Summer in the Mediterranean tips: Schengen visa

Nothing wrong with being Dual Citizen, I am one and never had a problem.
Midway across the Atlantic I tuck away one passport, and pull out a different one.

Never done yachts in Europe, expect babysitting a boat in Palma de Mallorca, no issue as it was a private boat and I was a guest, or a tourist.
Your boat will also be private, no charters?
Anyway, you should have nothing to lose applying for a French passport, especially if you speak the language.

Hello Pascal et all, I believe the correct spelling is Schengen for that region, could be wrong.

Kindest regards

Yeah, but you don't own the boat, only a hired hand and being French may be good..

Just don't speak with a thick Russian accent while slugging vodka shots and praising Putin and you should be good.

And, uh, practice your Med moorings in tight quarters otherwise you will be a YouTube star shortly

Bon Voyage Ami.

Yeah, but same thing, I never knew the difference, I guess.

If you have a Seaman's book, it's easy enough to get stamped out of the Schengen zone, and stamped onto the boat. This eliminates the issue of 90/180 if you're just there for the summer.

If you are privately registered, there is no reason for importation or duties. And the French authorities won't care if you're on your French Passport, TBH. The only folks who care who's crew on a US flag boat are the US.

It doesn’t need to match the flag on the yacht. There are numerous authorities who will issue a Seaman’s Discharge Book. Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, Panama. The list goes on.

All Flag of Convenience States.
Are Seamen's books, or Licenses from these countries even recognized by developed countries?
I know, great Tax Heavens and easy to obtain official papers there, but does the US and The Schengen recognize these Seaman's Books, or their license's?

Thread title has been edited to reflect proper spelling.

Not sure about US, as I’ve never been asked for a Seaman’s Book there. But they accept a Cayman book in the EU for the purpose stated above.

Nice, but is your boat, or your ticket from the CI?
(Not arguing, just curious. )

Don't think you have to anything when moving within Schengen, once checked in.
Just guessing however, never sailed there on a yacht, only on tankers and as a deckhand/OS 50 years ago, I had no clue, just said Yes Sir, no Sir.
For that reason, I will bow out and let experts reply, there was no Schengen then..

A Cayman Seaman's book will suffice in your instance Pascal. They are easy enough to get (more than just a click and pay- you have to send your relevant medicals and certificates), and are good for working on any vessel. Some flag states, Jamaica for example, require that you're sponsored (working on, or about to) by a vessel flagged in that country. But whence you have a Seaman's Book, that can be used while working on a vessel of any flag. A real world example would be if you hired someone who once worked on a Jamaica (or Cayman) vessel, but now works on your US flag vessel; they don't have to get a new Seaman's Book for each vessel. Following that logic, Cayman Islands issues a Seaman's Book to "any bona fide seafarer working, or wishing to work, on a Cayman Islands Ship", so you can apply for them even while working on a US flagged vessel.

I should have more info on this in the coming days, as I've hired a couple of US crew and am waiting on my Croatia agent to confirm whether or not they NEED a Seaman's Book in order to be stamped out of Schengen Zone when joining the vessel.

After having a Seaman's Book in hand, you can request that your agent have each crew member stamped out of Schengen and on to the vessel. The only place this has been an issue recently has been in Italy, who stopped honoring this. I believe this has been sorted out, but I'm not clear on the result.

As for flag etiquette- my agents in France recommend flying the "Q" flag for 48 hours after crossing each border within the EU. I've always followed this advice, and if nobody comes within that time I just lower the "Q".

I've just had it confirmed that you do, in fact, need a Seaman's Book in order to be stamped out of Schengen and onto the vessel.