As quoted or based on information provided by the US Department of State and/or the USCIS. Updated 2007-05-23

Alien crewmen serving aboard a vessel or airplane which will land in the United States must obtain a visa. The D visa class is recommended; see below.

Crewmen apply using a passport or a seaman's book along with a letter from the shipping company or airline confirming your employment and when you plan to arrive or dock in the United States. Crew members joining a ship or airplane in the United States are generally issued both a transit visa and a crew visa. See C visa information.

The Department of State and most U.S. embassies encourage crew members to obtain individual D visas, which in general have a longer validity and greater number of entries than crew list visas. The individual D visa also provides the crew member with greater flexibility in travel to the U.S. For example, D visa classification allows the crewman to spend a layover period in the U.S. of up to 29 days.

Each crew member should apply for an individual D visa in his/her country of origin or permanent residence. Crew members applying outside of their country of origin or country of residence should be aware that processing time for a crew member visa will take significantly longer depending on the Embassy or Consulate.

When your company applies for crew list visas, it must submit Form I-418 including each remember's date of birth and place of birth. If Form I-418 does not have enough space, please attach a separate sheet of paper with the necessary information for each crew member. Please be advised that processing for crew list visas can take several weeks or longer.

Note: The Transit without Visa program has been suspended until further notice.