Acquiring and Maintaining Your US Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation

Have you been wondering how to get a US Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation the right way? When you sit down to actually fill out the paperwork to do so, does it seem more complex than it should be? The Vessel Registrar Center is here to help. Through our site, you can find and complete the necessary vessel documentation to not just acquire a Certificate of Documentation, but to renew it, reinstate it (if necessary), and even get a Certified Copy, too. Those are just some of the ways that we can help. 

Your Initial US Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation 

If your vessel measures five net tons and is wholly owned by an American citizen, you can document it. Consequently, you have to document it if you’re going to use your vessel for commercial fishing activities or transporting merchandise and/or people on the navigable waters of the United States/the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Just complete the “Initial” form at our site and submit it. You can even opt for rush processing so that we can put you at the very top of our queue. 

Renewal and Reinstatement 

Your Certificate of documentation is valid for one year. It has to be renewed annually so that you’re in compliance. However, it is possible to renew your documentation for up to five years in advance, even when filing your initial documentation. Simply choose the option at our site. In the event that your vessel documentation expired more than 30 days ago, you cannot renew it. In that case, you have to reinstate it. That form is also readily available on our site. 

Replacement and Certified Copies 

To be in compliance, you need to have a physical, actual Certificate of Documentation. A picture on your phone, a photocopy, and the like – those won’t do. So, if your US Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation has become lost or even just mutilated, you’re going to need another one to be in compliance. We make that process easy as well: you can acquire a replacement Certificate of Documentation through our site. Additionally, to ward that off, you can get a certified copy as well. Should the vessel owner pass away or the vessel becomes inoperable or is no longer in service, we can help with deleting the registration as well. 

US Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation

Documentation Done Right 

Acquiring and maintaining documentation are some of the most common reasons that vessel owners use our site. That said, those are far from the only reasons that vessel owners do so. Indeed, many use our site for research. You can use our vessel search function to find out more about a vessel, when its Certificate of Documentation was issued when it expires, and so forth. To learn more about the vessel’s managing owner, the complete ownership history, and the status of any liens/encumbrances against a vessel, request an Abstract of Title through our site. Good luck to you wherever the waters take you.