first get a visa, either an immigrant visa for long-term residency or a nonimmigrant visa for short-term travel. Non-immigrant visas known as crew member (D) visas are available to people who work on commercial sea vessels or international airlines while they are in the United States, providing services necessary for daily operations and planning to leave the country in 29 days on the same vessel or another vessel. You require a transit (C-1) visa or a combined C-1/D visa in addition to a crew member (D) visa if you are traveling to the United States to board the ship you will be working on.

Requirements of the D Visa are:

1) Temporary stay in the country while serving as a crew member

It is required to demonstrate that the activity on board the vessel is a regular part of operations in order for this visa category to be approved. On their ship, crew members with C-1/D visas are required to depart the country after a maximum of 29 days. According to the American authorities, a departure occurs when a ship leaves a U.S. port for a port outside of the country (the U.S. includes not only the mainland but also Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and the American Virgin Islands).

2) Evidence of crew member activity

The traveller should ideally be listed as a crew member on the airline or ship’s crew roster in order to qualify for a C-1/D visa. Also required is a letter from the employer attesting to the employment arrangement with the airline or (cruise) ship. The U.S. side or a U.S. business cannot pay the applicant any compensation.

Advice: The applicant need not be working at the time of application, but a contract confirming future employment with the company should be available.

3) Proof of return intent (strong ties to one’s country of origin or home country)

In more specific terms, this indicates that the C-1/D applicant keeps his permanent residence outside of the United States and only plans to visit the country for a brief period of time.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR C-1/D

For an interview, candidates must show up in person at one of the designated U.S. consulates. You can apply for a C-1/D visa in Germany at the American consulate in, for instance, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, or Munich.

You should send documentation pertaining to the job relationship, the reason for entry, and other proof of your plan to return in addition to the usual application documents. Typically, the application is submitted at the American consulate in the applicant’s home nation.

WHAT IS THE DURATION OF THE APPLICATION?

The processing time is heavily influenced by how long it takes to get to the interview date. The season or the particular consulate are just two factors that affect the availability of visa appointments. As a result, you should give a C-1/D application one to two weeks.

The passport and C-1/D visa will be mailed to the employee about a week following the positive C-1/D visa interview at the U.S. consulate.