A Coast Guard Notice Regarding Submission Errors
A Deficiency Letter is sent by the Coast Guard if errors, omissions, or inconsistencies are identified in your documentation submission.
At the National Documentation Portal, our document processors review your forms carefully to minimize the likelihood of receiving such letters.
While we help ensure accuracy, it’s recommended to consult a maritime attorney for complex submissions like a Preferred Ship Mortgage application.
Click here for vessel documentation renewal.
Click here to apply for a Preferred Ship’s Mortgage.
National Documentation Portal: The Place for Vessel Documentation Renewal and Other Services
From renewing your documentation to obtaining an Abstract of Title or conducting a documentation search, the National Documentation Portal streamlines these tasks and more.
Check the laws below for guidance that may fit your exact situation:
- 67.169 Requirement for replacement of Certificate of Documentation.
(a) The owner of a documented vessel must make application in accordance with subpart K of this part for replacement of a Certificate of Documentation which is:
(1) Lost;
(2) Mutilated; or
(3) Wrongfully withheld from the vessel owner.
(b) When application for replacement of a Certificate of Documentation is required because the Certificate has been mutilated, the existing Certificate must be physically given up to the National Vessel Documentation Center.
[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993; 58 FR 65131, Dec. 13, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31605, June 15, 1995]
- 67.171 Deletion; requirement and procedure.
(a) A Certificate of Documentation together with any endorsement(s) thereon is invalid, except as provided in § 67.161, and the vessel is subject to deletion from the roll of actively documented vessels when:
(1) The vessel is placed under foreign flag;
(2) The vessel is sold or transferred in whole or in part to a person who is not a citizen of the United States within the meaning of subpart C of this part;
(3) Any owner of the vessel ceases to be a citizen of the United States within the meaning of subpart C of this part;
(4) The owner no longer elects to document the vessel;
(5) The vessel no longer measures at least five net tons;
(6) The vessel ceases to be capable of transportation by water;
(7) The owner fails to exchange the Certificate as required by § 67.167;
(8) The owner fails to maintain the markings required by subpart I of this part;
(9) The endorsements on the Certificate are revoked because the vessel owner is the subject of an outstanding civil penalty assessed by the Coast Guard; or
(10) The owner fails to:
(i) Renew the endorsement(s) as required by § 67.163; or
(ii) Comply with the provisions of § 67.165.
(b) Where a cause for deletion arises for any reason under paragraphs (a) (1) through (6) of this section, the owner must send or deliver the original Certificate of Documentation to the National Vessel Documentation Center together with a statement setting forth the reason(s) deletion is required.
(c) When a Certificate of Documentation is required to be deleted because the vessel has been placed under foreign flag or has been sold or transferred in whole or in part to a non-citizen of the United States, the owner of that vessel must comply with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, and file:
(1) Evidence of the sale or transfer, if any; and
(2) Evidence that the Maritime Administration has consented to the sale or transfer, except for vessels identified in § 67.11(b) and vessels for which the Maritime Administration has granted approval for unrestricted sale or transfer pursuant to regulations set forth in 46 CFR part 221.
(d) A certificate evidencing deletion from U.S. documentation will be issued upon request of the vessel owner to the National Vessel Documentation Center upon compliance with the applicable requirements of this subpart.
[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993, as amended by CGD 94-008, 59 FR 49847, Sept. 30, 1994; CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31605, June 15, 1995]
- 67.173 Cancellation; requirement and procedure.
A Certificate of Documentation issued to a vessel together with any endorsement(s) thereon is invalid, except as provided in § 67.161, and subject to cancellation upon a determination by the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center that the issuance of the Certificate was improper for any reason. When a Certificate is subject to cancellation, the owner of the vessel upon being notified of such requirement must send or deliver the Certificate to a documentation officer at the National Vessel Documentation Center. The vessel owner may submit an application for exchange in accordance with subpart K of this part to correct the error giving rise to cancellation. If the vessel for which the Certificate was cancelled was previously documented, it remains documented under the previous Certificate of Documentation, unless deleted under the provisions of § 67.171.
Note:
Certificates of Documentation which have been canceled are retained at the National Vessel Documentation Center.
[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993; 58 FR 65131, Dec. 13, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31605, June 15, 1995; USCG-1998-4442, 63 FR 52190, 52191, Sept. 30, 1998]
Subpart M—Miscellaneous Applications
- 67.175 Application for new vessel determination.
(a) When a vessel has been constructed entirely of new materials, no application for a new vessel determination need be made under this section. Application for initial documentation must be made in accordance with subpart K of this part.
(b) When parts of an existing vessel have been used in the construction of a vessel and the owner wants a determination that the resulting vessel is new in accordance with this part, the owner must file with the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center;
(1) A builder’s certification, as described in § 67.99;
(2) A written statement describing the extent to which materials from the existing vessel were used in the construction and the extent to which those materials were torn down; and
(3) Accurate sketches or blueprints of the hull and superstructure which must identify, where practicable, components of the old vessel.
[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993; 58 FR 65131, Dec. 13, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31605, June 15, 1995; USCG-1998-4442, 63 FR 52191, Sept. 30, 1998]
- 67.177 Application for foreign rebuilding determination.
A vessel is deemed rebuilt foreign when any considerable part of its hull or superstructure is built upon or substantially altered outside of the United States. In determining whether a vessel is rebuilt foreign, the following parameters apply:
(a) Regardless of its material of construction, a vessel is deemed rebuilt when a major component of the hull or superstructure not built in the United States is added to the vessel.
(b) For a vessel of which the hull and superstructure is constructed of steel or aluminum—
(1) A vessel is deemed rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight, prior to the work, also known as discounted lightship weight.
(2) A vessel may be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes more than 7.5 percent but not more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work.
(3) A vessel is not considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes 7.5 percent or less of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work.
(c) For a vessel of which the hull and superstructure is constructed of material other than steel or aluminum—
(1) A vessel is deemed rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum.
(2) A vessel may be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to more than 7.5 percent but not more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum.
(3) A vessel is not considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to 7.5 percent or less of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum.
(d) For a vessel of mixed construction, such as a vessel the hull of which is constructed of steel or aluminum and the superstructure of which is constructed of fibrous reinforced plastic, the steelweight of the work performed on the portion of the vessel constructed of a material other than steel or aluminum will be determined, to the maximum extent practicable, and aggregated with the work performed on the portion of the vessel constructed of steel or aluminum. The numerical parameters described in paragraph (b) of this section will then be applied to the aggregate of the work performed on the vessel compared to the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum, to determine whether the vessel has been rebuilt.
(e) The owner of a vessel currently entitled to coastwise or fisheries endorsements which is altered outside the United States and the work performed is determined to constitute or be comparable to more than 7.5 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, or which has a major component of the hull or superstructure not built in the United States added, must file the following information with the National Vessel Documentation Center within 30 days following the earlier of completion of the work or redelivery of the vessel to the owner or owner’s representative:
(1) A written statement applying for a rebuilt determination, outlining in detail the work performed and naming the place(s) where the work was performed;
(2) Calculations showing the actual or comparable steelweight of the work performed on the vessel, the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel, and comparing the actual or comparable steelweight of the work performed to the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel;
(3) Accurate sketches or blueprints describing the work performed; and
(4) Any further submissions requested by the National Vessel Documentation Center.
(f) Regardless of the extent of actual work performed, the owner of a vessel currently entitled to coastwise or fisheries endorsements may, as an alternative to filing the items listed in paragraph (e) of this section, submit a written statement to the National Vessel Documentation Center declaring the vessel rebuilt outside the United States. The vessel will then be deemed to have been rebuilt outside the United States with loss of trading privileges.
(g) A vessel owner may apply for a preliminary rebuilt determination by submitting:
(1) A written statement applying for a preliminary rebuilt determination, outlining in detail the work planned and naming the place(s) where the work is to be performed;
(2) Calculations showing the actual or comparable steelweight of work to be performed on the vessel, the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel, and comparing the actual or comparable steelweight of the planned work to the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel;
(3) Accurate sketches or blueprints describing the planned work; and
(4) Any further submissions requested by the National Vessel Documentation Center.
Note:
A statement submitted in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section does not constitute an application for a rebuilt determination and does not require payment of a fee.
[CGD 94-040, 61 FR 17815, Apr. 22, 1996, as amended by USCG-2009-0702, 74 FR 49230, Sept. 25, 2009]
Subpart N [Reserved]
Subpart O—Filing and Recording of Instruments—General Provisions
- 67.200 Instruments eligible for filing and recording.
Only the following listed instruments are eligible for filing and recording:
(a) Bills of sale and instruments in the nature of bills of sale;
(b) Deeds of gift;
(c) Mortgages and assignments, assumptions, supplements, amendments, subordinations, satisfactions, and releases thereof;
(d) Preferred mortgages and assignments, assumptions, supplements, amendments, subordinations, satisfactions, and releases thereof;
(e) Interlender agreements affecting mortgages, preferred mortgages, and related instruments; and
(f) Notices of claim of lien, assignments, amendments, and satisfactions and releases thereof.
- 67.203 Restrictions on filing and recording.