Answers to Your Questions – Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy

Diver's Answer's to Your Questions

Answers to Your Questions provides you with a broad range of FAQs about learning to dive, partaking in Expeditions, purchasing Apparel & Clothing and how to navigate your personalised My Classroom e-learning facility at the Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy.

If you cannot find an answer to the questions you have here, please contact us.

Learn to Scuba Dive with Confidence

SCUBA – Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

Yes! There have been decades of research put into scuba diving and how to make it as safe as possible. Diving programs have been designed to teach you everything you need to know about scuba diving safely.

This includes how to avoid running low on air, checking your air regularly, ascending slowly and safely to avoid decompression sickness, and planning your dives to make sure you stay safe. Scuba diving (like most activities) has its risks and hazards, but when a diver follows the rules that they are taught when they learn to scuba dive, it is an extremely safe activity.

Diving programs have been designed in a way that teaches you all you need to know within just a few days, and in a way that is easy to remember. There is always more to learn about scuba diving, but getting the basics is fairly easy, and lots of fun!

Once you have practiced using the equipment and learned to control your buoyancy etc., you will find that scuba diving becomes second nature and does not require too much thought.

A certification is achieved after you pass all of the requirements during your beginner scuba diving programmes. The best way to learn to scuba dive is to earn your Open Water Diver certification, which will certify you to dive safely to a maximum of 18 meters (60 feet) deep.

Once you have this certification, you can flash it at any dive center around the world and start exploring the incredible underwater world. But getting your Open Water Diver certification is just the start of the adventure! There are many advanced diver programs you can join that will certify you to dive deeper, go shipwreck diving, try night diving, and more.

Once you are certified you are certified for life! However, if you have a period where you do not scuba dive for a while, you will need to take a scuba skills update with a dive professional who can assess your diving skills and ensure you are still comfortable in the water.

The maximum depth for recreational diving is 40 meters (130 feet). Technical divers can dive deeper, but this requires in-depth training and breathing a different mix of gasses.

The minimum age to learn to scuba dive and become certified as an Open Water Diver is ten years old. However, the SSI Explorers program provides options for children aged six and up to experience diving and snorkeling in very shallow water.

The maximum depth for recreational diving is 40 meters (130 feet). Technical divers can dive deeper, but this requires in-depth training and breathing a different mix of gasses.

You cannot dive while wearing your glasses as they will not fit under your mask.

However, you can wear contact lenses, or even purchase a prescription mask.

At Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy we have a range of prescription dive masks of various lens’ strengths from available for new divers to train with.

Sharks have been given a bad reputation by the media over the years. But at most dive sites, they are very rarely spotted by divers, and even when they are, they usually avoid divers or ignore them.

We are not on the menu for sharks. However (as with any wild animal), respect should always be shown when you dive with sharks. If you are scared of seeing sharks, you can research which areas of the world you are less likely to see them and dive there.

No, you can start with SDSDA’s Try Scuba program, which gives you a taster of scuba diving without committing to a full certification program. During the Try Scuba program, your instructor will introduce you to the equipment, teach you essential dive safety, and keep a very close eye on you in the water as you take your first breaths through a regulator.

This dive is carried out in shallow water (less than 12 meters/40 feet deep). If you love it and want to learn to scuba dive, you can then sign up for the Open Water Diver program and become certified.

The Open Water Diver program is a mix of theory sessions, confined water sessions (shallow, calm water similar to a swimming pool), and open water sessions (deeper than 5 meters/16 feet).

You will learn important rules of dive safety, how to dive independently by checking your own air etc., and valuable practical skills such as how to hover neutrally buoyant in the water.

All Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy divers have access to the required scuba diving equipment necessary for their training experiences.

Divers are welcome to bring their own equipment to classes or ask for our assistance to learn about the latest equipment in the industry.

Many people put off scuba diving because they believe it will hurt their ears. But when you learn to scuba dive, your instructor will teach you how to relieve the pressure you will feel in your ears as you descend in the water. After a little practice, you will start to equalize your ears without thinking.

For More Information about equalization techniques check our article here: Dive Health: How to Equalize Ear Pressure

You do not need to be in great shape to scuba dive. People of all fitness levels can enjoy scuba diving and there is not much strength or physical fitness needed to carry the equipment or to swim through the water.

However, you should be able to swim on the surface and tread water fairly well. Before you learn to scuba dive (or go scuba diving), you will be asked to fill out a medical questionnaire. If you have a health condition which might affect you while diving, it is important to check with a physician to make sure it is safe for you to dive.

All Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy divers have the option to access to the required scuba diving equipment necessary for their courses and try dive experiences.

Divers are welcome to bring their own equipment to class or ask for our assistance to learn about the latest equipment in the industry.

Medical Information

Q: Am I fit to dive?

A: Blue skies, hot sun and warm seas with unlimited visibility? It’s easy to see why the dive holiday or even just the “try dive” is so popular. More people get their first experience of diving when on holiday than at home.

With such good conditions, and with the enthusiasm of the holiday break, it is easy to forget that diving has some inherent risks, and that not everyone is ‘fit to dive’. So if you have never dived before, or only done a simple shallow try dive and now want to go the whole way to getting your diving certificate, it is best to read the information below before booking your first dive trip.

Fitness to dive has changed considerably since the start of diving. The sport used to attract the serious ‘macho’ diver. At least 20 lengths of the pool blindfolded with weights and that was just for starters. Thankfully this has changed; but has it changed too far? Some opinions are that everyone should be able to dive, regardless of fitness or medical health. This is not the case, and the aim of this article is to try and give the prospective diver some guidance as to whether they are ‘fit to dive’ before booking a holiday, or at least to encourage them to get some proper medical advice before doing so. It is often too late by the time you arrive abroad: at best you will end up having to splash out on a medical with an unknown doctor, cancelling the course or at worst attempting to carry on and ‘taking a risk’.

And remember, some insurance companies won’t reimburse you for loss of activity since you were still able to go on holiday.

When you arrive at the dive shop at your location they will hand you various forms to fill in. The most important of which is the Medical Form. IF YOU TICK “YES” TO ANY OF THE QUESTIONS THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM IN ALLOWING YOU TO DIVE. So if you do then it is best to see a dive doctor BEFORE you pay for a dive holiday and travel abroad.

Below are lists and explanations of:

Serious Contraindications- conditions usually resulting in a no to diving.

Conditions that a prospective diver MAY be able to dive with if they get appropriate investigation and medical advice.

Those medical issues that are usually ok but may need a chat with a dive doc before going ahead.

Serious Contraindications to Diving
These medical conditions are generally regarded as no-no’s to diving.

Epilepsy: generally regarded as the biggest contraindication. This is because an epileptic fit underwater normally means certain death by drowning. I don’t think any doctor would allow an active epileptic to dive underwater. However, if an epileptic has been fit free for many years and they have not been on medication for 5 years, diving can be considered.

Pregnancy: there are conflicting problems here. Firstly there are numerous reports of women diving in early stages of pregnancy without knowing they were pregnant. No harm seems to have come from this. Secondly, studies in animals have shown that bubbles cross the placenta which might indicate a risk to the foetus. In short, no doctor is going to take the risk of allowing a pregnant woman to dive as the potential risks are too great.

Lung Problems: with the pressure changes causing large changes in the volume of air, especially at shallow depths, the lungs are particularly important in diving medicine. Any lung condition that causes a restriction in air coming out of the lungs or a weakness in the structure of the lung is a no-no. Such conditions may be bullae (large air sacs), severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema), and certain types of lung surgery. Spontaneous pneumothorax (burst lung) occur in people (usually young men) that have weaknesses in the lung and normally are not fit to dive, although as time goes by and the person gets older a more relaxed view may be taken.

Head Injury: severe head injury, whether it is caused by external trauma or something like a stroke, is often associated with damage to the brain tissue, memory and behavioural problems. It can also increase the risk of epilepsy. In the short term definitely not fit for diving, but in the long term may and should be discussed with a Dive Doc.

Severe heart disease: this includes congenital heart defects, severe valve problems and some ‘holes in the heart’. Severe ischaemic heart disease especially when not fully controlled or residual heart problems after heart attacks may be a problem too.

Neurological Problems: progressive neurological problems such as severe MS, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease tend to stop people diving. Milder forms may be OK to start with, but the diving career can be short.

Heart Rhythm problems: any sort of heart rhythm or electrical problem of the heart that causes a person to feel funny, black out or collapse would be a contraindication.

Perforated eardrum, grommets, severe vertigo: diving with perforated eardrums could lead to a nasty middle ear infection and even meningitis. Severe dizziness could be very dangerous underwater.

Blood disorders: this includes severe bleeding disorders (e.g. haemophilia), and blood cancers (leukaemias).

Severe mental health problems: schizophrenia, mixed bipolar disorders, depression (in acute stages), personality disorders etc. are unlikely to be fit to dive due to the stresses and potential dangers of instability in the water (to both the diver and the buddy).

Drug abuse: active drug abusers are definitely not fit to dive. This could include drugs such as cannabis and alcohol.

Relative Contraindications to Diving
The “maybes” with good diving doctor advice – I stress the word “maybe”:

Ischaemic heart disease: well treated ischaemic heart disease may be compatible with diving if the heart is not damaged, exercise tolerance is good and the medication compatible with diving. Several tests may need to be undertaken to assess this. Pacemakers are occasionally ok under pressure but need to be checked with the manufacturer.

Asthma: mild, stable asthma, with little exercise, cold or emotion components are fit to dive, but require careful assessment due to the risk of collapsed lung. Even then, certain countries will not allow you to dive.

Multiple Sclerosis and other progressive neurological problems: stable neurological conditions are often compatible with diving; it is more the more variable ones that can cause confusion with decompression illness. The prospective diver needs to have their condition ‘mapped’ so that they know exactly what problems they may have in the future.

Diabetes: over the last few years, an increasing number of diabetics have taken up diving. It does require careful a work up and a willing and enthusiastic diver before this can happen though, especially for divers on drugs that can cause hypoglycaemia (low blood sugars). Late onset diabetics are also at greatly increased risk of heart disease, which needs to be assessed as well.

Ear/nose problems: most ear problems and equalisation problems can be sorted out with time. Chronic infections, wax, and inflammation can be difficult. Severe deviated septums may need to be corrected.

Blood problems: mild bleeding disorders may be ok. Conditions such as thalassaemia and sickle cell are no longer thought to be a major problem.
Depression, anxiety, claustrophobia: can cause severe problems underwater with panic attacks being a danger to diver and to buddy. The medication can also cause problems but if the condition is stable and well controlled, simple diving may be possible with a sympathetic instructor.

Obesity, unfitness: contrary to popular belief, diving can be a strenuous task. Lifting weights and tanks, swimming against current, climbing in and out of boats etc. means a certain level of fitness is essential. Severe obesity decreases fitness, increases risk of diabetes and heart disease and can affect lung function’ there is also a theory that it may increase a person’s risk of decompression illness.

The usual OKs
Might need some advice and tweaking of medication but normally OK to dive:

Blood pressure: provided it’s stable with no complications and the medication is compatible with diving.

Arthritis: some adaptations to techniques and equipment maybe necessary. Severe back disc issues with nerves problems need careful assessment. Likewise, joint replacements are usually OK when full recovery has occurred.

Abdominal problems: most simple gut problems: reflux, hernias, inflammatory bowel disease are usually fine with a little advice. Some of the stronger medications for inflammatory bowel disease may cause problems.

Colostomies: I have always been amazed as to how well divers cope with ‘ostomies’. The main thing is to make sure the bag can vent gas or surprises can occur.

Dental problems: simple dental, bite and denture problems can be sorted out with a good dentist and a little imagination. Different regulator mouthpieces help.

Breast implants: not a problem. They are all fluid or gel filled and therefore do not compress.

A: Most medication is not tested underwater and therefore we often have very little idea how a person will react under pressure. Experienced dive docs will have come across a wide range of medication and will be able to give you some good advice as to whether it is safe to dive on the tablets or if some adaptations need to be made.

A: The list of diving fitness considerations and case studies are by no means exhaustive and there are individual variations. Any doubts should be discussed with a doctor trained in diving medicine.

Please visit our Diver’s Medical Advice Section for more generalized information on diver medical advice. There is also an extensive case studies with the London Hyperbaric Chamber Doctors section, which might be an interesting starting point for divers looking for some medical specific topics to consider.

Families & Friends

.Confidence

It takes bravery at any age to jump into water and breathe from a tank that is strapped onto your back. But after doing it a few times, it becomes second nature. Diving is a great way for your child to develop confidence in themself, and learn how to overcome their fears. They will learn how to set up their equipment, be responsible for someone else as their buddy, trust in their abilities, and trust their equipment and their instructor.

2. Socializing

Dive courses and trips usually involve a group of people learning or diving together. During a course with other students, your child will have to work together on some skills, and will bond with their peers over the learning process. After becoming a certified diver, they will meet like-minded divers on trips and always have something in common to talk about. They will make life-long dive friends to exchange stories and photos with.

3. Family bonding

There’s nothing better for a family quality time on a fun day out. This is made even better with an activity that you can all enjoy together time after time. You can book dive trips for everyone to go on as a team, you will be each other’s dive buddies and develop a new level of trust and confidence in one another. You will end up with hundreds of photos for the family album and see some incredible places. Usually when families go on vacation they all end up doing separate activities because they don’t all enjoy the same hobbies. Diving is a hobby that you can all share for years to come.

4. Enjoy nature

In a world dominated by social media and technological devices, it’s nice to leave the electronics at home from time to time and reconnect with the natural world. This is important for children more than anyone. Diving is the best way to be completely surrounded by nature, and is the one place you are guaranteed not to be interrupted by phone notifications. You can keep track of what fish you all see and make it a competition of who can spot the most, or the coolest looking animal on a dive. Diving is a very fun way to get your kids excited about nature.

5. Education surrounding the environment

Sea levels are rising, plastic is more and more present in the oceans, and marine life is unfortunately suffering. The best way to fix the damage that has already been done to the planet, is by educating the next generation on how important it is to look after their world. The best way to help them to understand is by letting them see it first hand, from time to time they might see plastic on the ocean floor, and they’ll witness bleached corals. You can explain to them why this happens and how to reverse it by being eco-conscious.

6. Teaches discipline and the importance of safety

Diving is perfectly safe for children and adults, but this is because important safety procedures are taught during the courses. These courses were designed to help divers overcome underwater problems in the safest ways, so it’s important to listen and understand. Children are used to classroom environments and often take on diving theory very easily. They quickly learn safety, as well as some physiology and physics. Learning this important theory, as well as the underwater skills will take discipline, patience, and enthusiasm. All great qualities that children should already have as they enter the adult world.

7. Physical and mental health

Scuba diving equipment is manageable but does take some strength to carry. Of course small children will be offered help by the instructor, but if they are able to carry the equipment themselves it will help their physical fitness in the long run. Diving also raises the metabolism and lowers blood pressure, as well as being good for mental health as it encourages you to focus on your breathing which is proven to help people with anxiety. Salt water contains many vitamins and minerals that are good for the skin and hair, and strengthens the immune system.

If you or your loved ones are not yet certified scuba divers, here are a few reasons why you should consider taking up scuba diving as a family:

• With kids often having such different interests to adults, it can sometimes be hard to relate to them. Diving is an activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and will give you plenty to talk about as a family.

• Diving teaches children and teens valuable lessons about safety, working together, and trusting themselves. It also helps them to gain confidence as they see themselves progress.

• Scuba diving is great for mental health and relaxation, which is beneficial to both adults and children.

• Kids can become much more sociable when they take up scuba diving as they connect with other divers and find more people their age who have the same interest.

• Scuba diving allows kids to interact with marine life and see it up close. This can teach them the importance of marine conservation and encourage them to share their knowledge and experiences with others their age.

• When you go diving with kids, you create fun and special memories that you can look back on. Your family will remember those exciting scuba vacations for years to come!

If you’d like to encourage your child to start diving, the first step is to enroll them in a course. There are different options and levels for scuba diving, so here’s a rundown of what SDSDA offer for your child (and for you):

Try Scuba Diving (Age: 8+): This is a program designed to give you a taste of scuba diving, without committing to a certification or diving in deep water. To be clear, you do not receive a certification, but you will receive a recognition card, and it will give you and/or your child a chance to experience scuba diving in shallow water, and teach you a little of what it’s all about. The program lasts around 3 hours in total and is a combination of a little basic theory and one shallow water session in a pool or in the shallow ocean. The maximum depth you will go to in this program is just 5m/16ft). Great for a little taste.

Dive Explorers (Age: 6-11):The new SSI Explorer program allows children to experience scuba diving, mermaid, and freediving activities in the most fun way. This program is best for a few children to do together as it involves games and play. The kids will learn some theory before the water session, where they will play underwater games and do other diving activities. The SSI Instructor conducts the program in a pool or confined water setting, and the kids don’t go any deeper than 5m/16ft. Not every Training Center offers this program, so it’s worth researching where you can find the course and book in advance. Children can earn several SSI Explorer recognition ratings, such as Blue Oceans Explorer, Snorkel Explorer, Scuba Explorer, Mermaid Explorer, and Freediving Explorer, plus many different specialties in this exciting, comprehensive program.

Basic Diver (Age 10+):The Basic Diver course gives you the skills you need to dive safely with a professional alongside you. It is a mixture of one theory session, a confined water session in shallow water, and an open water session to a maximum depth of 12m/39ft. This is not a full certification, but can be credited towards the Scuba Diver certification, or the Open Water Diver courses, if you decide you want to carry on afterwards. What makes this “try dive” different from the “Try Scuba Diving” program, is you get to do an open water dive, which takes you a little deeper, into the open ocean or lake, so you’ll get to see more.

Scuba Diver (Age 10+):This is the first official SSI scuba diving certification you can achieve. The Scuba Diver course consists of three theory sessions, two shallow water confined dives, and two open water deeper dives. At the end you will be certified to dive anywhere in the world to a maximum of 12m/39ft, with a professional always with you. The Scuba Diver course is almost half of the Open Water Diver course, and you can upgrade easily in the future simply by completing the rest.

Open Water Diver (10+):If you’re confident your child will absolutely love scuba diving from the get go, you can skip the try dives and go straight for the Open Water Course. This will certify them to dive to a maximum of 18m/59ft with other trained divers anywhere in the world, without having to have a professional present (local rules sometimes require you to have a professional with you, always check laws before going diving in a new area). The course is made up of six theory sessions, six confined water shallow dives that involve learning and demonstrating some skills, and four open water deeper dives where you demonstrate skills again and practice diving technique. The SSI Open Water Diver certification is recognized worldwide and is a great start to your child’s scuba diving education. After this certification there are many more advanced courses to choose from to learn more and keep adding new diving skills.

Online Membership

More information on Academy Memberships, the different access, oppportunities and tiers can be found.

All divers registering at Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy have access to the White Membership Level.

For those completing courses they receive a Blue Membership for the year or until they register for their next programme.

For those wishing to have more options and benefits there are higher tier, family and pro memberships also available.

For all Academy Divers we want it to be your home for your diving.

Your Home for Your Diving

Academy Alumni Team Rosters

For an extensive guide for assistance with the MYSSI App, please click the link.

Expeditions

By visiting the Sunken Dreams e-Shop, you’ll see what Expeditions the Academy offers.

You can categorise and filter expeditions in different ways from Continents to Seasons.

If you need more information about particular dates of courses, expeditions and events. Divers can visit the Academy Calendar.

Should you require further details, please contact the Academy.

The Academy Calendar for Sunken Dreams Expeditions can be found here or under the Main Menu Tab ‘News’.

Welcome to the Sunken Dreams Blueprint.

The Blueprint is the Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy’s executable plan for most memorable scuba diving group expeditions around the world.

Designed to provide an accessible overview to wondrous ocean experiences for adult dive groups and unique marine conservation opportunities for younger divers and biologists; The Blueprint showcases the Academy’s specialist worldwide expeditions above and below the waterline for its members.

The Blueprint is an interactive PDF brochure with hyperlinks to external media content found at the Sunken Dreams website including videos, photo galleries, events calendar and team rosters.

For those taking their next steps into the ocean or for those returning to achieve new goals on their next expedition, there is exciting diving and travel opportunities for all levels.

Dive into The Blueprint for more information.

To help divers prepare comprehensively for a Dive Expedition, Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy has designed in-depth, tailored Diver Handbooks for every expedition on offer at the Academy. Divers and their families can download and read handbooks relative to their expedition at their convenience.

Due to their bespoke nature, the Dive Handbooks are exclusive to Academy Members whom have a confirmed interest or place on upcoming expeditions.

Get healthcare cover abroad with a UK GHIC or UK EHIC

The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) lets you get necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area (EEA), and some other countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country. This may be free or it may require a payment equivalent to that which a local resident would pay.

The UK GHIC has replaced the existing European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). If you have an existing EHIC you can continue to use it until the expiry date on the card. Once it expires, you’ll need to apply for a UK GHIC to replace it.

You can apply for a new card up to 9 months before your current card expires.

A UK GHIC is free and lasts for up to 5 years. Apply for your new card through the NHS website. Avoid unofficial websites – they may charge you a fee to apply.

If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can choose to apply for a new UK EHIC instead.

The UK GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. We advise you to have private travel and medical insurance for the duration of your trip.

We also recommend you check FCDO travel advice on GOV.UK for the country you’re visiting.

Apply for a UK GHIC

You can apply for a UK GHIC if you’re a resident in the UK. You can also add your family members to your application when you apply.

You’ll need to provide your:

full name
address
date of birth
National Insurance number
Health and Care number (if you’re from Northern Ireland)

Applying for family members

Every member of your family needs their own card. You can add your spouse, civil partner and children to your application when you apply. You must enter your own details first and apply for any additional cards when prompted.

If you’ve already completed your application and want to add additional family members contact NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. You’ll need to give us your reference number, name, date of birth and address so we can access your record.

After you apply

After you’ve submitted your application, they will email you within 24 hours to let you know whether it has been approved or not (if you don’t get a reply, check your junk folder). We may need to see additional information or documents before approving it.

Once your application has been approved, you should receive your new card within 15 working days. It will be sent to you by post.

If you do not receive it before you travel, and need medically necessary treatment during your visit, you can apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) to get temporary cover. For more information, see “If you don’t have your card with you” towards the end of this page.

If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement

If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can choose to apply for a new UK EHIC rather than a UK GHIC. Like the UK GHIC, it’s free and lasts up to 5 years. You can find out if you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement on GOV.UK.

Apply for a UK EHIC

What your card covers

You can use your card to get state healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK (sometimes called “medically necessary healthcare”). This includes things like:

emergency treatment and visits to A&E
treatment or routine medical care for long-term or pre-existing medical conditions
routine maternity care, as long as you’re not going abroad to give birth

You’ll need to pre-arrange some treatments with the relevant healthcare provider in the country you’re visiting – for example, kidney dialysis or chemotherapy – as it’s not guaranteed that local healthcare providers will always have the capacity to provide this care.

Whether treatment is medically necessary is decided by the healthcare provider in the country you’re visiting.

Not all state healthcare is free outside of the UK. You may have to pay for treatment that you would get for free on the NHS, if a local resident would be expected to pay in the country you’re visiting.

Before travelling, you should check the state-provided healthcare services in the country you’re visiting and any potential charges you may face.

Check the relevant country guide on GOV.UK for information on how to access treatment in the country you’re visiting

What your card does not cover

A UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) does not replace travel and medical insurance or cover services like:

being flown back to the UK (medical repatriation)
treatment in a private medical facility
ski or mountain rescue

We advise that you have a UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) and private travel and medical insurance for the duration of your trip.

Where you can use your card

UK GHIC

You can use a UK GHIC when you’re visiting:

a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) – see a list of EEA countries on GOV.UK
Montenegro
Australia
Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man
St Helena, Tristan and Ascension

You can use a UK GHIC in Switzerland if you’re one of the following:

a British national
a Swiss national
an EU citizen
a refugee
a stateless person
a family member of someone who holds one of the above nationalities or statuses

The UK government is negotiating with other countries to expand the use of the UK GHIC, so always check coverage before you travel.

UK EHIC

You can use a UK EHIC when you’re visiting:

a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) – see a list of EEA countries on GOV.UK
Switzerland

Visiting Montenegro

You can get free emergency treatment in Montenegro but you’ll have to pay for your prescribed medicines and for other medical treatment.

If you’re a UK national, your UK passport will give you access to emergency healthcare in Montenegro.

If you’re a UK resident but not a UK national you’ll need your passport and a UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) to get emergency healthcare.

Getting healthcare in other countries

You’ll have to pay for treatment unless the UK has a healthcare agreement with that country.

Check if you’re eligible for a UK GHIC

You’ll be entitled to a UK GHIC if both of these things apply:

you’re ordinarily and legally resident in the UK
you do not have healthcare cover provided by an EEA country or Switzerland

There is information about what “ordinarily resident” means on GOV.UK

You may also be entitled to a UK GHIC if you’re:

living in the EEA or Switzerland with a registered S1 form
living in the EEA or Switzerland with an A1 document issued by the UK
a family member or dependant of an entitled individual already listed

Check if you’re eligible for a UK EHIC

You may be eligible for a new UK EHIC if you meet one of the following criteria:

you’re living in the EEA or Switzerland and have been since before 1 January 2021 with a registered S1, E121, E106 or E109 form issued by the UK
you’re living in the EEA or Switzerland since before 1 January 2021 with an A1 issued by the UK
you’re a national of the EEA or Switzerland who has legally resided in the UK since before 1 January 2021 and are covered under the Withdrawal Agreement – you may not be covered if you are also a UK national or if you were born in the UK
you’re a family member or dependant of an entitled individual already listed

If your circumstances change and you no longer meet one of the above criteria, you may not be entitled to continue using the card and should contact NHS Overseas Healthcare Services.

You must be entitled to use your UK GHIC or UK EHIC at the time of the treatment. If you use it to access healthcare that you’re not entitled to, you may be liable for the full cost of all treatment received or face prosecution.

Students

Applying for a UK Student EHIC or UK GHIC

To apply for a UK Student EHIC or UK GHIC, you’ll need a letter from your university or college showing:

the name and address of the UK educational institution if you’re travelling as part of your course
the address of where you’re studying in the EEA or Switzerland
details of the qualification you’re studying for
the dates your study period in the EEA or Switzerland started and is due to finish
your permanent residential address in the UK

If the letter from your university or college does not include your permanent residential address in the UK, you’ll be asked to provide further evidence to confirm this.

This is in addition to the information set out in “How to apply” above.

Students studying in the EEA or Switzerland applying for a UK Student EHIC or UK GHIC

If you normally live in the UK and have been studying in the EEA or Switzerland since before 1 January 2021, you may be eligible for a new UK Student EHIC for use in the EEA, Switzerland and your country of study.

If you started your course after 1 January 2021, or you’re planning to study in an EEA country or Switzerland, you’ll need to apply for a UK Student GHIC.

Using a UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) when abroad

You should take your UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) with you when you travel abroad. If you need medically necessary treatment, you’ll need to present the card to the hospital (or other service provider) that is treating you – make sure that you are being treated at a public health provider and not a private one. Keep all receipts and paperwork.

Depending on the country you visit you may be expected to pay all or part of your bill upfront and then claim a refund afterwards.

Some countries ask patients to pay a contribution towards the cost of their care. This is known as a co-payment or patient share. You can claim back the difference between the total bill and the co-payment, but the actual co-payment is not refundable.

Your UK GHIC or UK EHIC will not cover costs that a local resident would have to pay.

If you don’t have your card with you

If you need emergency treatment when you’re in another country and do not have your UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) with you, you can apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC). A PRC gives you the same level of cover as a UK GHIC or UK EHIC.

A PRC also covers you if you’ve applied for a UK GHIC or UK EHIC and it has not arrived yet.

Find out more about PRCs and how to apply for one

You’ll need to pay in full for treatment if you do not have a UK GHIC, UK EHIC or PRC. You should ask for a copy of your invoice and obtain a receipt.

How to claim a refund

To claim a refund for healthcare covered by your UK GHIC or UK EHIC, you’ll need to download and fill in a refund claim form and send it to NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. You should include receipts and any supporting documents with your claim form.

Find out how to claim a refund for healthcare covered by your UK GHIC or UK EHIC

Incorrect charges for treatment

If you think you’ve been incorrectly charged for medical treatment, contact NHS Overseas Healthcare Services.

Keep all documents relating to your treatment. You may need to provide more information to confirm your eligibility and the cost of the treatment you had. This could include:

receipts or invoices relating to treatment
confirmation that the treatment was state-provided
confirmation of payments made to healthcare institutions
documents relating to insurance cover if your insurer paid for treatment
discharge documents

NHS Overseas Healthcare Services will look at your claim to decide whether you were charged when you should have been covered. If they determine that your treatment should have been covered by the UK GHIC or UK EHIC, they’ll reimburse you or your insurer for the costs of treatment that are covered by your card.

If you suspect GHIC or EHIC fraud

If you suspect that somebody has fraudulently applied for or used a UK GHIC or UK EHIC they are not entitled to, you can report this to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority.

Alternatively, you can email your concern to lcfs@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

Only emails about the misuse of GHIC or EHIC will be responded to.

Renew or replace your adult passport

Overview

It costs *£88.50 to renew or replace your passport if you apply online or *£100 if you fill in a paper form (note: please check this at the official website for changes).

You must be aged 16 or over (or turning 16 in the next 3 weeks) to get an adult passport. There’s a different process to get a passport for a child.

There are different ways to renew or replace your passport if you’re outside the UK.

How long it takes

Check how long it will take to get a passport before you apply.

If you need a passport urgently, you can find out more about the Online Premium or 1 week Fast Track services.

Do not book travel until you have a valid passport – your new passport will not have the same number as your old one.

Tracking your passport application

You can track your passport application using your application reference number.

Getting your new passport

Your new passport will be sent to you by courier or Royal Mail. They’ll either:

post it through your letterbox
hand it to you if you’re home
leave a card or post you a letter saying how you can get it (it will not say the package is your passport)

Visit the link for more information on our Dive/Travel Insurance options we offer our divers through our partnerships.

Check the Dive Insurance Section below for more information.

Team Expeditions are for groups of divers whom have trained together in preparation for expeditions.

To optimise each expedition, we aim at a particular experience level and age range where it is deemed responsible to do so.

We look to build team training and events prior to making group expedition opportunties to help reinforce the team’s balance and ensure duty of care.

If you have further enquiries about creating or joining team expeditions, please contact us.

All Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy divers have the option to access to the required scuba diving equipment necessary for their courses and try dive experiences.

Divers are welcome to bring their own equipment on expedition or ask for our assistance to learn about the latest equipment in the industry.

Diving Gear: 9 Essential Items Every Diver Should Have:

There is some diving gear that we simply must have when we are scuba diving. These essentials keep us safe underwater and allow us to dive in the most efficient and comfortable way.

If you are looking to buy your own dive gear, or if you are a new diver wondering what kit you need for your dive course, we can help. In this article, we are going to give you a rundown of nine essential items that every scuba diver should own.

The 9 must-have diving gear items for every diver

1.Mask

A mask is the first piece of diving gear you should be looking to buy for yourself. An ill-fitting mask can ruin a dive and even make you panic if you are not comfortable with clearing your mask underwater.

The problem is, everyone has a slightly different face shape, so a mask that works for one person might leak for someone else. When buying a mask, it’s worth trying on a few different masks first.

You can see how each mask fits against your face and if there are any gaps in the seal. Try breathing in through your nose. If the mask stays on your face without having to use the strap, this is a good indicator that the mask is a good fit for you.

Top tips for choosing the right dive mask for you

Different mask colors have different advantages:

Clear masks let more light in.
Black masks reduce glare.
White and colored masks look great in underwater photos.
Multiple lens masks are good for people who get claustrophobic, as they offer a wider field of view.
Low volume masks are great for travel, and they are easier to clear and equalize.

Check out the wide selection of scuba diving masks available for both normal and prescription lenses.

2. Snorkel

Having your own snorkel comes in handy when you are having a day off from scuba diving and want to go for a snorkel; all you need is a mask and snorkel, and you are good to go. Some people do not realize that snorkels are important for scuba diving. They allow you to breathe on the surface without wasting the air in your tank.

3. Fins

Fins can also be very helpful for snorkeling, so it is a good idea to travel with your own instead of having to rent them on diving days and snorkeling days. For scuba diving, fins are essential.

A good set of fins helps you to move with ease underwater, they help you to adjust your position, and they can get you out of danger in an emergency. Having your own fins ensures a comfortable fit and a better quality than rentals.

There are different options when buying fins; some are heavier than others and everyone has a personal preference. If you can test out other people’s fins in the water before buying your own, try out a few different brands to see which feels good for you.

Get the most out of your diving gear – Become an SSI Equipment Techniques Specialty Diver.

4. Wetsuit

Wetsuits can be used for scuba diving, snorkeling, freediving, and pretty much any other watersport. Rental wetsuits are fine, but due to frequent use they might be worn out, have holes or rips, or not fit you quite right.

While wetsuits are not always necessary for scuba diving in warm waters, they do help protect you from sunburn and stings. They also keep you warm on multiple-dive days.

When buying a wetsuit, think about the thickness you are likely to need where you will mostly be diving, and whether a full length or a shorty is best.

5. Dive computer

A dive computer is a must for people who dive regularly. Dive computers keep you safe by telling you how long you can stay at a certain depth without risking decompression sickness.

Dive computers were developed using diving tables, but they can be more accurate. Having your own computer allows you to take your personal safety into your own hands, and it will log your dives, too.

Diver computers come in many styles and prices, but they all basically do the same thing.

6. Regulators

We cannot scuba dive without regulators! Regulators are what connect the air in the tank to our mouth and to the buoyancy control device (BCD).

Even though dive centers must follow strict rules surrounding the servicing and maintenance of their rental regulators, it can be nice to have your own so that you can have complete peace of mind. You will know how your regulator has been used and looked after, and you will also be the only one using the mouthpiece.

As with all scuba equipment, there are different options depending on your budget. However, regulators are the most vital piece of diving gear when it comes to safety, so they are not something you should skimp on.

7. Buoyancy control device

A buoyancy control device (BCD) allows you to adjust your buoyancy underwater to make sure you are not kicking along the bottom or floating at the surface. You cannot dive without a BCD.

Every BCD is slightly different in fit and design, so it is good to own your own BCD. You can ensure it fits you well and works in a way that you become familiar with.

8. Weight system

A weight belt is usually used for scuba diving, but sometimes divers will use integrated weights that slide into their BCD. Either way, weights are essential in scuba diving to allow you to stay under the water with ease.

Lead weights can usually be rented from a dive center – not many divers travel with their own weights as they are so heavy. Having your own belt or integrated pockets is a good idea so you know exactly how to don and remove your weights.

A stainless Steel Belt boasts a sturdy strap and quick release buckle.

9. Surface marker buoy

If you are a certified diver who is planning to dive without an instructor or guide, a surface marker buoy (SMB) is an essential piece of scuba gear in a lot of areas.

SMBs are taken with you on your dive and then inflated using the regulator when you are ready to surface. This lets boats know where you are and that you are about to come to the surface.

Here is an example of an SMB in the dive essentials travel pack that can keep you safe.

So, those are the essential items that every scuba diver should have. But there are of course other pieces of diving gear that can add safety or comfort to your dives. Some of these include:

Dive tank
Whistle
Compass
Neoprene socks
Dive boots
Neoprene hood
Dive gloves
Tank banger
Dive knife
Dive torch

How much does diving gear cost?

Buying your own diving gear does not need to be expensive. There are great dive products out there to suit every budget and preference. Remember that the most expensive item is not necessarily the right choice for you. Instead, set your ideal budget, focus on the fit and functionality of each piece of dive gear, and consider where you will be diving.

When you buy your own dive mask, make sure you do not buy a cheap snorkel mask for use as a dive mask. They do not have the safety features you need for scuba diving.

Please read through the other FAQs on the Sunken Dreams’ Answers to Your Questions or feel free to contact us.

Navigating the Website

To register as an Academy Member, please contact us.

Visit the Link

Apparel & Clothing

Dive into the latest new SDSDA arrivals online at the Shop ready for training and adventures.

Prepare your Expeditions kitbag with SDSDA Apparel tailored to your sizing and colours. Use the size charts to ensure the right fit.

Check out the Exclusive Ocean Inspired Marine Life Clothing Collection

Eco-friendly products

Apparel products in our eco-friendly product collection consist of at least 70% organic or recycled materials, or such material blends. All beauty products in this collection are natural certified.

To verify material content, we collect valid certificates from our suppliers. As proof of the organic composition of the apparel products, we only accept GOTS or OCS certificates. For recycled composition, we accept either GRS or RCS certificates.

We only accept the Ecocert COSMOS certificate as proof of the beauty product’s natural origin.

Estimated delivery time is just an estimate, it’s not a guarantee. You can receive the order past the EDT for various reasons.

Please wait a day or two. Shipments can get delayed for reasons we can’t predict. We understand it’s frustrating to deal with late shipments, but please remember that our estimated delivery time is just an estimate – it’s not a guarantee.

Each article will have information on the item’s delivery times and shipping.

Any claims for misprinted/damaged/defective items must be submitted within 30 days after the product has been received. For packages lost in transit, all claims must be submitted no later than 30 days after the estimated delivery date. Claims deemed an error on our part are covered at our expense.

If you notice an issue on the products or anything else on the order, please submit a problem report.

The return address is set by default to the Printful facility. When we receive a returned shipment, an automated email notification will be sent to you. Unclaimed returns get donated to charity after 30 days. If Printful’s facility isn’t used as the return address, you would become liable for any returned shipments you receive.

Wrong Address – If you or your end customer provide an address that is considered insufficient by the courier, the shipment will be returned to our facility. You will be liable for reshipment costs once we have confirmed an updated address with you (if and as applicable).

Unclaimed – Shipments that go unclaimed are returned to our facility and you will be liable for the cost of a reshipment to yourself or your end customer (if and as applicable).

If you haven’t registered an account on printful.com and added a billing method, you hereby agree that any returned orders due to the wrong shipping address or a failure to claim the shipment won’t be available for reshipping and will be donated to charity at your cost (without us issuing a refund).

Printful does not accept returns of sealed goods, such as but not limited to face masks, which are not suitable for return due to health or hygiene reasons. You hereby agree that any returned orders with face masks won’t be available for reshipping and will be disposed of.

Returned by Customer – It is best to advise your end customers to contact you before returning any products. Except for Customers residing in Brazil, we do not refund orders for buyer’s remorse. Returns for products, face masks, as well as size exchanges are to be offered at your expense and discretion. If you choose to accept returns or offer size exchanges to your end customers, you would need to place a new order at your expense for a face mask or a product in another size. Customers residing in Brazil and regretting a purchase must contact our Customer Service and express their will to return the item within 7 consecutive days after receiving it, providing a picture of the item. The withdrawal request will undergo an evaluation to verify whether the product was used or destroyed, even if partial. In these cases, a refund will not be possible.

Notification for EU consumers: According to Article 16(c) and (e) of the Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights, the right of withdrawal may not be provided for:

1. the supply of goods that are made to the consumer’s specifications or are clearly personalized;
2. sealed goods which were unsealed after delivery and thus aren’t suitable for return due to health protection or hygiene reasons,

therefore Printful reserves rights to refuse returns at its sole discretion.

This Policy shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the English language, regardless of any translations made for any purpose whatsoever.

Printful, Inc. (“we”, “our”, “us”, or “Printful”) respects the privacy of its users and is fully committed to protect their personal data and use it in accordance with data privacy laws. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and process any personal data that we collect from you—or you provide to us—in connection with your use of our website (www.printful.com) or our mobile apps and our print-on-demand services (collectively, “Services”). By accessing or using our Services, you signify your understanding of the terms set out in this Privacy Policy.

If you are a resident of the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, please see Additional Disclosure for European Residents below.

If you are a California resident, please see Additional Disclosures for California Residents below.

If you are a resident of Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, or any other state that enacts a materially similar privacy law to the states referenced, please see Additional Disclosures for Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia Residents below.

We do not knowingly collect, maintain, disclose, or sell personal information about users under the age of eighteen (18). If you are under the age of 18, please do not use our Services. If you are under the age of 18 and have used our Services, please contact us at the email address below so that we may delete your personal information.

1. Background

Printful provides Services both to its business customers, as well as directly to end users.

If you use our Services only for your personal use, you are to be considered as the “User” and for the purpose of Data Protection Laws, and we are the data “controller” or covered “business” as such terms are defined in the applicable Data Protection Law.
If you use our Services to execute orders and deliver products to third parties, you are considered a “Merchant”. When processing contact details, payment information and other information listed in Section 1 below directly related to the Merchant, we are the data controller or covered business. Where we act on a Merchant’s behalf to fulfill an order with regard to the Merchant’s customer, we are a “data processor” or “service provider” as such terms are defined in the applicable Data Protection Law. Where we act as a data processor we process information in accordance with our Data Processing Terms on behalf of our customers.

The term “Data Protection Law(s)” shall include any applicable data privacy or security law, including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (as defined by the UK Data Protection Act 2018 as amended by the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments, etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019), the California Consumer Protection Act, the Colorado Privacy Act, Connecticut Data Privacy Act, Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act, Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act, Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act, Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act, Oregon Consumer Privacy Act, Tennessee Information Protection Act, Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, Utah Consumer Privacy Act, and Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, and all applicable amendments and regulations related to the foregoing.

2. Information Collected About Users and Merchants and How We Use It

The types of personal information we obtain and process about you depends on how you interact with us and our Services. This section provides the categories of information we may collect about you, and such categories are used in accordance with the disclosures in How We Use Your Data below.

Identifiers. Such information includes your name, postal address, shipping address, email address, and telephone number.

Payment Information. Such information includes information relating to billing and payment details (including first and last digits of your payment card).

Commercial Information. Such information includes information about Services you have purchased or considered, and your preferences.

Device and Unique Identifiers. Such information includes internet or other electronic network activity information, such as IP addresses, the device and browser you use, referring pages, time stamps, and cookies.

Geolocation Data. Such information includes non-precise location information that permits us to determine your location based on information provided in your IP address.

Audio Information. Such information includes recorded phone calls that we or our representatives participate in as allowed under applicable law.

Government Issued Identification. Such information includes images and data, which may appear on government-issued identity documents or identification cards.

Content. Information such as your communications with us and any other content you provide, such as social media profiles, images, videos, survey responses, comments, reviews, and testimonials.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect data in a variety of manners as disclosed in this section.

Directly from You. We collect personal information you provide, such as when you make a purchase; register for an account or create a profile; contact us; respond to a survey; participate in a sweepstakes, contest, or other similar campaign or promotion; apply for a job; sign up to receive emails or newsletters, or otherwise engage in direct communication with us.
Using Online Tracking Technologies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies. When you visit our websites, use our Services, open or click on emails we send you, or interact with our advertisements, we or third parties we work with automatically collect certain information using online tracking technologies such as cookies. For more information, please see our cookies policy by clicking here.
From Merchants. We obtain information directly from Merchants that we may be providing services on behalf of.
From Social Media Platforms and Networks. If you interact with us on social media or use features, such as plugins, widgets, or other tools made available by social media platforms or networks (including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, and Pinterest) in connection with our websites, we collect information that you disclose to us. For more information about the privacy practices of those social media platforms, please review the privacy policies and settings of the social media platforms and networks that you use.
From Other Sources. We may obtain information about you from other sources, such as data analytics providers, marketing or advertising service providers, fraud prevention service providers, vendors that provide services on our behalf, or publicly available sources. We also create information based on our analysis of the information we have collected from you.

4. How We Use Your Data

This section explains how we use your data and identifies the categories of information we collect and process in connection therewith.

Providing our Services. Where you are a User of our Services, we will use data collected as is necessary to fulfill our contract with you for the purposes of providing, maintaining, or improving our products and Services (including, to the extent permitted by applicable law, any matters in our legitimate interests with respect to the Services), we will conﬁrm your identity, contact you, provide customer support (including via chat, in the comment section of our blog, or other platforms, where you may reach us), operate your account with us and invoice you.

For the aforementioned purposes, we collect and process Identifiers, Payment information, and Commercial information.

Legal Obligations. We may request some of the personal data indicated above to comply with applicable laws and in furtherance of our legal obligations and legitimate interest in ensuring that users and end customers are not the target of trade, financial, and economic sanctions, and do not appear on a sanctions-related list, including lists maintained by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the European Union, or Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom. In addition, we may use such information to establish and exercise our rights, and to defend against legal claims.
Consent. There are instances where we collect specific information for a specific purpose based on your consent. This includes when you have given your consent when registering your account, when subscribing to our newsletter or blog, or shared your email address or other personal data with us to receive any other information (for example, our list of sub-processors).

In such instances, we will process identifiers such as your email address as necessary to send you the informative and/or promotional materials, to which you have subscribed to, for example, newsletters, advertisements of our Services and other information about our Services that you have requested.

For Merchants, we will not use the contact details of your customers to directly market or advertise our Services to them.

For information about how to unsubscribe to any emails, newsletters or other communications, please see Your Choices in Connection With Our Services below.

Conduct Analytics and Personalization. We use your information to conduct research and analytics, including to improve our Services. We also use your information to understand your interaction with our advertisements, Services, and our communications with you. We also use your information to personalize your experience, to save you time when you visit our websites and use our Services, to better understand your needs, and to provide personalized recommendations for our Services.

We obtain the location information you provide in your profile or your IP address. We use and store information about your location to provide features and to improve and customise the Services, for example, for Printful’s internal analytics and performance monitoring; localisation, regional requirements, and policies for the Services; for local content, search results, and recommendations; for delivery and mapping services; and (using non-precise location information) marketing.

By using cookies and similar technology on our website, we may collect data such as information on your device, your preferences and information filled in while visiting our website, your interaction with the website, and other information used for analytical, marketing, and targeting activities (including unique visits, returning visits, length of the session, actions carried out in the webpage). Learn more about how we use cookies on with our Services by clicking here.

For the aforementioned purposes, we collect and process Device and Unique Identifiers.

Communications with you. We use your information to engage in communications with you, such as to respond to your requests, inquiries, issues, and feedback, to engage in meetings with Merchants, and to provide customer service.

When you call our customer support phone line, we may monitor or record the call to ensure the quality of our customer support. If you have a Printful account, we will retain the recording for as long as you have an account. If you do not have an account, we will delete the recording within 12 months or retain it, if it will be needed to resolve disputes between you and us.

When you interact with our customer support through email or chat features which may be offered via third-party software, we may monitor or record the conversation to ensure the quality of our customer support. If you have a store account, we will retain the recording for as long as you have an account. If you do not have an account, we will delete the recording within 12 months or retain it if it is needed to protect our legal interests or resolve disputes between you and us.

For the aforementioned purposes, we collect and process Identifiers, Device and Unique Identifiers, and Content.

Security and Fraud Prevention. As it is in our legitimate interests to ensure our network security, we use your information to detect, investigate, prevent, or take action regarding possible malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, including fraudulent transactions. We also use your information to enforce our terms and procedures, prevent against security incidents, and prevent the harm to other users of our Services.
Improving the Services, Websites or Developing Other Products. We process certain information about the use of our Services and website to better understand how it is accessed, to improve our Services, and to develop new products and services. Such processing requires the collection of technical information, including information about how and when you access your account, the device and browser you use and the IP address and device data.

For the aforementioned purposes, we collect and process Device and Unique Identifiers.

Marketing and Advertising. We use your information for marketing and advertising purposes, including sending marketing, advertising, and promotional communications to you by email. We also use your information to show you advertisements for Services and to administer our sweepstakes and other contests.

For the aforementioned purposes, we collect and process Identifiers, Device and Unique Identifiers, Commercial Information, and Geolocation Data.

5. Information Collected About Our Merchant’s Customers

In the course of providing products and services on our Merchant’s behalf, we collect and process certain information about individuals at the direction of such Merchants (“Customer Data”). Customer Data has historically included information such as personal data relating to the end user of our Services, any personal data in the printing content (where applicable), personal data revealed during the use of any Printful services, including name, email address, phone number, shipping address, and other information about the Merchant’s customers.

If you are a customer of the Merchant (an end user of our Services), the Merchant is the data controller with regard to your personal data contained in Customer Data and should provide you the information on how your personal data is collected and processed when using our Services. Please read the Merchant’s privacy policy for further information. The Merchant is your contact for any questions you have about how it handles your personal data.

The following details the types of third parties whom we share information with in connection with your use of the Services:

Service Providers. In order for Printful to provide you with our Services, we work with third parties who perform services on our behalf and with whom we share personal data to support our Services (“Service Providers”). Service Providers include:

Hosting and Online Services. Information you have provided to us during the use of our Services, including technical usage data, is shared for business purposes in our legitimate interests with third parties who provide hosting and server co-location services as well as data and cyber security services.
Manufacturing Services. Information you have provided to us during the use of our Services may be shared with third-party manufacturing services whom we engage to provide our Services to you.
Email Service Providers. Your email address and other contact details you have provided to us and your messages to our customer service is shared for business purposes in our legitimate interests with communication, email distribution, and content delivery services as well as customer support system providers.
Payment Processors. Information regarding your purchases and payments is shared with billing and payment processing services, fraud detection and prevention services, accounting and ﬁnancial advisors, advisors, so that we can provide our Services to you.
Analytic and Digital Marketing Providers. Information regarding your use of our Services and other information received from cookies and similar technology is shared with web analytics, session recording, and online marketing services.

If we provide marketing to you, information on your account, purchases and preferences can be shared with marketing services.

Legal Advisors, Legal Process, and Protection. Insofar as reasonably necessary, we may be required to share information with third parties to (1) comply with legal requirements or requests, including any subpoenas, claims, disputes or litigation, (2) protect our, or a third party’s, lawful interests, (3) enforce or apply our agreements; and (4) protect property or safety of us or others.

We will only share personal data to Service Providers that have undertaken to comply with obligations set out in applicable data protection laws.

Affiliates. We may share your personal data with our affiliates (companies within our corporate family), in our legitimate interests for business purposes.

Business Customers (i.e., Merchants). Where we provide Services on behalf of Merchants, we will provide certain information related to your orders and purchases.

In a Business Transfer. We may disclose or share your information as part of a corporate business transaction, such as a merger or acquisition, joint venture, corporate reorganization, financing, or sale of company assets, or in the unlikely event of insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership, in which such information could be transferred to third parties as a business asset in the transaction.

Facilitating Requests. We share information at your request or direction, such as when you choose to share information with a social network about your activities using the Services.

Notwithstanding the above, we may share information that does not identify you (including information that has been aggregated or de-identified) except as prohibited by applicable law. For information on your rights and choices regarding how we share information about you, please see Your Choices In Connection With Our Services below.

If you are a resident of a jurisdiction that grants additional legal rights, please see the applicable disclosure, including the following:

Additional Disclosure for European Residents
Additional Disclosures for California Residents
Additional Disclosures for Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia Residents

7. Retention Periods

We may retain your personal data for as long as you have a Printful account or any of the abovementioned legal bases for personal data processing still exists. For example, if you unsubscribe from our marketing, newsletter, or blog emails, we will stop the processing of the personal data for such purposes.

If you have used our Services without creating a Printful account, we will keep your personal data as long as necessary to comply with our legal obligation to retain information relating to provision of services, for example, for tax purposes.

After terminating your relationship with us by deleting your Printful account or otherwise ceasing to use our Services, we may continue to store copies of your (and in regard to Merchants, your customers’ personal data) as necessary to comply with our contractual obligations with Merchants and legal obligations, as well as to resolve disputes between you and us (or Merchants and applicable customers), to prevent fraud and abuse, to enforce our agreements, and/or to protect our legitimate interests (to the extent that we are permitted by the applicable law to continue to store copies to protect our legitimate interests).

We reserve the right to retain usage data relating to our products and services, as well as data that has been anonymized and/or aggregated, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

8. Information Security

We seek to use reasonable organizational, technical, and administrative measures to protect the conﬁdentiality, integrity, and availability of personal data. We encourage you to take care of the personal data in your possession that you process online and set strong passwords for your Printful account, limit access to your computer and browser by signing out after you have ﬁnished your session, and avoid providing us with any sensitive information.

9. Your Choices In Connection With Our Services

A. Account.

You may access, update, or remove certain information that you have provided to us through your account (log in here) or by sending an email to the email address set out in Contact Information below. We may require additional information from you to allow us to confirm your identity.

Please note that we will retain and use information about you as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

B. Communications.

Emails. You can opt-out of receiving promotional emails from us at any time by following the instructions as provided in emails to click on the unsubscribe link or emailing us at the email address set out in Contact Information below with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject field of the email. Please note that you cannot opt-out of non-promotional emails, such as those about your account, transactions, servicing, or Printful’s ongoing business relations.

C. Cookies and Tracking Technologies.

Cookies. See our Cookie Policy here for information about how to control cookies.
Do Not Track. Some browsers have a “do not track” feature that lets you tell websites that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. We currently do not respond to browser “do not track” signals. For more information on “Do Not Track,” visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

D. Analytics.

We use Google Analytics to conduct analytics of our Service. We provide you with the ability to exercise certain controls and choices about how we collect, use, share, and store your information. Google also provides tools to allow you to opt out of the use of certain information collected by Google Analytics at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Please note that your opt-out will only apply to the specific browser or device from which you opt-out.

E. Legal Privacy Rights.

You may have additional legal privacy rights under certain applicable laws, including but not limited to the California Consumer Privacy Act and other similar laws that may come into effect. For more information about your rights under these respective laws, please see the following sections where applicable:

Additional Disclosures for European Residents
Additional Disclosures for California Residents
Additional Disclosures for Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia Residents

For more information about how to exercise applicable legal rights, please see the section titled How to Exercise Your Legal Rights Under GDPR, CCPA, or Heightened U.S. Privacy Laws below.

10. Additional Disclosure for European Residents

If you are a User or data subject related to a Merchant located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have certain rights with respect to your personal data in accordance with Data Protection Laws in the European Union and United Kingdom (collectively the “GDPR”).

A. Roles

GDPR distinguishes between organizations that process personal data for their own purposes (known as “controllers”) and organizations that process personal data on behalf of other organizations (known as “processors”). As described in the Section entitled “Background” above, we may either be a controller or a processor depending on the circumstances.

Printful as a Controller: We are the data “controller” when we process information directly from Users to provide our Services such User that purchased the respective Services.

Printful as a Processor: We are a processor where we act on a Merchant’s behalf to fulfill an order with regard to the Merchant’s customer. Where we act as a processor we process information in accordance with our Data Processing Terms on behalf of our customers.

B. Lawful Basis

The GDPR requires a “lawful basis” for processing personal data. Our lawful bases include where: (i) you have given consent to the processing for one or more specific purposes, either to us or to our service providers, partners, or customers; (ii) processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you; (iii) processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation; or (iv) processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or a third party, provided that your interests and fundamental rights and freedoms do not override our interests.

C. Data Transfers

All the information you provide may be transferred or accessed by our parent company in the United States and our affiliate companies and subsidiaries in other countries, such as Latvia, Poland, Spain, and the UK and our Service Providers (as described above) for the provision of our Services as described in this Privacy Policy. When we transfer your information globally, we take necessary measures to ensure appropriate protection of your information, including, as applicable, entering into the European Commission’s Model clauses for the transfer of personal data to third countries (i.e., the standard contractual clauses) and any equivalent clauses issued by the relevant competent authority of the UK.

D. Your Data Subject Rights

If you are a data subject according to the GDPR, subject to certain conditions you have the right to:

access, rectify, or erase any personal data we process about you;
data portability, meaning the ability to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used machine-readable format and ability to transfer such data another third party of your choice;
restrict or object to our processing of personal data we process about you; and
where applicable, withdraw your consent at any time for any data processing.

For more information about how to exercise applicable legal rights, please see the section titled How to Exercise Your Legal Rights Under GDPR, CCPA, or Heightened U.S. Privacy Laws below.

GDPR Complaints

If you have a complaint about our use of your personal data or response to your requests regarding your personal data, please see the section entitled “Complaints” below.

In addition to the contact information in the Section “Contact Information” below, please contact our:

European Representative

privacy@printful.com

Data Protection Officer

privacy@printful.com

11. Additional Disclosures for California Residents

All terms and phrases used under this section have the same meaning as those phrases are defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act and its implementing regulations, as amended (collectively, the “CCPA”).

Under the CCPA, California residents are afforded certain rights about the Personal Information (as such capitalized term is defined under the CCPA) we have collected about them, which we have described in more detail below.

We are both a “business” and a “service provider” under the CCPA, depending on how you interact with us. This section applies only to personal information we collect in our role as a business. Where we act on a Merchant’s behalf to fulfil an order with regard to the Merchant’s customer, we are a Service Provider under the CCPA. Please read the Merchant’s privacy policy for further information on how to exercise your rights under the CCPA. The Merchant is your contact for any questions you have about how it handles your Personal Information.

A. Notice at Collection

To learn more about the categories of personal information we collect about California residents, please see Information Collected About Users and Merchants above.

For more information about how we use those categories of personal information, please see How We Use Your Data above.

For more information about how we collect categories of personal information, please see How We Collect Your Data above and our cookies policy found here.

To learn more about how we disclose categories of personal information, and the categories of third parties with whom we disclose such information, please see Categories of Personal Information Disclosed and Categories of Recipients below.

To learn more about how long we keep your information, please see Retention Periods above.

B. Categories of Personal Information Disclosed and Categories of Recipients

The following disclosure describes the categories of information that we disclose to the categories of recipients of such disclosure. For more information about the third parties we disclose information to, please see Sharing Personal Data With Third Parties above.

Service Providers. The type of data we share depends on the type of service provider. The below summary details the types of service providers and related information shared:
- Hosting and Online Services. We may disclose Identifiers, Device And Unique Identifiers, and Geolocation Data.
- Manufacturing Services. We may disclose Identifiers, Device And Unique Identifiers, and Geolocation Data.
- Email Service Providers. We may disclose Identifiers, Device And Unique Identifiers, and Geolocation Data.
- Payment Processors. We may disclose Identifiers, Device And Unique Identifiers, and Payment Information.
- Analytic and Digital Marketing Providers. We may disclose Device And Unique Identifiers and Geolocation Data.

Legal Advisors, Legal Process, and Protection. Any collected information identified in Information Collected About Users and Merchants that is reasonably required to be disclosed and does not violate any legal or contractual obligation may be disclosed in accordance with such request and/or requirement.
Affiliates. We may disclose any of the information identified in Information Collected About Users and Merchants with our Affiliates so where it necessary for the legitimate interest including appropriate business purposes of Printful and its Affiliates in accordance with Data Protection Laws.
Business Customers (i.e., Merchants). We may disclose Identifiers and Commercial Information.
In a Business Transfer. We may disclose any of the information identified in Information Collected About Users and Merchants in connection with a business transfer where it necessary for the legitimate interest including appropriate business purposes of Printful and its Affiliates.
Facilitating Requests. We may disclose or make appropriate information identified in Information Collected About Users and Merchants to facilitate your requests reasonably in accordance with the CCPA. With respect to social networking requests, categories of information shared are Identifiers, Device And Unique Identifiers, Geolocation Data, and any applicable Content associated with the request.

C. Your Legal Rights Under the CCPA

If you are a California resident, the processing of certain personal information about you may be subject to the CCPA. Where the CCPA applies, this section provides additional privacy disclosures and informs you of key additional rights as a California resident. We will never discriminate against you for exercising your rights, including providing a different level or quality of services or denying goods or services to you when you exercise your rights under the CCPA.

Right to Know Request. Under the CCPA, California residents have a right to request information about our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information over the prior twelve (12) months, and ask that we provide you free of charge with the following information:

1. the categories of personal information about you that we collected;

2. the categories of sources from which the personal information was collected;

3. the purpose for collecting personal information about you;

4. the categories of third parties to whom we disclosed personal information about you and the categories of personal information that was disclosed (if applicable) and the purpose for disclosing the personal information about you; and

5. the specific pieces of personal information we collected about you.

You may make a verifiable consumer request to know your personal information twice per twelve (12) month period.

Right to Access. You have a right to access the personal information that we collected from you in accordance with the applicable law.

Right to Delete Request. Under the CCPA, you also have a right to request that we delete personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right To Correct. Under the CCPA, you have the right to ask us to correct, or make available a means to correct, the personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Opt-Out of the Sale or Sharing of Personal Information.
- Right to Opt-Out of the Sale or Sharing of Personal Information. You may request that we not sell your Personal Information. Please note, however, that CCPA defines “sale” very broadly, and includes “selling, renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, transferring, or otherwise communicating orally, in writing, or by electronic or other means, a California consumer’s Personal Information by the business to another business or third party for monetary or other valuable consideration.” We use services that help deliver interest-based ads to you and may transfer Personal Information to business partners for their use. We may also make available Personal Information to Merchants relating to your commercial information. These practices are considered a “sale” under the CCPA.
  
  You may also opt-out of the sales relating to browser based sales by using an opt-out preference signal, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC) on your browser.

These rights may be limited in some circumstances. For more information about how to exercise your legal rights and limitations that may apply, please see How to Exercise Your Legal Rights Under GDPR, CCPA, or Heightened U.S. Privacy Laws below.

D. Notice of Disclosure for a Business Purpose

To learn more about the categories of personal information we have disclosed for a business purpose, and the categories of third parties with whom we’ve disclosed such information, please see How Do We Disclose Your Information? above.

E. Notice of Sale

We sell your personal information through the use of certain third party advertising partners, as well as when we provide your personal information to Merchants. We do not share your personal information. We also don’t knowingly sell or share the personal information of any California resident who is 16 years or younger.

F. Notice of Use of Sensitive Personal Information

We do not use California resident sensitive personal information for any purpose other than is permissible under the CCPA. Specifically, we do not use sensitive personal information of California residents to derive characteristics about California residents.

G. Notice of Financial Incentives

We offer our User and Merchants certain discount opportunities that may be considered a “financial incentive” or “bona fide loyalty program” under applicable Data Protection Laws (the “Program”). Such a Program may include discounts or coupons provided when you sign up to receive such discounts or coupons, which typically requires you to provide your name and contact information (such as email address), or participation in a survey. We consider the value of your personal information to be related to the value of the discounted products or services, or other benefits that you obtain or that are provided in connection with the Program, less the expense we incur offering such opportunity.

You may withdraw from participating in a Program at any time by contacting us using the designated method set forth in the applicable Program rules. Please review any applicable terms and conditions provided in connection with such Program.

12. Additional Disclosures for Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Nevada, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia Residents

Under the state laws including the Colorado Privacy Act, Connecticut Data Privacy Act, Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act, Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act, Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act, Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act, Oregon Consumer Privacy Act, Tennessee Information Protection Act, Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, Utah Consumer Privacy Act, Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, and other similar laws that may be enacted in the future (each a “Heightened U.S. Privacy Law”) applicable residents are afforded certain rights regarding the data we have collected about them. This notice describes how we collect, use, and share your Personal Data in our capacity as a “Controller” under such respective Heightened U.S. Privacy Law, and the rights that you have with respect to your Personal Data, including sensitive personal data. For purposes of this section, “Personal Data” and “sensitive data” have the meanings given in the respective Heightened U.S. Privacy Law and do not include information excluded from such respective Heightened U.S. Privacy Law’s s respective Heightened U.S. Privacy Law general, personal data is information reasonably linkable to an identifiable person.

A. Notice of Collection

To learn more about the categories of personal information we collect about you and how we use it, please see Information Collected About Users and Merchants and How We Use Your Data above. To learn more about the categories of third parties with whom we may share your personal information, please see How We Sharing Personal Data With Third Parties above.

In addition, we may collect and/or use additional types of information after providing notice to you and obtaining your consent to the extent such notice and consent is required by Heightened U.S. Privacy Laws.

B. Your Rights Under Heightened U.S. Privacy Laws

If you are a resident of a state with a Heightened U.S. Data Privacy Law, the processing of certain personal information about you may be subject to the respective Heightened U.S. Data Privacy Law. Where the Heightened U.S. Data Privacy Law applies, this section provides additional privacy disclosures and informs you of key additional rights as a resident of such state. We will never discriminate against you for exercising your rights, including providing a different level or quality of services or denying goods or services to you when you exercise your rights under the Heightened U.S. Data Privacy Law.

Right to Access Information/Correct Inaccurate Personal Data. You have the right to request access to Personal Data collected about you and information regarding the purposes for which we collect it, and the third parties and service providers with whom we share it. Additionally, you have the right to correct inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data. You may submit such a request as described below. If you live in Oregon, you also have a right to request a list of the specific third parties to which we’ve disclosed your personal data.
Right to Deletion of Personal Data. You have the right to request in certain circumstances that we delete any Personal Data that we have collected directly from you. You may submit such a request as described below. We may have a reason under the law why we do not have to comply with your request, or why we may comply in a more limited way than you anticipated. If we do, we will explain that to you in our response.
Right To Correct. You have the right to ask us to correct, or make available a means to correct, the personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale of Personal Data to Third Parties. You have the right to opt out of any sale of your Personal Data by Printful to third parties.
Right to Portability. You have the right to request a copy of the Personal Data that you previously provided to us as a Controller in a portable format. Our collection, use, disclosure, and sale of Personal Data are described in our Privacy Policy.
Right to Opt-In to Processing of Sensitive Data. Before we collect and process sensitive personal information, we will obtain your opt-in consent as required under applicable law.
Right to Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising. You have the right to opt-out of Targeted Advertising based on your Personal Data obtained from your activities over time and across websites or applications.
Right to Opt-Out of Profiling. You have the right to opt-out of having your Personal Data processed for the purpose of profiling in the furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you.
Right to Appeal. If we decline to take action on any request that you submit in connection with the rights described in the above sections, you may ask that we reconsider our response by sending an email to privacy@printful.com that you receive the decision. You must ask us to reconsider our decision within 45 days after we send you our decision.

C. Nevada Opt-Out Rights

If you are a Nevada resident, you have the right to submit a request directing us not to make any sale of your personal information. We do not sell your personal information as defined under Nevada law. However, to request email confirmation that we do not sell your personal information, please send an email to us with “Nevada Opt-Out of Sale” in the subject line and in the body of your message.

If you are an applicable resident to whom the Data Protection Laws apply to, you may contact us to exercise your rights in accordance with the below procedures:

A. Verification Requirements

For certain requests, we may require specific information from you to help us verify your identity and process your request. Depending on your request, we will ask for information such as your name, address, phone number and account number (to the extent available) used in connection with your account or applicable purchases, and may ask for government-issued ID, or date of birth. If we are unable to verify your identity, we may deny your requests to know or delete.

B. Requests to Know, Access and Delete Information

If the Data Protection Laws apply to you, you may exercise your right to know, access or delete information through any of the following means:

Account Settings: As provided in the Your Choices in Connection with Our Services above, you can access the majority of your personal information through your account within the Services by logging in to your Printful account.
Email Us: You may make a request by emailing us at privacy@printful.com

C. Correction Requests

You can correct information related to your account through the following means:

Account Settings: As provided in Your Choices in Connection with Our Services above, you can access the majority of your personal information through your account within the Services by logging in to your Printful account.
Email Us: You may make a request by emailing us at privacy@printful.com

D. Right to Opt-Out of Sale, Profiling, and Context-Based Behavioral Advertising

You may opt-out of the sale of personal information or data by following the Do Not Sell My Personal Information link or by sending an e-mail to privacy@printful.com.

The use of certain third-party providers and their cookies or other tracking technologies for such third parties’ commercial use or profiling or cross-context behavioral advertising must be capable of opt-out. However, as stated in this Privacy Policy, we do not sell or share your information to third parties for these purposes, and therefore, we do not offer any opt-out right.

If you believe that we are forwarding personal information to a third party and it is using it in a manner that exceeds such third party’s processing on our behalf as a service provider or processor (as those terms are understood under applicable law), please contact us at privacy@printful.com so that we may look into the matter further.

E. Right to Portability

If you wish to receive your personal data in a machine-readable format, please contact us at privacy@printful.com. We may provide you instructions on how to access your own information and download it yourself, or otherwise will work with you to provide you your personal data in accordance with applicable Data Protection Law.

If applicable Data Protection Law does not provide you with the right of portability, we may deny your request.

F. Authorized Agents

Residents of California, Colorado, and Connecticut may designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf to access or delete your personal information. Use of an authorized agent must comply with the CCPA and Heightened U.S. Privacy Law as applicable, including that you must provide the authorized agent written and signed permission to submit such request. Please note, we may deny a request from an authorized agent that does not submit proof that they have been authorized by you to act on your behalf. We will still have to verify your identity directly with us in accordance with the applicable law.

G. Responding to Requests as a Controller or Covered Business

Once we receive your request, we will review it, determine whether we can verify your identity, and process the request accordingly within the timer period allowed under the applicable law. We aim to fulfill all verified requests within 45 days pursuant to the to the CCPA and most Heightened U.S. Privacy Laws, unless required to respond sooner. For example, if you live in Europe, we aim to respond within 30 days as required by law. If necessary, extensions as allowed under applicable law (generally for an additional 45 days) may be required and will be accompanied by an explanation for the delay.

Please note that we may charge a reasonable fee for multiple requests in the same 12-month period, as permitted by applicable law.

H. Responding to Requests as a Processor or Service Provider

If your personal data has been processed by us on behalf of a Merchant and you wish to exercise any rights you have with such personal data, please inquire with such Merchant directly. If you wish to make your request directly to us, please provide the name of Merchant on whose behalf we processed your personal data. We will refer your request to that Merchant, and will support them to the extent required by applicable Data Protection Law in responding to your request.

14. Links to Third-Party Sites

Our Services may contain links to other websites or services. Please note that these links are provided for your own convenience and information, and the websites and services may operate independently from us and have their own privacy policy notices, which we strongly suggest you review.

15. Privacy Policy Changes

Any changes we make to this Privacy Policy in the future will be posted on this page. Therefore, we encourage you to check this page frequently from time to time.

16. Complaints

If you are a User that has directly purchased our Services from us and believe that we have unlawfully processed your personal data, you have the right to submit a complaint to the contact information provided below, or to your respective data protection supervisory authority. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach a data protection regulator, and would welcome you directing an inquiry first to us.

If you are a customer of a Merchant (an end user of our Services), please direct your concern to the relevant Merchant in the first instance.

17. Contact Information

If you have any questions about your personal data or this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at privacy@printful.com, or by using the contact details below:

Users outside of the European Economic Area:

Printful Inc.
Attn: Data Protection Officer
Address: 11025 Westlake Dr
Charlotte, NC 28273
United States

Users of the European Economic Area:

AS “Printful Latvia”
Attn: Data Protection Officer
Address: Raina Bulvaris 25
Riga, LV-1050
Latvia

Summary: Please read these terms very carefully as they form a binding Agreement between you and Printful regarding the use of our services and website. At the beginning of each Section, you’ll find a short summary to help you navigate the document. Note that these summaries do not replace or represent the full text.

The following terms and conditions constitute a legally binding contract (this “Agreement”) between you (“you” or “your”) and Printful, Inc., a Delaware corporation that governs all use by you of the printful.com website (the “Site”) and the services available on or at the Site (taken together with the use of the Site, the “Services”). We’ll refer to Printful and all of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies collectively as “Printful”, “we”, “our”, “us”, etc. Printful is a print-on-demand company for businesses that want to outsource the printing and delivering component. Printful white-label prints and dropships products (“Products”) directly to you and your customers (“Customers”).

The Services are offered subject to your acceptance without modification of all of the terms and conditions contained herein. We also have other policies and procedures including, without limitation, Shipping, Return Policy, Privacy Policy and others. Those policies contain additional terms and conditions, which apply to the Services and are part of this Agreement. YOUR USE OF THE SITE CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT. FURTHERMORE, BY PLACING AN ORDER FOR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES FROM THE SITE, YOU ACCEPT AND ARE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT. If you do not agree to this Agreement, do not use the Site or any other Services.

If you use our Services only for your personal use, you are considered a “User”. If you use our Services to execute orders or deliver Products to third parties (including Customers), you are considered a “Merchant”.

REGARDLESS IF YOU ARE A USER OR MERCHANT, SECTION 18 OF THIS AGREEMENT REQUIRES THAT ALL DISPUTES (AS DEFINED BELOW) ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT BE RESOLVED BY ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, RATHER THAN BY JURY TRIAL OR CLASS ACTIONS, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY SECTION 18. IF YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE IS IN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA OR THE UNITED KINGDOM THIS APPLIES TO ANY ACTION YOU MAY WANT TO BRING AGAINST PRINTFUL IN THE UNITED STATES.

1. Access & Membership

Summary: You need to be of a certain legal age to use Printful, and you’re fully responsible for your account and the use of our services. If you violate our Terms of Service or otherwise act in bad faith, we can modify, cancel, or refuse service at any time.

In order to enjoy all of Printful’s benefits, you may register your account and become a member (“Member”). Membership requires that you register on the Site (including by truthfully filling out all required personal information). You may opt out of marketing and promotional activities, including emails. You may cancel your membership at any time by canceling it online on the Site. To complete registration, you shall provide a name, surname, email address and password. You may never use another user’s Printful account without permission from that user. You are solely responsible for the activity that occurs on your account, and you must keep your account password secure. You must notify Printful immediately of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your account. Although Printful will not be liable for your and your Customer’s losses caused by any unauthorized use of your account, you may be liable for the losses of Printful and others due to such unauthorized use.

Printful may change, suspend or discontinue the Services, Products, fees, charges, terms at any time, including the availability of any feature or content, but without affecting orders for European Economic Area Users or the United Kingdom which Printful has already confirmed. Printful may also impose limits on certain features and Services or restrict the User’s access to parts or all of the Services without notice or liability. If you are an individual (rather than an organization or entity), then you certify to Printful that you are at least 18 years of age, however, if you are an individual residing in Japan, you certify to Printful that you are at least 20 years of age. If you are using the Services on behalf of an organization or entity then you certify that you are legally authorized and permitted to bind such organization or entity to this Agreement and use the Services. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, you agree to take full responsibility for your selection and use of the Services. This Agreement is void where prohibited by law, and the right to access or use the Services is revoked in such jurisdictions.

2. Modifications

Summary: We reserve the right to modify our terms, services, and fees. Please follow changes to our terms by checking in with the Policy updates section on our website.

Without affecting orders for European Economic Area Users or orders for Users in the United Kingdom which Printful has already confirmed Printful reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify this Agreement and its terms, as well as the fees and other charges for our Services, at any time. All such modifications will become effective immediately after Printful posts them on the Site. You shall be responsible for reviewing and becoming familiar with all such modifications, and you agree to review the terms of this Agreement each time you access or use the Site so that you are aware of any modifications made to this Agreement. Use of the Site and other Services by you after Printful posts the modifications on the Site constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, as modified. If you do not agree to the modified terms, you are not authorized to access or use the Site or other Services, and you must send Printful a written notification, including via email (and your Printful account will be deleted), to close your account within 30 days of notice.

3. Content

Summary: Printful respects intellectual property rights and asks you to do the same. Anything you upload will remain yours, and you’re responsible for it. We’ll only use the content you submit to provide you with our services. If we receive a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice or European Union illegal content notice for content you’ve submitted, we may remove the allegedly infringing content or suspend access to the Printful website.

All content (including all information, images, pictures, data, text, photographs, graphics, messages, and other materials, hereinafter “Content”) that you post, submit, upload, display, sell or use, hereinafter “post”, using our Services is your content. We don’t make any claim(s) to it. That includes anything you post using our Services (like your Content, images, shop name, your customer reviews, comments, videos, usernames, etc.).

Responsibility for the Content. You understand that you are solely responsible for the Content that you post on or through the Services. You represent that you have all necessary rights to the Content, including all necessary rights to post it or use it on your Products sold, manufactured, or warehoused by Printful. You also represent that you’re not infringing or violating any third party’s rights by posting the Content or using the Content on your Products sold, manufactured, or warehoused by Printful.
Permission to Use the Content. Printful agrees that any Content that you post using our Services will remain yours. This means that we will never use your Content except with your express permission or as otherwise provided in this Agreement.
Rights You Grant Printful. By posting your Content, you grant Printful a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, sub-licensable, perpetual license to use, display, edit, modify, reproduce, distribute, store, and prepare derivative works of your Content to provide the Services, improve the quality of the Services and to promote Printful and/or your Printful store, or the Services in general, in any formats and through any channels, including across the Services, third-party website, advertising medium and/or social media. You agree and represent that you have the rights to grant this license to us.
Reporting Unauthorized Content. Printful respects intellectual property rights and follows intellectual property laws. We are committed to following appropriate legal procedures to remove infringing content from the Service(s).
Intellectual Property. Printful respects your work and empowers you to express your voice and ideas. We ask that you respect the work and creative rights of others. You need to either own the Content you post to Printful, or have the express authority to post it. Content must comply with right of publicity, trademark and copyright laws, and all other applicable national, state, and federal laws.
Trademarks and Infringement of Intellectual Property. We are committed to following appropriate legal procedures to remove infringing content from the Services. Printful will try to accommodate and not interfere with standard technical measures used by copyright owners to identify and protect their works. Printful reserves the right to do any or all of the following at any time at our sole discretion: (i) immediately suspend your use of the Services; and/or (ii) remove, block, and disable access to any of your Content that is alleged to infringe the intellectual property rights of others. When we receive notice of intellectual property infringement (via the form available here), Printful strives to respond quickly by removing, blocking, or disabling access to the allegedly infringing material. When Printful removes, blocks or disables access in response to such a notice, Printful makes a reasonable attempt to contact the allegedly infringing party, provide information about the notice and removal, and, in cases of alleged copyright infringement, provide information about counter notification.
1. DMCA Cooperation: Printful’s copyright infringement notice and Content removal policies and procedures are intended to comply with the requirements and obligations of service providers under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). To the extent any requirements and obligations of service providers under the DMCA change or are different than set forth herein, Printful’s policies and procedure may likewise change in accordance with the DMCA requirements and obligations of service providers. More information about DMCA procedure is available here.
2. Counter DMCA Notifications: If Printful receives a DMCA counter notification, Printful will send a copy of the counter notice to the original complaining party. Unless the copyright owner files an action seeking a court order against the allegedly infringing party and informs Printful of this action, the removed, blocked, or disabled material may be replaced or access to it may be restored 10-14 business days after delivery of the counter notice to the original complaining party. If an action is filed, any Content removed, blocked, or disabled shall remain removed, blocked or disabled at the sole discretion of Printful.
3. Repeat Infringement: Printful may terminate account privileges of Members that are subject to repeat notices of intellectual property infringement as determined by Printful at its sole discretion.
Copyright and Trademark Responsibility. You agree and represent by accepting this Agreement and using our Services that you own all rights (including copyrights) for the Content you post, or if you are not the owner, that you have permission to use and reproduce the Content in connection with the Services, and that you have all of the rights required to post your Content. Likewise, by accepting this Agreement and using our Services, you agree and represent that you own or have permissions to use all copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade dress, and trade names incorporated into the Content you post or use in connection with any Content and the Services provided under this Agreement.
Inappropriate, False, or Misleading Content. This should be common sense, but there are certain types of Content we don’t want submitted to our Services (for legal reasons or otherwise). You agree that you will not post any content that is abusive, threatening, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, illegal or otherwise offensive or in violation of any part of this Agreement. You also agree not to post any Content that is false or misleading or uses the Services in a manner that is fraudulent or deceptive.
European Union illegal content. We have implemented a complaint mechanism to comply with the requirements and obligations of intermediary service providers under the Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (the “Digital Services Act”) that allows anyone to report content that they suspect to be illegal using the European Union illegal content notice available here. We are committed to evaluating the reported allegations and strive to take the appropriate decision that could include termination of the Services. If you are not satisfied with our decision, you have the right to appeal. You will be informed about appeal options along with our decision.

4. Use of Services

Summary: By using Printful, you agree to use our services according to our terms and to respect the rights of our brand name, trademark, and digital items. In case we need to contact you, we’ll reach out to you via email.

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to use our Services, platforms, and integrations subject to this Agreement and the following restrictions in particular:

Don’t Use Our Services to Break the Law. You agree that you will not violate any laws in connection with your use of the Services. This includes any local, state, federal, and international laws that may apply to you or Printful. For example, it’s your responsibility to obtain any permits or licenses that your store may require; you must not engage in fraud, theft, anti-competitive conduct, threatening conduct, or any other unlawful acts or crimes against Printful, another Printful user, or a third party. You also agree that you are not the target of trade, financial, and economic sanctions, and that you do not appear on a sanctions-related list, including lists maintained by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the European Union, or Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom. You also agree that you will not export, reexport, or otherwise transfer Printful’s Products to countries or territories that are the target of comprehensive embargoes or sanctions or parties on the sanctions-related lists referenced above. You agree not to use the Services: (i) to impersonate or attempt to impersonate Printful, any other Printful Party (as defined below), or any other person or entity; or (ii) for the purpose of exploiting, harming, or attempting to exploit or harm minors in any way by exposing them to inappropriate content or otherwise. The following are collectively referred to as the “Printful Parties”: (a) Printful, (b) Printful’s subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and joint ventures, and (c) the officers, directors, members, managers, equity holders, agents, and employees of Printful and its subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and joint ventures.
Don’t Try to Harm Our Systems. You agree not to interfere with or try to disrupt our Services, for example by distributing a virus or other harmful computer code into our platforms, third party services, or other programs or systems our clients may use to promote their Products. You agree not to use the Services: (i) to send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use, or re-use any material which does not comply with this Agreement; or (ii) to engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of the Services, or which, as determined by us, may harm any Printful Party or expose any of them to liability. You agree that Printful reserves the right to audit our platforms (systems) to ensure integrity and compliance with this Agreement, at the sole discretion of Printful.
Follow Brand Guidelines. The name “Printful”, our iconography, phrases, logos, and designs that we use in connection with the Products or Services we provide are trademarks, service marks, or trade dress of Printful in the US, European Union, and all other countries, that are used for proprietary purposes at our sole discretion. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, Printful does not grant you any rights to use its trademarks, service marks, or trade dress. You may state in connection with the Services or Products provided by Printful that Printful provided such Services or Products. If you use any of our trademarks in reference to our Products or Services, you must include a statement attributing that trademark to us. You must not use any of our trademarks: (i) in or as the whole or part of your own trademarks; (ii) in connection with activities, Products or Services which are not ours; (iii) in a manner which may be confusing, misleading or deceptive; or (iv) in a manner that disparages us or our information, Products or Services (including the Site). Printful reserves the right to request you to immediately remove any such misused iconography, phrases, logos, and designs at our sole discretion.
Share Your Ideas. We love your suggestions and ideas! They can help us improve your experience and our Services. Any unsolicited ideas or other materials you submit to Printful (not including your Content or Products you sell or warehouse through our Services) are considered non-confidential and nonproprietary to you. By submitting those ideas and materials to us, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, non-revocable, sub-licensable, perpetual license to use and publish those ideas and materials for any purpose, without compensation to you at any time.
Communication Methods. Printful will provide you with certain legal information in writing. By using our Services, you’re agreeing to our communication methods which describe how we provide that information to you. This simply means that we reserve the right to send you information electronically (by email, etc.) instead of mailing you paper copies (it’s better for the environment).
Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, Users from the State of California are entitled to the following specific consumer rights notice:

The Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs may be contacted in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (916) 445-1254 or (800) 952-5210. You may contact us at:
Printful, Inc.
11025 Westlake Dr., Charlotte, NC 28273
support@printful.com
Digital Items. Digital items (like mockups, templates, images and other design assets) and texts created in connection with the Products and/or Services we offer and their intellectual property rights belong exclusively to Printful. Digital items and any results may only be used in connection with the advertising, promoting, offering and sale of Printful’s Products and may not be used for other purposes or in conjunction with products from other manufacturers. If Printful provides the possibility for Users to modify or customize any Digital Items, you will ensure that the Content used to modify such Digital Items will comply with the intellectual property laws and our Acceptable Content guidelines.

5. Content and Services

Summary: You are responsible for communicating with your customers and handling any claims they might have. We provide the best service we can on an “as is” basis, and please be aware that it may have errors and interruptions.

Items Your Clients Purchase Through Our Sites. You understand that Printful cannot and does not make any warranties about your Content, stores, or what you sell to your Customer that we may warehouse. Any legal claim related to a Product your Customers purchase must be brought directly against you as the seller of the Product. You release Printful from any claims related to Products sold by you through our Services, including claims for misrepresentations by you to your Customers or claims for physical injury or property damage by any of your Products that are warehoused for you by Printful.
Content You Access. Your Customers may come across materials that they find offensive or inappropriate while using our Services. We make no representations concerning any content posted by others through the Services. Printful is not responsible for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality, or decency of content posted by others that you accessed through the Services. You release us from all liability relating to that content.
Third-Party Services. Our stores on our Site(s) may contain links to third-party websites or services that we don’t own or control (for example, links to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest). You may also need to use a product or service of one of our subcontractors or other third parties in order to use some of our Services (like a compatible mobile device to use our mobile apps). When you access these third-party services, you do so at your own risk. The third parties may require you to accept their own terms of use. Printful is not a party to those agreements; they are solely between you and the third party. You agree that Printful will not be liable to you in any way for your use of these third party services.
Services. Printful is dedicated to making our Services the best they can be, but we’re not perfect and sometimes things can go wrong. You understand that our Services are provided “as is,” with all faults and without any kind of warranty (express or implied), except for the warranties provided with respect to Products in Section 6 below. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMING ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AS WELL AS ANY WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS IMPLIED BY A COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, COURSE OF DEALING, OR USAGE OF TRADE, WITH RESPECT TO OUR SERVICES, EXCEPT FOR THE WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS PROVIDED WITH RESPECT TO PRODUCTS IN SECTION 6 BELOW. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. We do not guarantee that:
1. the Services will be secure or available at any particular time or location – Printful shall not be liable for any delays, interruptions or loss of data in connection with the use of our Site and Services. Printful shall strive to ensure that the Services are carried out in other locations in case it is not possible to carry them out at the location the Services were initially intended to be performed at.
2. any errors for which Printful is responsible will be corrected;
3. the Services will always be free of viruses or other harmful materials; or
4. the results of using the Services will meet your expectations.
  You use the Services solely at your own risk.
LIABILITY LIMITS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER PRINTFUL NOR ANY OTHER PRINTFUL PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE TO YOU OR YOUR CUSTOMERS FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR REVENUES, DIMINUTION IN VALUE, OR FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, ENHANCED, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICES OR THIS AGREEMENT, REGARDLESS OF (I) WHETHER ANY OF THE FOREGOING DAMAGES WERE FORESEEABLE, (II) WHETHER OR NOT YOU WERE ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF INCURRING ANY OF THE FOREGOING DAMAGES, (III) THE LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY (CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE) UPON WHICH THE CLAIM IS BASED, AND (IV) ANY SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOU AND/OR YOUR CUSTOMER. THE LIABILITY OF THE PRINTFUL PARTIES WILL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEED THE ACTUAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU FOR THE SERVICE THAT YOU HAVE PURCHASED OR USED THROUGH THE SITE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR CERTAIN OTHER DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

6. Limited Warranty on Products

Summary: Please read this section very carefully—it covers our obligations and responsibilities for Printful services. If you have an issue with your order, you may be eligible for a replacement product or refund, so reach out to us as soon as possible.

Does not apply to Users residing in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom (see Section 7).

Limited Warranty. We warrant that, at the time of delivery of a Product to a User or the Merchant’s Customer, the Product will not be materially defective or damaged (the “Limited Warranty”). Customers residing in Brazil have the right to cancel and return their order within 7 days, for any reason.
Who May Use This Warranty? Printful extends the Limited Warranty only to Users and Merchants. All Limited Warranty coverage terminates if the User or the Merchant’s Customer sells or otherwise transfers a Product.
What Does This Warranty Not Cover? This Limited Warranty does not cover any damage to or defect in a Product caused by any of the following: (a) you or third parties; (b) any improper handling (including during shipping), use or storage of the Product; (c) any failure to follow any Product instructions; (d) any modifications to the Product; (e) any unauthorized repair to the Product; or (f) any external causes such as accidents, fire, flood, “acts of God” or other actions or events beyond our reasonable control; or (g) any costs or expenses related to the loss of use of the Product or any other costs or expenses not covered by this Limited Warranty. This Limited Warranty does not cover any items supplied by third parties, size exchanges or buyer’s remorse.

Finally, as noted elsewhere in this Agreement, we unfortunately cannot guarantee that the colors and details in our website images are 100% accurate representations of a Product, and sizes might in some cases be approximate. Accordingly, this Limited Warranty does not cover such matters.

What Is The Period Of Coverage? This limited warranty starts on the date of the delivery of the Product to the User or the Merchant’s Customer and lasts for thirty (30) days (the “Warranty Period”). For the avoidance of doubt, Printful acknowledges that according to some jurisdictions the User may be entitled to a longer Warranty Period.
What Are Your Remedies Under This Warranty? With respect to any materially defective or damaged Product, we will, in our sole discretion, either: (a) replace such Product (or the defective or damaged part of the Product) free of charge, or (b) refund the purchase price paid to us by the User or the Merchant along with the shipping fees corresponding to the defective or damaged Products.
How Do You Obtain Warranty Service? Promptly following delivery of a Product, you or your Customer (if you are a Merchant) will inspect the Product. If a Product is materially defective (including any error by Printful in printing) or damaged upon receipt, or if you received the wrong Product, then in order to be eligible for service under this Limited Warranty, you must submit a claim within the Warranty Period in compliance with our Return Policy. If you are a Merchant, your Customer should contact you regarding any defective or damaged Product and with respect to any delivery of the wrong Product.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. THE REMEDIES DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION 6 ARE YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES (AND OUR ENTIRE LIABILITY) FOR ANY BREACH OF THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. OUR LIABILITY FOR A DEFECTIVE OR DAMAGED PRODUCT SHALL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEED THE ACTUAL AMOUNT RECEIVED BY US FOR THE PRODUCT, NOR SHALL WE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR REVENUES, DIMINUTION IN VALUE, OR FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, ENHANCED OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR LOSSES ARISING OUT OF OUR PRODUCTS, REGARDLESS OF (I) WHETHER ANY OF THE FOREGOING DAMAGES WERE FORESEEABLE, (II) WHETHER OR NOT YOU WERE ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF INCURRING ANY OF THE FOREGOING DAMAGES, (III) THE LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY (CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE) UPON WHICH THE CLAIM IS BASED, AND (IV) ANY SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOU AND/OR YOUR CUSTOMER. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION. WE LIMIT THE DURATION AND REMEDIES OF ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO OUR PRODUCTS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TO THE DURATION OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY OR CONDITION LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

7. Your rights in the case of lack of conformity

Summary: If you reside in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, this is where you’ll find information on what you can do if there’s an issue with your order.

If you are a User residing in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the legal guarantees established by Directive 1999/44/EC on consumer sales and guarantees or similar consumer contracts regulations apply to the sale of our products. Consequently, you have the right, free of charge, to get the products repaired (or replaced) within the limits provided by the law, or, in case of failure of one of the remedies above to have an appropriate reduction in the price of the products, or the contract cancelled. Delivery costs for returning the product to be repaired or replaced under this clause shall be borne by Printful, as well as any costs related to the delivery to you of the repaired or replaced product.

If the Products we supply to you are: (1) made to your specification and are clearly personalized with your designs; or (2) sealed for health protection or hygiene reasons, or both, you do not, have the right to cancel your order or change your mind as set out in our Return Policy.

For other Products, you have the right to cancel and return the order for any reason within 14 days following the date on which the Product was delivered. You must inform us of the decision to cancel the order by sending us written notice before the cancelation period expires. You may contact us at support@printful.com. Within 14 days of notifying us of your decision to cancel the order, you must also return the product to us using the return address indicated on the original package in which the order was delivered. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. Within 14 days of receiving written notice of your decision to cancel the order we will, without undue delay, issue a refund for the Product and the delivery costs (with the exception of the supplementary costs resulting from your choice of a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us). We may delay the refund until the Product has been returned or we have received proof that the Product has been returned, whichever is earlier. The refund will be made to your Printful Wallet or to the payment method used by you when placing the order. You may be liable for any diminished value of the Product resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the Product.

8. Responsibility of Site members and visitors

Summary: When using Printful services, it’s your responsibility to follow our policies. If you violate our policies, we might restrict or even end up terminating your access to our services.

Violation of this Agreement or any other rules will result in the termination of your Printful account.

Printful and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to pre-screen (using automated and/or manual means), refuse, or remove any Content that is available via the Services. Without limiting the foregoing, Printful and its designees shall have the right to remove, block, and disable any Content. You agree that you must evaluate and to the extent permitted by law bear all risks associated with the use of any Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such Content. In this regard, you acknowledge that you may not rely on any Content created by Printful or submitted to Printful, including without limitation information in Printful collaborations, posts and in all other parts of the Printful Services.

Without limiting other remedies, we may limit, suspend or terminate our Services and your account, prohibit access to our Site, delay, remove, block, or disable hosted Content, and take technical and legal steps to keep you off the Site if we think that you are creating problems, causing possible legal liabilities, breaching this Agreement, or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our policies. We also reserve the right to cancel unconfirmed accounts or accounts that have been inactive for extended periods of time. You are responsible for providing Printful with accurate and truthful information (including but not limited to your name and surname if you are a User or retail price if you are a Merchant). If you have provided Printful with inaccurate or false information, (a) you shall be liable to Printful for damages and losses (including but not limited to taxes) arising out of such inaccurate or false information, (b) you shall reimburse such damages and losses (including but not limited to taxes) to Printful, and (c) Printful shall have the right to charge you for such damages and losses (including but not limited to taxes) and otherwise limit or suspend your access to the Services.

9. Payments and fees

Summary: To pay for Printful services, you need a valid payment method (e.g. a credit card, PayPal) that you’re authorized to use. All fees will be charged to your payment method, which may but is not guaranteed to be automatically updated. Note that you might need to reimburse us for any chargeback fees for returns or claims that aren’t in line with our policies.

You may choose to save your billing information to use it for all future orders and charges associated with Printful Products and/or Services. In such case, you also acknowledge and agree that this information will be stored and processed by third party PCI DSS compliant service providers. Printful may participate in Account Updater programs. Such programs may allow for your payment card information to be automatically updated if and when there is a change, such as to the payment card number or expiration date. To the extent Printful participates in such programs and your financial institution or payment card provider is a participant, you agree to automatic updates to your payment card information. However, Printful cannot guarantee that such automatic updates will be made, so you also acknowledge that you are ultimately responsible for ensuring that your payment card information is current.

When you order a Product, or use a Service that has a fee, you will be charged, and you agree to pay, the fees in effect at the time the order is placed. We may change our fees from time to time (for example, when we have holiday sales, offer you a discount of base product prices, etc.). The fees for the Products and the Services (if and as applicable), as well as any associated delivery costs will be indicated on the Site when you place an order or pay for the Service. We may choose to temporarily change the fees for our Services for promotional events or new Services, and such changes are effective when we post the temporary promotional event or new Service on the Site or inform you individually. The sale will be submitted for processing and you will be charged as soon as you confirm it. You may then receive an email from us.

By placing an order or paying for Services , you are confirming that you are legally entitled to use the means of payment tendered and, in the case of card payments, that you are either the cardholder or have the cardholder’s express permission to utilize the card to effect payment. In case of an unauthorized use of a payment method, you will be personally liable for, and shall reimburse Printful for damages resulting from such unauthorized use.

With regard to payment methods, you represent to Printful that (i) the billing information you supply to us is true, correct, and complete and (ii) to the best of your knowledge, charges incurred by you will be honored by your financial institution (including but not limited to credit card company) or payment service provider.

If you or your Customer makes any return or claim which does not comply with our policies (including policies which are described here), you will reimburse Printful for its losses, which consist of fulfillment costs and chargeback handling fees (up to $15 USD per chargeback), if applicable.

We may refuse to process a transaction for any reason or refuse to provide Services to anyone at any time at our sole discretion. We will not be liable to you or any third party by reason of refusing or suspending any transaction after processing has begun.

Unless stated otherwise, you may choose currency from the options available at the Site in which all fees and payments will be quoted. You are responsible for paying all fees, payments and applicable taxes associated with our Site and Services. After receiving your order you may receive an email from us with the details and description of the Products ordered. Payment of the total price plus taxes and delivery must be made in full before the dispatch of your Products.

Printful at its sole discretion may offer you various discounts, as well as change, suspend or discontinue them at any time. You may find more information about the available discounts at the Site, in the marketing and promotional emails or via other channels or events Printful may use or participate in.

10. Taxes

Summary: You are responsible for paying any applicable taxes to your local taxing authority, unless we have informed you otherwise.

Aside from the limited circumstances set out below, you are responsible for (and shall charge) all applicable taxes, such as but not limited to sales taxes, VAT, GST and others, and duties associated with the Products (if and as applicable).

In some states in the US and countries, Printful may collect the applicable taxes from you as the seller and pay this to the relevant tax authority (if and as applicable).

In certain cases you are required to provide a valid exemption certificate such as, without limitation, Resale certificate, VAT ID or ABN.

11. Shipping

Summary: Once you’ve placed an order, you might no longer be able to edit the order details or cancel it. If you have an issue with the shipment of your order, contact us within 30 days of the delivery or estimated delivery date. In some cases, you may need to reach out to the shipping carrier directly.

Once you have confirmed your order, it might not be possible to edit or cancel it. If you want to change some parameters, Customer addresses, etc., please check whether such an option is available in your account. We are not bound to make such modifications to your order, but we will do our best on a case-by-case basis.

The risk of loss of, damage to and title for Products pass to you upon our delivery to the carrier. It shall be your (if you are a User) or your Customer’s (if you are a Merchant) responsibility to file any claim with a carrier for a lost shipment if carrier tracking indicates that the Product was delivered. In such case Printful will not make any refunds and will not resend the Product.

For Users in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the risk of loss of, damage to and title for Products will pass to you when you or a third party indicated by you has acquired the physical possession of the Products.

If you are a Merchant sending orders to your Customers in Germany, the risk of loss and damage to Products pass to you in the moment after the shipment with the Products has crossed the German border (“Moment of Risk Transfer”). In such case, Printful will bear the full legal responsibility for the loss of or damage to Products sent to your Customers in Germany in case such loss or damage to Products has verifiably occurred before the Moment of Risk Transfer.

If carrier tracking indicates that a Product was lost in transit, you or your Customer may make a written claim for replacement of (or credit to the Member’s account for) the lost Product in compliance with Printful’s Return Policy. For Products lost in transit, all claims must be submitted no later than 30 days after the estimated delivery date. All such claims are subject to Printful investigation and sole discretion. Printful cannot guarantee delivery to P.O. boxes.

12. Description of products

Summary: We strive towards making our product development process the best we can, yet we can’t guarantee that the product representations on our website will be 100% accurate or that the manufacturing stage won’t result in damages. To speed up fulfillment, we also offer you product alternatives in case any of your products are out of stock.

While many component parts of our Products are standard, all Products available for purchase are described on their specific page on our Site. We always try to represent each design as accurately as possible via photography and copy points provided by designers, artists or photographers.

We have a policy of continuous Product development so we can provide you with what we consider the best design combined with best performance, and thus reserve the right to amend the specifications of Products, their price, packaging, and any Service associated at any time, without prior notice. Before ordering, we invite you to have a close look at the Product description and design.

We use our best efforts to provide you with the best images and descriptions, but unfortunately cannot guarantee that colors and details in website images are 100% accurate representations of the product, and sizes might in some cases be approximate.

Sometimes during the manufacturing process Products can be damaged. Obviously we won’t knowingly ship damaged items to you (your Customers), but these damaged items can still be used for charitable purposes. Printful reserves the right to donate all damaged items with full or partial designs to charity and you hereby waive your right to collect royalties or other fees regarding damaged Products that are donated.

If a Product the Merchant has ordered goes out of stock and the Merchant has not opted-out of Product alternatives in store settings, the Product might be substituted at Printful’s own discretion and without any express notification with the most appropriate Product alternative in the order to avoid fulfillment delays, unless we can’t find a comparable replacement, in which case the Merchant still need to wait for the original Product to be restocked. If the Product alternative costs more than the original Product being substituted, Printful will charge the price Merchant has paid for the order of the Product. For Product alternatives that cost less than the original Product, we’ll refund you the difference. If you wish to opt-out of alternative Products, you can change it in the store settings. Unless the Merchant has opted-out of Product alternatives in the store settings, Merchant is solely responsible for informing Merchant’s Customers about the Product being substituted with a Product alternative.

13. Purchase of products

Summary: To make sure your orders arrive as quickly as possible, please make sure you submit the correct order details at checkout. Printful doesn’t take responsibility for missed deliveries due to typos in the delivery information.

Your order is purchase of a Product for which you have paid the applicable fee and/or other charges that we have accepted and received. Any Products in the same order which we have not accepted do not form part of that contract. We may choose not to accept any orders in our sole discretion.

Orders are placed and received exclusively via the Site. Before ordering from us, it is your responsibility to check and determine full ability to receive the Products. Correct name of the recipient, delivery address and postal code/zip code, up-to-date telephone number, and email address are absolutely necessary to ensure successful delivery of Products.

All information asked on the checkout page must be filled in precisely and accurately. Printful will not be responsible for missed delivery because of a wrong or misspelled recipient name or surname, delivery address or an inappropriate phone number. Should you like to ask for a change in the delivery address, phone number, or any other special requirements, please contact Printful.

We reserve the right to place your order on hold due to print file issues, security concerns, if we need to confirm your address, or in case of other issues. In case your order will be placed on hold, we will give you 30 days to resolve the issue. If you will not resolve the issue or cancel your order within 30 days, we will cancel the order. In case your order is cancelled, we will only make a refund if work on your order has not started yet.

14. Delivery

Summary: While we may provide delivery estimates, we can’t provide guaranteed delivery dates. Once Printful receives payment for your order (including delivery fees), we fulfill the order and pass it onto the carrier. This is also the moment where you or your customer legally become the owner of the products.

We deliver to most places in the world. You shall cover delivery costs. Delivery prices are additional to the Product’s price and may vary depending on delivery location and/or sort of Products, and additional charges may be added to the order for remote or difficult to access locations that require special attention. Flat rate delivery charges are shown on our checkout page; however, we reserve the right to advise you of any additional delivery charges that apply to your specific delivery address.

Some Products are packaged and shipped separately. We cannot guarantee delivery dates and to the extent permitted by law accept no responsibility, apart from advising you of any known delay, for Products that are delivered after the estimated delivery date. Average time for delivery may be shown on the Site. It is only an average estimation, and some delivery can take longer, or alternatively be delivered much faster. All delivery estimates given at the time of placing and confirming order can be subject to change. In any case, we will do our best to contact you and advise you of all changes. We try our best to make Product delivery as simple as possible.

Ownership of the Products will only pass to you/Customer after we receive full payment of all sums due in respect of the Products, including delivery charges and taxes, and deliver the Products to the carrier.

We make no guarantees with respect to any collaboration we undertake with you, including any collaboration with respect to Services, Products (including new Products) or any integration with a vendor platform.

15. Release

Summary: You can’t sue us for anything that we have disclaimed or obtained your release from under this Agreement.

To the fullest extent permitted by law you release us and all other Printful Parties from any and all claims and demands, as well as any and all damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, costs, reasonable attorneys’ fees, and other expenses incurred or suffered by any Printful Party, of every kind and nature, known and unknown, relating to or arising out of any right, claim, or matter (a) which is disclaimed by Printful (or for which Printful provides no guarantees) under this Agreement, or (b) for which Printful is otherwise indemnified or released by you under this Agreement.

16. Indemnity

Summary: Printful is not responsible for any damages and liabilities you incur if you break the law, violate these terms or any rights of third parties and it results in legal action (this also includes misrepresentations made by you and any product liability claims).

To the fullest extent permitted by law you will defend, indemnify, and hold Printful and the other Printful Parties harmless from any claim or demand made by any third party (including, but not limited to, your Customer), as well as any and all damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, costs, reasonable attorneys’ fees, and other expenses of every kind and nature, known and unknown, incurred or suffered by the Printful Parties, relating to or arising out of (a) your breach of this Agreement, (b) your use (or misuse) of our Services, (c) your Content, (d) the infringement by your Content or your account of someone else’s intellectual property or other rights, (d) your violation of any law or the rights of a third party, or (e) if you are a Merchant, any claims related to products or items sold by you through our Services, including claims for misrepresentations by you to your Customers and claims for physical injury or property damage by any of your products or items that are warehoused for you by Printful. We reserve the right to handle our legal defense however we see fit, even if you are indemnifying us, in which case you agree to cooperate with us so we can execute our strategy.

17. Governing Law

Summary: If any dispute arises between us we’ll apply the laws of the State of North Carolina to resolve it—unless you as a consumer reside in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom in which case we’ll follow the laws of the Republic of Latvia.

This Agreement, and all disputes and claims arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or its subject matter or formation including non-contractual disputes and claims, are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. These laws will apply no matter where in the world you live or are located but if you are a User living in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom the laws of the Republic of Latvia will apply to any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, nothing in this Agreement, including the aforementioned choice of law provision, affects your rights as an User living in the European Economic Area or Switzerland to rely on any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which you are resident.

For Users in the European Union and the United Kingdom: Alternatively, you can contact the consumer center in your country or you can decide to access the platform for alternative extra-judicial resolution of disputes provided by the European Commission.

18. ARBITRATION AND JURY TRIAL WAIVER

Summary: Any legal dispute involving our services (except for situations defined below) will be resolved by arbitration according to the rules in this Section. By using our services, you waive any rights to a jury trial or class actions.

“Disputes” means all disputes and claims arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or its subject matter or formation including non-contractual disputes and claims, excluding only claims under the Limited Warranty and claims brought by Users living in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or Users in the United Kingdom against Printful in European Economic Area or in the courts of England and Wales. All Disputes shall be finally settled by final and binding arbitration, using the English language, administered by the American Arbitration Association (the “AAA”) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules (“Commercial Rules”) in effect at that time. The Rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Agreement. As of the date of this Agreement you can find them here or by calling the AAA at 1–800–778–7879. The Federal Arbitration Act applies to this Agreement. The arbitration shall be administered by the AAA and shall be conducted by a sole arbitrator selected in accordance with the Commercial Rules unless otherwise mutually agreed by the parties. Unless Printful and you agree otherwise, any arbitration hearings will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, except that, for Users, any arbitration hearings will take place in the county of your residence. Judgment on any arbitration award may be entered and enforced by any court that has jurisdiction to do so. Any arbitration will take place on an individual basis and neither the arbitrator nor AAA are empowered to conduct a class arbitration, class action or to resolve claims of more than a single claimant in anything other than a single proceeding, unless both parties consent. You and Printful acknowledge that AAA may conclude that the Consumer Arbitration Rules or the Rules for the International Centre for Dispute Resolution may be more appropriate in certain cases. You and Printful agree to abide by the decision of the AAA as to the applicable rules in cases where a party may assert that the Commercial Rules are not appropriate.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU AND PRINTFUL KNOWINGLY, VOLUNTARILY, IRREVOCABLY AND ABSOLUTELY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO A TRIAL BY JURY OF ANY AND ALL DISPUTES (AS DEFINED ABOVE). THIS JURY TRIAL WAIVER IS INTENTIONALLY MADE AS YOU AND PRINTFUL WOULD PREFER TO RESOLVE ALL DISPUTES (AS DEFINED ABOVE) AS PROVIDED BY THIS SECTION 18. THIS JURY TRIAL WAIVER IS A MATERIAL INDUCEMENT TO ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT. FURTHERMORE, YOU AND PRINTFUL KNOWINGLY, VOLUNTARILY, IRREVOCABLY AND ABSOLUTELY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, CLASS ARBITRATION OR OTHER FORM OF JOINT DISPUTE RESOLUTION WITH OTHER PARTIES.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may instead assert your claim in any Dispute in “small claims” court if you provide us with written notice of your intention to do so before any claim is submitted to arbitration and provided that (a) your claim qualifies, (b) your claim remains in such court, and (c) your claim remains on an individual, non-representative, and non-class basis.

Also, notwithstanding the foregoing, each party shall have the right to bring an action in a court of proper jurisdiction for injunctive or other equitable or conservatory relief, pending a final decision by the arbitrator.

You and Printful shall each bear 50% of all fees and expenses of the AAA and the arbitrator except as otherwise provided by the Commercial Rules (or, if applicable, the Consumer Arbitration Rules or the Rules for the International Centre for Dispute Resolution). The arbitrator may award such fees and expenses of the AAA and the arbitrator as well as other expenses and reasonable attorneys’ fees to a prevailing party consistent with the provisions of the Commercial Rules (or, if applicable, the Consumer Arbitration Rules or the Rules for the International Centre for Dispute Resolution).

19. Privacy and Personal Data Processing

Summary: Printful’s Privacy Policy is an important part of our Terms of Service that explains how your information is used when you use our services. Please read it very carefully.

Printful collects your personal data to provide our Services. We are committed to protecting your personal data and privacy and our Privacy Policy details and explains how we are processing Site visitor and User personal information. By accepting this Agreement, you are also accepting and acknowledging our Privacy Policy.

If you are a Merchant and provide us with your customers’ personal data, our Data Processing Terms, which are incorporated in this Agreement by reference, apply.

20. General

Summary: Using our services doesn’t make you an agent, partner or employee of Printful. We’re not responsible for any violations of these terms if it’s out of our control. If you have any questions about our Terms of Service, feel free to contact us at support@printful.com.

No agency, partnership, joint venture, employee-employer, franchisor-franchisee relationship, etc. is intended or created by this Agreement.

Printful will not be liable or responsible to you, nor be deemed to have defaulted or breached this Agreement, for any failure or delay in Printful’s performance under this Agreement when such failure or delay is caused by or results from acts or circumstances beyond our reasonable control, such as any fire; flood; earthquake; governmental action; war, invasion or hostilities; national emergency; explosion; terrorist threat or act; riot or other civil unrest; insurrection; epidemic; lockout, strike or other labor dispute (whether or not relating to our workforce); inability or delay in obtaining supplies; telecommunication breakdown; or power outage.

You represent that you have all necessary permits to grant us with Customer’s personal data to fulfill this Agreement.

To ensure full customer support and a higher quality of service, Printful can sign in to customers/users accounts as a customer according to Printful’s Privacy Policy.

If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall be enforced. In our sole discretion, we may assign this Agreement upon notice to you. Headings are for reference purposes only and do not limit the scope or extent of such section. Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. We do not guarantee we will take action against all breaches of this Agreement.

Printful at its own discretion reserves the right to transfer or assign this Agreement or any right or obligation under this Agreement at any time, including the right to engage third party manufacturing services to perform any Services. If you are a User in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom and such transfer or assignment may reduce your guarantees under this Agreement, then Printful will ask for your permission beforehand.

If you have any questions about this Agreement, please email us at support@printful.com.

Printful, Inc.
11025 Westlake Dr., Charlotte, NC 28273, USA
Email: legal@printful.com
CEO: Alex Saltonstall
TAX ID: 90-0674740.

Printful website is hosted by Amazon Web Services EMEA SARL, a Luxembourg-based entity with an office at 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg.

The legal representative of Printful, Inc. in the EU, which also serves as the point of contact for the EU and its member state’s authorities:

AS “Printful Latvia” Postal address: Raina bulvaris 25, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia Email: legal@printful.com Phone number: +371 28603019 Preferred languages for communication: English, Latvian, Spanish

Dive Insurance

Our partners offers you a wide range of benefits.

Comprehensive Diving Accident and Dive & Travel insurance plans.

Specializes exclusively in Scuba and Freediving.

Delivers direct payment to emergency service providers, no need to leave a credit card or other personal guarantees

Access to 24/7 emergency and non-emergency medical hotlines, with direct contact to Duke Dive Medicine.

Members can choose between short-term or annual membership-plans.

Our partner is an industry leading trusted insurance partner.

“StartDive“ is a sponsored programme and it provides a free coverage for decompression sickness treatment within all SSI Scuba or Freediving beginner programs. The “StartDive“ program is available in specific countries. When registering, reach out to your Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy and ask about the availability of the StartDive plan.

Stay covered with the “StartDive“ plan throughout the duration of the eligible programs, with benefits extending up to a maximum of 6 months from your certification date.

Dive into our range of Beginner Programs, thoughtfully bundled with the exclusive ’StartDive’ insurance coverage. Kickstart your training with a strong foundation of confidence and security.

When on holiday or a trip abroad, you want to have Professionals you can rely on, especially in the most remote destinations. Choose the right comprehensive travel plan with both diving and travel protection.

Our partners offer specialized travel insurance for divers, for a single trip or multiple trips throughout the year. Membership plans include coverage for trip cancellation and interruption as well as lost diving days due to bad weather or medical inability to dive, with unique benefits for liveaboard trips. Flights, baggage and diving gear coverage, as well as direct payment to service providers and multilingual emergency support (medical and non-medical) are sure to provide any traveler with peace of mind. Their plans have no depth limit or mixed gas restrictions and cover both scuba and freediving.

Diving is considered as safe sport when conducted responsibly. However, accidents do happen. Eliminate any financial worry in the case of an accident by being covered, whether diving in your home country or abroad.

Our Recommendation: Both short-term and annual coverage options are available through our partner. Membership plans include direct payment to service providers and no depth limits.

Entry Level Insurance

To make sure that SSI students are covered and that SSI Training Centers can enjoy peace of mind, SSI and DiveAssure have created the Start Dive Plan. SSI Entry Level students (both scuba and freediving) are covered free of charge for DCS for the duration of their registered SSI Course.

This benefit is available through SSI Training Centers like Sunken Dreams Scuba Diving Academy. DiveAssure partnership is free and is available for all.

In the UK, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is typically available through the National Health Service (NHS) for patients who meet specific medical criteria. This means that eligible patients can receive DBS treatment without direct costs to themselves, as it is funded by the NHS. The process for accessing DBS treatment generally involves:

Referral: A patient is usually referred by their general practitioner (GP) to a specialist, such as a neurologist or neurosurgeon, if they have a condition that might benefit from DBS, like Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, or dystonia.
Assessment: The patient undergoes a thorough assessment to determine if they are a suitable candidate for DBS. This assessment often includes evaluations by a multidisciplinary team of specialists and various tests to ensure the potential benefits outweigh the risks.
Approval: If the patient is deemed suitable for DBS, the case is usually reviewed and approved by a specialized committee or board within the NHS.
Treatment: Once approved, the DBS surgery and subsequent follow-up care, including device programming and adjustments, are provided by the NHS.

It’s important to note that while the treatment itself is free, the approval process can be stringent and not all patients will qualify for DBS under NHS guidelines.

The cost of medical evacuation, hyperbaric treatments and/or medical repatriation can be substantial. In case of an accident, you want to receive the best medical treatment and supervision by experts in diving medicine. These services are usually not covered by your regular medical or health insurance provider. Read more about this plan and register today to receive a discounted rate exclusively offered to SSI divers.

Being a Professional in the diving industry is fun, but at the same time carries responsibilities and certain exposure of being sued by injured divers or their families.

Even the most responsible diving professional and training center can face a legal claim as a result of a diving accident, slip and fall accident or other cases of legal liability and must be properly covered against such scenarios. Our partner’s liability plan is your best choice when looking for the right protection for yourself or your diving operation. Issued by CNA Hardy – one of the largest insurance corporations in the world. The policy limit is €20.000.000 per claim and €40.000.000 aggregate – by far; the highest level of coverage in the industry, and with an international and multilingual customer service call center, you are definitely in good hands. The liability program is endorsed by SSI and recommended by many other certifying agencies.

Coverage is available to Academy Members worldwide excluding USA and US territories.

Advertising & Sponsorship

Diver's Medical Advice

Do you have any further medically related diving questions? Check this section for more information.

MED FAQS

Dive & Travel Insurance

Want to learn more about our dive/travel insurance options? Visit this section.

DIVE IN

TRAVEL