Transfer of Ownership Form: When you Need it and How to Fill it

A time in your life might come in which you need to sell your vessel. This is a situation that most of the boat owners want to avoid, on one hand, because of their feelings around the vessel, and on the other to avoid the paperwork it involves. Anyhow, this article will tell you some factors you should consider when filling out the transfer of ownership form, such as the information you need to gather or where to obtain the correspondent application. Without further ado, here’s what you need to know.

Exchanging the Ownership of your Boat

To begin with, if you want to sell your vessel with a transfer of ownership form, you will need to prove your ownership over the boat. This can be done in a few ways: with a state title, with the bill of sale from when you purchased the boat, and with USCG Documentation. When you are selling your boat without being registered at a federal level, you can show that you own it with the bill of sale you were given when you purchased it. The process of transferring the title awarded at a state level depends precisely on the state it was issued in.

This article will center on the third scenario: boats that are registered with the United States Coast Guard. It is the only acceptable case for exchanging the ownership of a boat with a transfer of ownership form. This type of license is only available for vessels exceeding 5 net tons (approximately 26 feet long boats). It is mandatory for watercraft used commercially, whether recreational vessels can either get it or not. Let us now show you how to fill out the application.

Information you Need to Complete the Form CG-1258

The form CG-1258 available at the US Coast Guard website allows you to submit an application for initial, exchange, or replacement of a certificate of documentation; redocumentation. To be able to complete this transfer of ownership form, you will need to gather some information about both your vessel and the owner. Here’s what you need to know:

  • The vessel name and hailing port (including state)
  • The vessel official’s number
  • The Hull ID
  • The IMO (if any)

In addition to that, you will need:

  • The name of the managing owner, with his or her email address and telephone number.
  • His or her social security number or tax id number.
  • The physical address of the managing owner and the mailing address if it is different from the physical one.
  • If there are other owners, you will need their names and SSNs or TIN as well.

Once this has been settled, you need to mark what the purpose of your application is (in our case, exchange of certificate of documentation). You are then asked if there are any endorsements for which the application is made and the primary service and horsepower of the vessel. Later on, you have to check the box with the number of owners of the vessel and sign it under oath that the provided information is correct.

Transfer of Ownership Form When you Need it and How to Fill it

Easy Process of Your Boat Documentation

Now that the transfer of ownership form is complete, you only need to send it to the US Coast Guard offices via regular post. Of course, if you don’t want to waste any more time downloading documents, filling them by hand, and sending them in person, there is an alternative: The Maritime Documentation Center. We are a third-party agency that allows you to get any type of boating paperwork completely online. Just choose the application you need from the left side of our site and, once you have submitted it, we will handle your paperwork on your behalf. Contact us today for any other questions you need assistance with.