CG-1270: The Complete Guide

Have you been wondering if it’s necessary to get your vessel documented? Did you hear about vessel documentation and aren’t sure why anyone would go to the trouble to document their vessel? Vessel documentation sometimes uses jargon that most vessel owners don’t really encounter all that often in their day to day lives. At the Maritime Documentation Center, we see it as part of our job to “break down” that jargon, making the documentation process all that much easier on vessel owners. CG-1270 is one of the more important vessel documentation forms. 

CG-1270 History 

CG-1270 is the code for the United States Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation. It signifies that a vessel has been documented. Vessel documentation in the United States is by no means new. In fact, it goes all the way back to one of the very first acts of the very first Congress. Today, this documentation is used for vessels of a certain size used for different reasons. Of the many reasons we started our site, one of the most important was to make the vessel documentation process easier for all. 

What Vessels Qualify for This Form 

Any vessel that measures at least five net tons and is owned entirely by an American citizen. However, vessels that must be documented are those which meet the above requirements and are used in coastwise trade or fishing activities on the navigable waters of the United States or in the Exclusive Economic Zone. The latter, commonly abbreviated EEZ, is the water more or less two hundred miles off of the coast of the United States. As you might imagine, there are any number of exceptions to that, specific rules, and so forth. If you have any questions about your vessel documentation eligibility, our staff will be more than happy to answer them. 

Renewal, Replacement, and Reinstatement 

Getting your vessel documentation doesn’t mean that you’ll have it forever. In fact, it has to be renewed every single year. That is, of course, unless you go through our site. Here, we can make it so that you can renew up to five years in advance at once. On top of that, if you lose your physical certificate, your documentation is no longer valid. In that case, you have to get a replacement – which you can also do through us. Should you miss your renewal deadline, then you’ll have to go the “reinstatement” route. We can help there as well. 

More Than Just One Form 

Yes, this form is one of the most basic and commonly utilized vessel documentation forms. However, it’s far from the only form. We’ve helped vessel owners from so many industries and walks of life to get in compliance with the vessel documentation forms that they need. Moreover, you can use our site to fill them out from just about anywhere, too, and on any mobile device. We see it as one more way that we can simplify the process. Questions? You can call our staff at (800) 535-8570 or email.