Crew Rights CompassSeafarer rights, welfare and careersGet help nowMenu
Menu

Urgent illness, injury or danger? Use the ship's emergency procedures or local emergency services ashore.

Get help now

Free tool

Before You Sign: Contract Questions

Use it before each new agreement. Go through each question and mark it; the list at the end shows the questions you still need to ask. It does not score or approve a contract.

Your answers stay in this browser tab only. They are not saved or sent anywhere, and closing or reloading the page clears them. Print or export the list if you want to keep it. On a shared device, use Start over when you finish.

1. The employer Do I know the full legal name and address of my employer or the shipowner in the agreement?
2. The employer Do I know the vessel and its flag state, where this is known at this stage?
3. The offer Do I have a written offer that matches what I was told?
4. The offer Do I have a complete copy of the agreement and every document it refers to, such as a salary annex or collective agreement?
5. Pay Do I understand each part of my pay: what is guaranteed, what varies and how variable parts are calculated?
6. Pay Have the possible deductions been explained, and do I know where they are written down?
7. Pay Do I know when and how I will be paid, and how I can send money home?
8. Work, rest and leave Do I know how paid leave is calculated, and how work and rest hours are scheduled and recorded?
9. Health Do I know what medical care is available on board and ashore, and what happens if I become sick or injured?
10. Travel Do I know who arranges and pays for travel to join the ship, and whom to contact if travel goes wrong?
11. End of contract Do I know the contract length, how extensions and early endings work, and when I am entitled to travel home?
12. Support Do I know whom to ask about this agreement before signing, and where to find independent advice or support?

Questions still to ask

Mark questions above to build your list.

    Write down who will answer each question and the date you need the answer. If you are unsure about a term, ask for a written explanation or independent advice before signing. See Get help now.

    This tool lists questions; it does not tell you whether a contract is fair, safe or lawful. For the wider checklist before joining, see Before You Join: The Crew Checklist.