If you have been a registered boat for some time, then the time may be approaching when you need to renew all of the documentation you have submitted to the US Coast Guard. It is important that you remember that a certificate of documentation form for your vessel is only valid for a single year, and after that you may be obliged to renew again if you wish to continue operating a vessel. It is important to remember to complete your boat documentation renewal before the time runs out, as otherwise you may be operating an unregistered vessel, which will cause fine were several hundred dollars to be levied against your boat. If you need assistance with vessel renewal, then we can help you.
Countdown To Renewal
Within a few weeks of your certificate of documentation becoming invalid, you will receive a notification that the registry needs to be updated. You will only get a very short amount of time to renew the vessel, and in fact it is easy to lose your registry status because you submit forms that are not accepted. This is particularly true where you are working with the US Coast Guard, which is suffering some delays in providing documentation. For example, in March 2019 the Coast Guard issued a maritime safety bulletin stating that there were delays in issuing the certificates. This means that you need to be on your toes when the time is nearly up for you to submit your paperwork.
Receiving A Boat Documentation Renewal
You should receive a letter to the post with a notice of renewal around 45 days before your certificate is due to expire. It is tempting to overlook this, particularly because some states are warning about messages appearing from businesses other than the Coast Guard, which may be confusing to some vessel owners. However, it is important that you don’t ignore any notifications from the Coast Guard, because if you do go beyond the anniversary, you will lose your certificate, and you will not only face the hassle of operating your boat without the approval of the Coast Guard, but you will need to go through the whole hassle of re-documenting your vessel again.
Renewing Your Vessel For More Than One Year
If you are able to, we would recommend that you attempt to renewing your vessel for longer than one year. It is possible to renew some commercial boats for up to 5 years, and this will help you to travel comfortably in international waters without having to worry about receiving renewal updates. The cost for renewing your vessel will always be the same, around $26 if you do it directly through the US coast guard, and slightly higher if you use a third party to ensure that your documentation passes the first time. The fee was introduced in 2014, to much opposition, and it is likely that in the future this cost will increase again. It makes sense therefore to try to get your renewal for as long as possible, since the chances of having to pay more for the pleasure of renewing your registry is likely to increase.
Completing The Forms
As with every other form of contact with the US Coast Guard, you can expect to fill in a number of forms to get your renewal accepted. Most people who work with commercial vessels have experience of the USCG paperwork, but still find it difficult to manage. This is because it is often written in bureaucratic jargon, which makes it difficult to navigate through the language in order to understand what the form requires of you. In fact, many ordinary boat owners struggle to manage filling in the forms and sending in the right documentation, and they often find that they have to pay exorbitant fees in order to resubmit the same paperwork again and again.
Get Help With Forms
If you are seeking help with paperwork, then you should consider asking US Vessel Documentation to help you. Whether it is seeking admittance to the registry for the first time, or needing to complete boat documentation renewal forms, we can assist you. Our teams are experienced in helping boat owners to navigate paperwork, and to understand the documents that they should be submitting with their application forms. We can guide you through the process, including obtaining forms, reading the requirements and gathering your evidence, we can also check each stage of the process, including reading your forms and making sure that you have filled them incorrectly. Whatever services you need, when it comes to applying for registry with the US Coast Guard, we can help you. To get assistance with your paperwork today, simply email our team at info@nvdcrenewal.us, or call us directly at (866) 981-8783 now.