The biometric international ID document for seafarers issued under ILO Conventions 108 + 185.
Regulatory detail & full definition
Seafarers' Identity Document is the biometric international ID document issued under ILO C108 (1958) + C185 (2003) that gives seafarers additional shore-leave + transit facilitation in ratifying countries. Not a substitute for a passport but a supplementary identity + occupation document. Countries that have ratified C185 grant SID-holding seafarers streamlined shore-leave + transit access. Regional take-up is uneven — check port-state acceptance before joining a vessel to a route that relies on SID.