Find essentially all of the Louisiana Coast Guard documentation forms here. Keep in mind: these forms are not just for the state of Louisiana. As USCG documentation is federal, these forms are valid anywhere across America. These forms can be utilized for vessels in Louisiana as well as throughout the country.
From New Orleans to New York, the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska, these forms cover American vessels. Any vessel that is owned wholly by an American citizen and measures five net tons is eligible for vessel registration.
Some vessels, however, must be registered. These include vessels that are owned by American citizens, measure five net tons, and are to be used for coastwise trade or fishing activities through the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or on the navigable waters of Louisiana (or anywhere else in America). For the purposes of documentation, “coastwise trade” tends to mean “transporting merchandise or people in the US or EEZ.” Bear in mind that there are some exceptions. For more information than what’s below, email info@maritimedocumentation.us
Louisiana First-Time Coast Guard Documentation
Has your vessel never been registered in Louisiana or any other state? Utilize this form to register a vessel for the first time. No one should use this form for Coast Guard renewal, documentation reregistration, or any other purpose.
Certified Copy (COD)
For a USCG Certified copy of your Certificate of Documentation, complete this form. Note: you cannot make any changes to your documentation with this form, nor can you update it. If your registration certificate has been lost or mutilated, it is not valid.
Reinstatement
If it has been 30 or more days since your Certificate of Registration expired, complete this form to maintain your registration. Coast Guard renewal is not possible with this form, nor can it be used for initial vessel registration.
Replacement
Acquire a replacement USCG Certificate of Documentation by completing this form. A certificate that has been mutilated is not valid, nor is a copy, picture, and so forth.
Renewal
Coast Guard registration is valid for one year. Renew vessel documentation with this form for one, two, three, four, or even five years at once. Remember: vessel documentation cannot be renewed if it has expired 30 or more days ago. In that circumstance, complete the “reinstatement” form to stay on the Coast Guard boat registry.
Transfer/Exchange of USCG Documentation
Do you want to make a change/transfer in the ownership of a vessel? If so, utilize this form to change the managing owner’s name, transfer the vessel to a new individual, company, or trust, sell the vessel, or add/remove a spouse.
MARAD Small Vessel Waiver
Do you own a vessel that was built in a foreign country and wish to use it to conduct limited commercial passenger operations in America? If so, use this form to apply for a waiver of the requirement for passenger vessels to have been built in America.
For a vessel to be eligible for this waiver, the vessel in question must be at least three years old, can only be used to carry passengers, and even then, it cannot carry more than twelve passengers while in service. Plus, the vessel must be owned wholly by a US citizen.
Notice of Claim of Lien (NCL)
Recording a claim of lien against a documented vessel can be done by completing this form. Remember: simply filling this form through our site makes no guarantee as to the enforceability or the validity of the claim. Private legal counsel can provide guidance about a lien’s elements, validity, and more.
Preferred Ship Mortgage
Do you want to apply for a mortgage against your documented vessel? If so, complete this Preferred Ship Mortgage form. Many opt for this kind of mortgage because it is given status as a maritime lien. So, in the event of default, it enjoys a certain priority. A mortgage can be recorded against a vessel provided it has a Certificate of Registration or an application is on COD at the NVDC.
Satisfaction/Release of Mortgage Lien
Have you paid off your vessel’s mortgages and/or liens? Complete this vessel documentation to inform the USCG.
Change of Vessel Name or Hailing Port
Do you want to change your vessel’s name from what’s on your Certificate of Registration? Have you changed your vessel’s hailing port? If so, then complete this form to update your vessel documentation. Vessel names have a maximum length of 33 characters. No name can be identical to any obscene words or those used to solicit assistance at sea, whether in actuality or phonetically. Names can only be composed of Roman or Arabic numerals and letters of the Latin alphabet.
Change of Endorsement/Trade Indicator
Have you decided to change how you use your vessel and does it differ from the trade indicator/endorsement on your Certificate of Registration? If so, you can update that here. The most common endorsements for documented vessels are “Recreation,” “Coastwise,” “Fishery,” and “Registry.”
Abstract of Title
Are you looking for more information about a documented vessel? Through an Abstract of Title, you can receive information about a vessel’s build, ownership chain, liens/mortgages (as well as whether or not they are outstanding or satisfied), and other useful information.
Foreign Vessel Title Search Request/Transcript of Registry
Are you looking for more information about vessels in Canada, the United Kingdom, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the Bahamas? If so, you can learn more by completing this form.
Change of Address
Has your address changed from what’s on your vessel documentation certificate? If so, update it with this form.
Deletion (COD)
Has your vessel become unusable? Did you sell it to a foreign citizen? Has it been lost? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, completion of this form will delete it from the Coast Guard Registry.
Documented Vessel Search
Perform a federally documented vessel search through this page by either Hull Identification Number (HIN) or Official Number.
Upload Documents
Do you need to upload vessel documentation so as to complete an application? If so, use this page. Users have uploaded prior Certificates of Documentation here, bills of sale, last wills, and more.
Louisiana Coast Guard Documentation Made Easy
These forms are for Louisiana boat documentation, yes, but they are also eligible throughout the United States as well. To further speed up the process, users are encouraged to opt for rush processing/priority requests. Our site is optimized for mobile devices. You can fill out these forms on essentially any device and from anywhere. Good luck on the water.
