I pay NI to the UK. Am I covered for healthcare and Social Security benefits?

If you are serving on a British ship or a ship flying the flag of one of the European Economic Area 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.

Special rules apply if you are

• posted (employed) by your UK employer
• normally self-employed and work on a ship flying the flag of another EEA country
• not normally employed at sea but work in the territorial waters or a port on a ship flying the flag of another EEA country
• working on a British ship and live in another EEA country and your employer has a place of business in the country where you live

Information about claiming benefits in the UK and abroad is contained in leaflet SA29. This leaflet is produced by the Department for Work & Pensions.

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 all EEA countries except Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.