Fake visa processing warning

Scams that piggy-back on the genuine complexity of crew transit visas — C1/D, Schengen, UK Joining-Ship, Australian MCV, Brazil crewman — to extract 'processing fees' that never reach the consulate.

What it looks like

After the recruiter has your CV and basic documents, a 'visa processing fee' is demanded — typically a few hundred US dollars, framed as paid to a third-party agent or 'visa expediter'. The recruiter offers to handle the appointment, the courier, and the embassy fee bundle as a single package. The visa never arrives, or arrives as a forged or tourist-class document that fails at the airline check-in.

Red flags

• Visa processing fee collected by the recruiter rather than paid directly to the consulate.
• Fee bundled with 'medical', 'training', or 'documentation' charges — no itemised receipt.
• Fee paid to a personal bank account or by crypto / e-wallet.
• Recruiter claims to have a 'special channel' or 'fixer' at the consulate.
• Wrong visa class ordered (tourist instead of crew / C1-D / MCV).
• Visa stamped on a date that does not match your published travel itinerary.
• Pressure not to verify the appointment with the consulate directly.

How to verify

• Pay the consulate fee yourself, at the consulate's published rate, on the consulate's own payment system. Real crew transit visas (US C1/D, Schengen, Australian MCV, UK Joining-Ship, Brazilian crewman) all support direct seafarer applications.
• Confirm the visa class. For example: US C1/D is a 'transit + crewman' compound visa, not a tourist B1/B2. Schengen seafarer transit visa is the C class with the 'seaman' annotation.
• Call the consulate directly to confirm an appointment exists in your name on the date the recruiter claims.
• Cross-check the recruiter on [/manning-agencies/registry](/manning-agencies/registry).
• Ask the principal employer (the shipowner, not the agent) to confirm that they normally pay the visa fee — under MLC A2.5.1 + A1.4(5)(b) most P&I-insured owners do.

What to do if you have already been hit

1. Stop further payments. Save every message, receipt, screenshot.
2. Tell your bank — many crew-visa scams use the same accounts repeatedly and the bank may be able to freeze the receiving account or reverse a recent transfer.
3. Report the recruiter to the national regulator (POEA/DMW, DG Shipping, etc.) and to the consulate's anti-fraud unit.
4. Report to ISWAN SeafarerHelp and to the ITF inspector at the nearest port.
5. If a forged visa was issued, do not attempt to use it — most countries treat presentation of a forged visa as a criminal offence regardless of who created it.

Last verified 5 months ago