“Is all of this USCG national vessel documentation really necessary?” Vessel owners everywhere have asked themselves this question for many years. That question is often asked while poring over some form, trying to figure out the right way to complete it. It’s true: even the correct form of vessel documentation doesn’t make a ship more buoyant or physically power a commercial vessel to complete its rounds. However, by making sure that you comply with the documentation standards for your vessel, you give yourself one less thing to worry about. Instead of stiff penalties (and worse) for having the wrong documentation, you can focus on what you want you actually care about.
Necessary USCG National Vessel Documentation
You need to get your vessel documented if it’s used in “five net tons or more (and) used in fishing activities on navigable waters of the U.S. or in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or used in coastwise trade.” We didn’t make that definition up, that’s a direct quote from the United States Coast Guard. There are exceptions to those rules, and other people can get documentation if they’d like. However, if you have a vessel that fits within those parameters, then you don’t have a choice in getting the documentation. You absolutely have to get it. Should that be the case, we make it simple to get it at our site.
Additional Documentation
At this point, you may be thinking something along the lines of: “I know a guy who has USCG vessel documentation. He isn’t involved in coastwise trade or anything like that, he just happens to have a recreational boat.” That makes sense. You can get a Certificate of Documentation for recreation. Just as you can get them for fishing, registry, or coastwise designations, you can also get them for recreation too. Of course, should you get that documentation for recreation, you can then only use that vessel for recreation. If you get the other forms of documentation, however, you are always welcome to use your vessel for recreation.
Who can get Documentation?
You might think “well, someone who owns a boat and wants to get that documentation,” but that’s actually wrong. Not everyone can get documentation. Essentially, the standard requirements for someone being able to get documentation are that they’re a US citizen and can show that they have ownership of the vessel. There are some exceptions where someone who isn’t a citizen of the United States is able to get documentation, but they aren’t terribly common.
One Place for All Documentation
No matter which type of documentation you choose for your vessel, you can find it at our site. We’ve laid out all of the different forms in one location. In fact, not only do we have all the forms of documentation on the left side of our site, we have the most used ones in the middle. That way, you can get your USCG national vessel documentation done as quickly as possible. We make it easy at (800) 535-8570.