If you are serving on a British ship or a ship flying the flag of one of the European Economic Area (EEA) countries listed on site, your social security and healthcare rights may be protected by special European Community rules that govern the social security rights of migrant workers.
To be covered by these rules, you must also be a national of one of the EEA countries (or a refugee or stateless person living in the EEA), or legally resident in the EU and you must be, or have been employed or self-employed. The basic rule is that you are to be insured (and pay contributions) in the state where the vessel is flagged.
Unless:
You are paid your earnings by an undertaking in the Member State where you reside. Where this is the case, the social security legislation of the Member State where you reside applies. Under these rules, the person paying the remuneration is treated as your employer.
If you leave ship and are stranded abroad you may still get benefit help from the UK.
If you are not covered by the EU Regulations you may be covered by a Reciprocal Agreement. The UK has agreements with Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey and Guernsey, Korea, Mauritius, Philippines, Turkey, USA, Yugoslavia covering Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the EEA countries except Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.
Information about claiming benefits in the UK and abroad can be found on
the website of the Department
for Work and Pensions (opens new window).
