There are actually multiple reasons you would want a boat bill of sale. Getting one, thought, can be a time consuming and difficult process. A boat bill of sale is important if you plan on selling your boat. It’s also important if you ever plan on transferring your boat to someone else. In fact, if you ever think either of those actions is something that you might do, it’s good to get one of these for your boat. At the end of the day, it tells people that the sales transaction took place, and that boat’s ownership transferred. It covers the legality of all that so that there’s no questions whatsoever.
Important Vessel Documentation
You should have a bill like this if you ever sell your boat. However, you should also get one if you’re considering buying a boat from someone who isn’t a known dealer. For example, if you’re buying a boat from someone who’s just selling you their boat, and not doing so on behalf of a licensed boat dealer. Not only should you get these documents, you should also get copies of them as well. A digital copy can also be a good idea. The more information you have when you buy a boat, the better.
More Than USCG Documentation
A boat bill of sale has quite a bit of information in it. You’ll want to include yours and the seller’s names, license numbers and where they live. All the information you can put down about the boat is included, too. That means the Official Number, the model, the make, and to cover all of your bases, it’s recommended that if there were major additions put on aftermarket, make a note of those, too. It’s good practice to include any issues you know the boat has. Finally, everyone’s signatures should be included, too.
USCG Documentation Reasons
One of the major reasons people get USCG documentation is because it can make financing your vessel easier. In many cases, this kind of documentation will make the process for getting a bank loan that much easier. Many banks like to record a “First Preferred Ships Mortgage,” which can help with the lien a bit. These terms may sound odd or a bit confusing. That’s OK, as we’re here to help. Call us if there are any questions you might have about how this kind of documentation works.
You can save money with this documentation. For example, it’s possible to save some money on taxes with this registration. Some states give documented vessels a preferred tax status. Sure, the documentation costs a bit of money, but the tax savings can more than make up for that. On top of that, remember that the vessel’s documentation will last for its life. So, that means you can sell the vessel whenever you want. You don’t have to worry about paying more money to keep the registration going.
NVDC and More
It’s easy to travel with your boat when you have USCG documentation. For example, should you head to foreign waters; you’ll have certain protections by the flag as well have some clearances with foreign governments. If you take your boat to another state, you can usually take advantage of “visiting” rights. Most states let you keep your boat there for around two months or sixty days without making you obtain registration in that state.
Now that you have purchased the large recreational boat you wanted, you may want to think about documenting your vessel with the Coast Guard. There is a process you must go through for documentation that can seem tedious at times, but what can be even more frustrating is the waiting you must do for your documentation. It would be great if you could keep track of USCG vessel documentation. When you file for your vessel documentation through our system, you get much greater capability and help than you would if you did the process yourself. You can send the information to a trustworthy third party agency where experts look over the documents to ensure correctness and then turn them into the USCG. They also track the progress of your forms, so you know just when you can expect to receive your certificate.
How About By Mail?
It is also possible to send your change of address by mail. But the online portal is more advantageous than the traditional mail because it is not subject to any delays associated with mail. When notifying us of your new address, you do not have to return your certificate of documentation. All you need is to fill out and enter the correct vessel name and official number to properly change this information. After notifying us, you will receive your renewed certificate of documentation to your new address, and it will also show you the new address.
Recreational Endorsement
If your vessel has been documented with a recreational endorsement, you cannot use it for any other purpose. That is, you cannot utilize it for a fishery.
A recreational endorsement is obtained if you have met the requirements stated Section 12103 US Code. If your vessel has been documented with a recreational endorsement, it can only be operated for pleasure. But it can go from a port of the US to a port of a foreign country without going through the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Then again, a recreational vessel will need to meet the requirements stated under section 433 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Apart from that, the passengers of the ship will have to go through the customs regulations.
A Coastwise Endorsement
In addition to a recreational endorsement, you can also get a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement. With it, you can engage in the trade of fisheries in Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Fishery Endorsement
In here, you can participate in fishing in a fishery conservation zone that is adjacent to American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
If you are running a commercial fishing business on your boat, you are required to document your vessel. A documented vessel has a unique official number, which is similar to the state registration number. But it is not displayed outside the hull. Rather, your boat is identified using the name and hailing port. Its official number is placed inside.
In applying for USCG documentation, you will need to include a name for your ship that does not exceed 33 characters. It must not use a name that is identical to words that solicit assistance at sea. It must not be decent or profane. The vessel’s name cannot be replaced without having to apply to change vessel name and pay for fees.
File USCG Documentation Forms
Just as it is whenever you are filing for anything with a government agency, there are forms you need to fill out and supporting documents that you must provide. You can obtain the forms you need from the Coast Guard if you wish and download them and print them on your home computer. You can then fill out the forms, get copies of the documents you need to provide as proof of ownership and the like, and then sign everything and provide a method of payment. The problems with this process are several, including the confusion of the forms and that you must mail in your forms to the Coast Guard for processing.
You can try to find these documents online, print them, fill them out and then send them in, but that process can take a bit of time. Plus, if there are any mistakes on the form, you’ll have to go through the entire process again. Vessel Documentation Online is a a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC. Their main purpose is to make the process as simple as possible, so that you can either sell your boat quickly or get the boat you’ve been dreaming about faster. To that end, you get your boat bill of sale and so many other important documents through at Vessel Documentation Online.
Easy 3 steps application process
At the moment you trust Vessel Documentation Online for your Ship Documentation, you’ll get many options for registration and documentation. The first step is to complete our online forms. You have one form available for each of the services available on our webpage. Renewal, change of address, Abstract of Title and Initial Vessel Documentation are among the most requested ones. There are up to 16 options for you to choose.
The following step is to submit your documentation and pay your fees. In this step, your documents will be processed and screened. The objective is to find any omissions or errors. Our private company’s documentation processors take care of that. Once the process is complete, we will change its status to pending.
After you complete the second step, just get ready to enjoy your boat! Our private company will submit your documentation to the proper authorities. After this, your documents will be completed by the US Coast Guard. Vessel Documentation Online, LLC will keep you updated as to their current wait list times.
The list of documents you can file through Vessel Documentation Online is as lengthy as they can make it. You can file your Change of Address, Abstract of Title, Renewal, Initial Vessel Documentation, Transfer/Exchange, Reinstatement, Preferred Ship Mortgage, Notice of Claim of Lien, Foreign Vessel Title Search Request/Transcript of Registry and more. You can even file for Certified Copy, Replacement and Delete, all COD. It might have taken less space if we had simply listed all of the boat documentation you can’t file at our site.
Find out more by calling us at (866) 981-8783.