Immigration

Responsibilities of the Master regarding the crew list and/or passenger list on arrival
On entering the Dutch 12-mile zone all Masters of sea-going vessels must submit - in duplicate and without delay - a crew list and/or passenger list to a border control official of the port in which the vessel will be docking. Compliance with this requirement was formerly demanded within twelve hours of docking at the port of arrival. In practice, crew lists and/or passenger lists are regularly sent ahead by fax. The Royal Marechaussee, however, is aware that not all vessels have a fax on board by which these lists can be sent upon entering the Netherlands. A practical solution would be to send the lists to the relevant border control official through the ship's agent, as presumably the ship's agent can vouch for the authenticity of the lists.
The following procedure applies, even though, as port service systems fail to show the exact time of entry, vessels will not infrequently have already been docked for some time:
As soon as possible after entering the Dutch 12-mile zone, the Master or representative ship's agent will fax or e-mail the crew list to the checkpoint at which the (sea-going) vessel is to dock. On the basis of the crew list, the border control official in charge will determine whether the (sea-going) vessel is to be inspected physically. If the Head Officer at the checkpoint should decide that no physical inspection of the (sea-going) vessel is necessary, the border control official in charge shall return the relevant crew list to the sender, with an entry stamp. Technically speaking, a border control inspection has then taken place. If the Head officer at the checkpoint should decide that the (sea-going) vessel is to be subjected to a physical inspection, the stamped crew list will be returned to the Master after the border control inspection has been carried out.
If the stamped crew list is returned within 6 hours after docking, entry will be considered to have been tacitly granted. 

Responsibilities of the Master regarding crew and/or passenger list during the time that his vessel is in a Dutch port
1. All Masters of (sea-going) vessels entering the Netherlands are required, throughout the period that the vessel is in a Dutch port, to:
a. keep the copy of the crew list returned after inspection by the border control authorities and to submit this for inspection immediately on demand;
b. report any signing on or any absence of an alien member of crew, that could be significant for border control or alien monitoring purposes;
c. promptly report any intention of an alien crew member to sign off, and
d. promptly report any departure or boarding by aliens who are not crew members.
2. The foregoing reports stated in subsection 1 sub b, c and d shall be made by the Master to the Border Checkpoint head in the relevant municipality, or, if this municipality has no border control point, to the head at the Border Checkpoint through which he entered the Netherlands.

Sailors on shore leave
Sailors are allowed to go on shore leave in the municipality in which their ship is docked or in the adjoining municipality. They are not required to pass through a checkpoint, nor are they required to possess a document for border crossing.
The foregoing is conditioned on the fact that the sailors on shore leave:
1. are on the crew list (and as such also on the muster roll), a copy of which was forwarded to the checkpoint head in question, while another copy remains in the Master's safekeeping;
2. do not pose a threat to public order or to national security. In this regard disorders on board the vessel or in port (town) can also pose a threat to public order.
If the Head of the Control Point decides that the arriving (sea-going) vessel is to be inspected physically, the crew may not disembark and go on shore leave until said physical border control inspection has actually been carried out (6 hours).

Responsibilities of the Master on the departure of the (sea-going) vessel
1. All Masters of (sea-going) vessels are required duly to report the intended departure of the vessel from the Netherlands to the head of the border checkpoint through which the vessel will depart. If the municipality in which the vessel is docked, has no border checkpoint, the intended departure shall be reported to the head of the border checkpoint to which the crew list was sent.
2. Contrary to the first subsection, the Master of a cruise vessel calling at several ports in the Netherlands needs only comply with the first subsection in the final port of departure, unless changes in travel conditions have meanwhile occurred.
3. The reports referred to in the first subsection shall be made:
a. no more than six and no less than three hours prior to actual departure of the vessel;
b. if the ship docks for less than three hours at the location in which the report is to be made, sufficiently on time as to allow the border checkpoint authorities to carry out the inspection of persons as required.

The Master or the representative ship's agent shall fax or e-mail the (exit) crew list of the departing vessel to the Head of the Border Control Point through which the vessel is to depart, indicating the actual time of departure of the sea-going vessel as mentioned above.
The border control official shall determine whether the (sea-going) vessel is to be subjected to a physical exit inspection on the basis of the crew list. If the border checkpoint head should decide that no physical inspection of the sea-going vessel is necessary, this official shall return the crew list in question to the sender, complete with an exit stamp. In that case, a border control inspection has, technically speaking, then taken place.
If the crew list is not returned to the sender immediately, a physical exit inspection will be carried out.

Sailors in transit requiring visa
The following categories are distinguished in issuing visas to sailors in transit who require them upon their entry into Schengen* territory:
a. enlisting sailors
b. sailors signing off
c. sailors changing ships
The visas to be issued may only be a Schengen transit visa, valid for a maximum of 5 days.
When signing on or off, it is customary for the applications for transit visas to be submitted by the agencies, using the standardised Schengen Form for Sailors in Transit Requiring Visas (SFTVZ).
In all cases of signing on or signing off by sailors requiring visas, the agent must submit the following information to the border checkpoint head at the Schengen port through which the vessel first entered a Schengen seaport:
a. standardised SFTVZ form;
b. reservation details of arrival or departure flight.
The border checkpoint head will ensure that all standard application verification procedures are observed, including verification by the agent of the information provided, before a decision is made regarding the issue of a transit visa.

* The Schengen territory includes: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Iceland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Crossing points/Immigration offices:

Koninklijke Marechaussee,
Amsterdam-IJmond
Location IJmuiden (headquarters)
Open 24 hrs.
79 Kanaalstraat, 1975 BB IJmuiden,
Tel.: 0255-56 67 00
Fax: 0255-56 67 55
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Koninklijke Marechaussee,
Amsterdam-IJmond
Location Amsterdam
Open 24 hrs.
Crossingpoint Suezhaven
34 Radarweg, 1042 AN Amsterdam

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