UK Visa Requirements For Offshore Workers

Employers of workers within 12 nautical miles of the UK landmass must ensure that appropriate UK right to work is in place, and may be required to notify the Home Office of workers arrival in, and departure from, UK waters. All individual workers employed within the 12 nautical miles need a visa unless they are a British or Irish citizen, and are also subject to notification requirements.

In this article we provide an overview of the requirements to be aware of when offshore workers are employed in UK waters.

Who is an offshore worker?

An offshore worker is any person who arrives to work in UK waters, without first entering the UK.

'UK waters' are the UK territorial sea (the sea within 12 nautical miles of the UK landmass), and any other waters within the seaward limits of the territorial sea. The UK landmass edges are determined by admiralty maps which will include features such as sandbanks. This may mean the 12 nautical miles is extended more than