Maritime Crew Visas and Signing Off Protocols

Maritime Crew Visas and Signing Off Protocols

The following advice on crew signing off a vessel and departing Australia is issued by the Australian Border Force.

Steps to take at sign off

When signing off your vessel at an Australian port, Maritime Crew Visa (MCV) holders have only five (5) days to depart Australia or sign-on to another non-military ship before their MCV automatically ceases to be valid.

If an MCV holder is not able to depart Australia within five days, to remain lawfully within Australia, you must either:

  • apply for an extension of the five day period; or
  • hold another visa that allows you to remain in Australia until you can depart; or
  • apple for another visa that allows you to remain in Australia until you can depart.

Need to apply for an extension of time for sign off?

An extension of your MCV sign-off period can be requested via email and lodged along with Form B521 Seaports – Notification of Sign-Off.

Periods of onshore stay up to 30 days from the date of your most recent arrival in Australia may be approved.

  • The Master and/or Agent of the vessel should complete the form, and send through to the Australian Border Force (ABF) at the Port of Arrival.
  • If the Master and/or Agent requires contact details, they should contact the relevant ABF District Office, whose details can be found online here.
  • An ABF Officers will inform the Master and/or Agent of the vessel that the extension has been granted, including the new end date to the sign-off period.

Need to apply for another visa?

If you need more than 30 days to depart, please apply for any other visa that allows you to remain in Australia. In this circumstance, a Visitor visa may be an appropriate option for you.

The applications must be lodged before your MCV extended period of stay expires.

You do not need to apply for a visa with work rights to cover the transit period. Crew who have signed off a vessel and are only waiting to depart Australia are not considered to be working.

For information on which visa may be most relevant to your circumstance click here for more information.

If you apply for another visa while you are in Australia, you will in most cases be given a Bridging Visa that allows you to remain lawfully in Australia until your application is processed and decided, or until you depart Australia.

If you hold another visa, in addition to your MCV, please check the visa conditions and how long that visa lets you stay in Australia by using the online visa check tool here.

73 Comments

  1. 政務班 土屋(minae.tsuchiya@mofa.go.jp)・ しかし義務教育の普及とともに組織だった教員養成がすすみ,数十人の学級編成がとられるようになったが,一斉指導の方式は引き継がれた。等、通信教育・東海大学は通信教育事業に積極的に展開してきた歴史がある。東海大学は理工系に強みを持つことから、PARTNERS計画(遠隔教育実験)– ウェイバックマシン(1999年10月8日アーカイブ分)では、郵政省、郵政省通信総合研究所(CRL)、宇宙開発事業団(NASDA)、東北大学、電気通信大学、東海大学、PARTNERS推進評議会が合同して、衛星を活用した国内外の高等教育機関間の教育プログラムを実証してきた。

  2. Have you ever considered creating an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog centered on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would value your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an email.

  3. Hi there, I think your blog could possibly be having internet browser compatibility issues.When I look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in IE, it has some overlapping issues.I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!Aside from that, excellent blog!

  4. Bwer Company is a top supplier of weighbridge truck scales in Iraq, providing a complete range of solutions for accurate vehicle load measurement. Their services cover every aspect of truck scales, from truck scale installation and maintenance to calibration and repair. Bwer Company offers commercial truck scales, industrial truck scales, and axle weighbridge systems, tailored to meet the demands of heavy-duty applications. Bwer Company’s electronic truck scales and digital truck scales incorporate advanced technology, ensuring precise and reliable measurements. Their heavy-duty truck scales are engineered for rugged environments, making them suitable for industries such as logistics, agriculture, and construction. Whether you’re looking for truck scales for sale, rental, or lease, Bwer Company provides flexible options to match your needs, including truck scale parts, accessories, and software for enhanced performance. As trusted truck scale manufacturers, Bwer Company offers certified truck scale calibration services, ensuring compliance with industry standards. Their services include truck scale inspection, certification, and repair services, supporting the long-term reliability of your truck scale systems. With a team of experts, Bwer Company ensures seamless truck scale installation and maintenance, keeping your operations running smoothly. For more information on truck scale prices, installation costs, or to learn about their range of weighbridge truck scales and other products, visit Bwer Company’s website at bwerpipes.com.

  5. Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the net the simplest
    thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while
    people consider worries that they just do not know about.
    You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without
    having side-effects , people can take a signal.

    Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

  6. I will immediately snatch your rss feed as
    I can not find your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service.

    Do you have any? Kindly allow me understand in order that
    I may just subscribe. Thanks.

  7. Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!

  8. Hi there this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  9. Great post. I was checking continuously this weblog and I’m inspired! Extremely useful information particularly the ultimate part 🙂 I take care of such info much. I used to be looking for this certain information for a very lengthy time. Thank you and best of luck.

  10. Greetings from Idaho! I’m borded to tears at work
    so I decided to check out ylur blog on my ihone during lunch break.

    I live the information you present here and can’t wait too take a look when I get home.
    I’m shocked at how fast your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI, just
    3G .. Anyways, amazing blog! https://hot-fruits-Glassi.blogspot.com/2025/08/hot-fruitsslot.html

  11. I’ve been browsing online more than three hours nowadays, yet I by no means discovered any attention-grabbing article like
    yours. It is pretty worth sufficient for me.

    In my opinion, if all webmasters and bloggers made excellent content as you probably did, the
    web will likely be much more useful than ever before.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *