As a boating enthusiast, you probably are, at some point, you must have heard about United States Coast Guard Registration. We know it sounds complicated, so we tried to simplify an explanation of what this type of documentation involves in this article that the Maritime Documentation Center wrote. Without further ado, here’s what you need to know about the subject.
When you Need to Register With the USCG
It is not a secret that, for boats to be habilitated to navigate in American waters, they need to have the authorization to do so. The regulations to be registered or not depend on each state, and normally is going to be up to the size of the boat or if it is equipped with an engine or not.
However, at a federal level, things do not work the same. In fact, it is compulsory for commercial vessels with a net weight that exceeds 5 tons to get US Coast Guard Registration. Recreational boats of the same size can decide whether or not they want to get this type of documentation. In some cases, your state might accept federal documentation instead of having to register locally.
Advantages of US Coast Guard Registration
Getting this license from the USCG will give you three main advantages, that may make you get the certificate of documentation voluntarily:
- USCG-documented vessels can display their name and hailing port rather than the state registration number. Some boat owners prefer this for aesthetic reasons.
- Boats with US Coast Guard registration have access to preferred ship mortgages, a common requirement from lenders.
- It is easier for registered vessels to travel internationally, as USCG documentation is recognized worldwide and makes it easier to enter and leave foreign ports.
Getting your Boating Paperwork Made Simple
As you probably know, the authority which overlooks the maritime administration is the USCG. As such you can obtain the forms you need to get Coast Guard registration from their site. Once you find it, you need to download it, complete it manually and send it to their offices via regular post.
If you don’t want to deal with the United States Coast Guard by yourself, there is always an alternative: The Maritime Documentation Center has got your back. We are a third-party agency that specializes in boating paperwork. With our help, you can get any type of document you need while your details are kept secure, given that our platform is SSL-encrypted. In addition to that, our experienced representatives make sure that you don’t make any mistakes that could delay the process. Contact us today with any other questions you may have and our staff will get back to you in a timely manner.