Crew movements in and out of Italy have been a pain point during the past year, with immigration officials declining to stamp passports of non-EU crew boarding yachts in its ports. The new rule — to no longer recognise vessels as ex-EU territory unless departing from the Area — meant that the 90-day period permitted under the Schengen ‘C’ short term visa continued to count down while in Italian waters. To great fanfare, it was announced recently that Italy would from 2023 offer its 365-day ‘D’ visa to seafarers, to get around the problem of overstaying. There had been some speculation among local agents that a new stamping protocol would also be (re-)introduced, while seafarer visa issues were being addressed. However, unfortunately this appears not to be the case. The ‘D’ visa entitles the holder to stay for up to 365 days in Italy only, which is useful for those non-EU crew stationed in the country for extended periods. It does nothing to address the issue of Schengen-wide travel rules. One benefit the D visa does offer is that it incorporates the ‘C’ visa, meaning that ‘D’ holders do not need to obtain a separate ‘C’ visa for travel around […]