Licenses, USCG, registered boats, documented vessels, federal and state waters… It is possible that if you are making your first steps on the boating world you are not yet familiar with the different terminology vessel authorities use. With that in mind Vessel Documentation Online wrote this article: to explain to you what the different nominations are and when, for example, you will need to document your vessel with the United States Coast Guard. Read on and find out!
An Introduction to Documented Vessels
As a boat owner, you are probably already aware that you need to comply with certain regulations from both the federal and state governments. The last one depends on the Department of Transportation from each state, while the former one is up to the standards of the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
Having a USCG-documented vessel, however, does not stop you from needing the proper local licenses. In fact, most of the state authorities will ask you to comply with their requirements even if you have a federal license.
If you are registered with the US Coast Guard, on the other hand, will permit you to grow the length of your vessel or participate in specific nighttime operations, to name a few. Let us then explore when exactly you will need to get federal documentation, and what you will be able to do with that.
When to Get USCG Documentation
One of the most common questions we receive every day is “Why would I get my vessel documented with the USCG if I still need to comply with the state requirements?” And it is a fair inquiry. The thing is, you don’t always have the chance to choose.
For instance, every vessel that weighs 5 net tons or more and is used for commercial purposes, will have to register with the USCG mandatorily. In addition to that, recreational boats over the same tonnage may choose to do so to access preferred ship mortgages, to easily enter and leave foreign ports (USCG documentation is worldly recognized and proves the ownership of the vessel as well) or to be identified by its name and hailing port rather than their state registration numbers. Keep in mind that federal documentation does not stop you from having to comply with the appropriate state requirements.
Fast Processing at Vessel Documentation Online
Now that the matter of when and why you need to have a documented vessel has been addressed, you might be wondering where to get this type of registration. The answer is pretty simple. You can do it at the US Coast Guard website where you will need to download the appropriate form, fill it out manually and send it to their offices via regular post. Another option is to do it at our website: Vessel Documentation Online.
We are a third-party agency that allows you to get any type of boat documentation from the comfort of your house. By filling out our forms, we will take care of processing your paperwork for you and send it to the USCG thoroughly. You can rest assured that your details will be kept confidential given that our platform is SSL-encrypted. Additionally, our staff overlooks any form that is submitted to us, to make sure that no mistakes are made. This way, we prevent you from having any delays. Contact us today for any other information you may need!