As you may know, when you are registered with the USCG there are certain requirements you need to follow to keep your certificate of documentation current. When it comes to changes in your situation, probably the most usual of them is to move out of your home. If that happens, you will need to submit a United States Coast Guard Vessel Documentation Change of Address. This article will guide you through the process and help you get this and many other types of boating paperwork.
Boat Documentation for Recreational and Commercial Vessels
The first thing you need to know is that whenever you register your vessel with the USCG you are given a certificate of documentation. This certificate will be valid for between 1 and 5 years according to the main use of the boat. Commercial vessels’ certificates of documentation are valid for a year, and recreational boats’ certificates last five years (since 2022). Keep in mind that the only watercrafts allowed to register with the federal agency are those that exceed the net weight of five tons. When they are used commercially it is mandatory for them to get it, while in the case of boats used for leisure activities they can choose to be documented or not.
Why would someone with a recreational vessel voluntarily register his or her boat? Because it gives you access to preferred ship mortgages, makes it easier for you to enter and leave foreign ports, and allows you to be recognized for your name and hailing port rather than your state registration numbers.
As we said before, while the certificate of documentation is valid, you should keep it up to date by informing the governmental agency if you want to add a new spouse or the US Coast Guard Vessel Documentation Change of Address we were talking about.
US Coast Guard Vessel Documentation Change of Address
Without further ado, to obtain the document we have been talking about you need to submit an application to the USCG from the forms available on their site. Keep in mind that only the managing owner can do it. An alternative to that is to do it with the help of the Maritime Documentation Center.
On the left side of our site, you can have a look at the different types of boating paperwork you can access through the platform. US Coast Guard Vessel Documentation Change of Address is the third of them. Once you press the button, you will be redirected to the form you need to fill out, where you will be asked for your vessel name and official number. After that, you will answer some details about yourself and your old and new residential and mailing address and that is it.
Easy Processing of your Boating Documentation
After you press continue and pay the corresponding fee, the Maritime Documentation Center will process it to the USCG on your behalf. We will make sure no mistakes are made that could delay the process. In addition to that, your data will be kept secure given that our site is SSL-encrypted. Contact us today for any other questions you may have.