F.A.Q.

The NVDC exists to facilitate maritime commerce as well as the availability of financing all while protecting United States citizens' economic privileges. It does this through enforcing regulations while providing a register of vessels available, if necessary, in times of war or emergency to protect and defend the country.

There are multiple ways to use our vessel documentation portal to discover who owns a particular vessel. To discover who the Managing Owner is, as well as the entire ownership history of the vessel, apply for an Abstract of Title. You can do so here.

Through our site, you can conduct a Coast Guard boat registration search. You can search by HIN (“Hull Identification Number”) or the Official Number of the vessel. Through this, you will receive information about a vessel’s name, tonnage measurements, particulars/dimensions, and more. You will not receive the owner’s name as that information was stricken from public access in 2018.

Titled vessels are, most likely, not registered with the USCG. They aren’t “documented vessels,” not with the Coast Guard. Instead, they’re registered with a particular State. USCG documented vessels are required to carry the USCG vessel documentation version of a title of vessel, called a “Certificate of Documentation.” If eligible, you can apply for one here.

Filing for an Abstract of Title can tell you whether or not there are any liens/mortgages against your vessel.

If the owner of a vessel with United States Coast Guard (USCG) documentation loses their Certificate of Documentation, they will need to apply for a duplicate from the National Vessel Documentation Center. This can be done either electronically or via regular mail.

At NVDC Renewal, we utilize the very best in website security. We understand how serious a responsibility it is for our clients to trust us with their information. Thus, we make sure that our security is as impregnable as can be. Currently, we utilize SSL encryption.

Most likely, it means your vessel was manufactured or imported before 1972. Those vessels are exempt from having a HIN/Hull Identification Number.

To qualify for USCG documentation, a vessel must be wholly owned by a citizen of the United States and measure at least five net tons. Net tonnage is a measurement not of weight but of volume. A simple rule: if a vessel measures more than 25 feet in length, it almost invariably measures at least five net tons.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) takes the expiration of documentation seriously and imposes a number of penalties for those who have let their documentation lapse.

Depending upon the specific circumstances, those who have allowed their USCG documentation to expire may face one or more enforcement actions including fines, vessel detentions, and potentially worse.

An Abstract of Title for a vessel is a document that outlines the history of the ownership and registration of a particular vessel.

It includes information such as the name of the previous owners, dates of title transfer, and whether any documents have been filed with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) or other governing bodies associated with the vessel.

Net Tonnage is an important measurement used in the USCG vessel documentation process. It is a measure of a vessel’s internal volume, calculated as a function of its length, breadth and moulded depth (the vertical distance between the uppermost deck to the lowest point of the hull or keel).