Popularly called “Non-EU candidates” who have a Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, or Montenegrin passport, require a work visa, and they can apply for it at the appropriate consulate of the country whose passport they hold. “EU candidates” who have a passport of some of the EU member states do not need a visa and the “only” thing separating them from working on board is signing an employment contract.
In most cases, to work on a rivership, you will need to apply for a National D visa issued by the Consulate of the Republic of Germany in Belgrade. The reason for that is that during the sailing season most of the days are spent in Germany. If the ship spends most of its days in Switzerland during the sailing season, you will need to apply to the Swiss consulate. Most river companies spend most of their sailing days in Germany, and in this regard, most often applying for a work visa is done at the consulate of the Republic of Germany.
