A boat that’s federally registered is a documented ship. That said, its chain of ownership, build, and liens are recorded with the National Vessel Documentation Center. Thus, when you conduct a US Coast Guard Documentation Search, you’ll find pertinent details about a certain ship that’s been federally documented.

Performing a Coast Guard documentation search will help you determine whether or not the boat you’re buying is free of liens. Any vessel that weighs five net tons or more can be documented. But a ship that’s at least five net tons and it’s used commercially must be documented. Most vessels are qualified to obtain a certificate of documentation if they are 27 inches in length.

How to perform a US Coast Guard Documentation Search

This documentation is a privilege available only to US citizens who own a vessel that meets the requirements of the USCG. When your boat is documented for the first time, a USCG official number will be assigned to it. The ON stays with it for its lifetime. It doesn’t matter whether it remains documented or not. The official number will remain. In that case, if you conduct a Coast Guard documentation search, you’ll find the documentation status of a boat in question.

By simply entering its official number or vessel name, our system will retrieve pertinent data about that boat. Even if the boat’s documentation hasn’t been renewed because the new owner isn’t a US citizen, you could still conduct a Coast Guard documentation search and obtain essential details about the boat.

If the boat’s documentation has expired or it’s been deleted, you can renew or reinstate its documentation under the original ON. However, you can only do so if the boat’s owner and the boat itself have met the requirements of the USCG in documenting a boat. The US Coast Guard documentation search can also provide information if you need to renew, reinstate or transfer ownership. In that case of transfer of ownership, the process can be complex. The paperwork for transferring of ownership requires filling out of different forms.

Vesseldocumentation.us can handle it for you

You don’t need to hire a documentation agent to handle the overall transaction for you. Just use our transfer/exchange online form. We have a team of reviewers to ensure that you’ve submitted the right documents. In that way, you can continue correctly and efficiently. As regards to the fees, it depends on the complexity of your transaction. Whatever your case is, you can be sure that your transaction will be processed accordingly.

If you need more information, please call us at (866) 981-8783 or send an email to info@nvdcrenewal.us