Maryland USCG Boat Documentation

Maryland USCG boat documentation can be found on this page. Whether you are looking for more information about a vessel, would like to register it, renew that registration, apply for a Preferred Ship Mortgage, and more, interested parties can find the forms they need here. 

Vessels are eligible to be documented if they measure five net tons and are wholly owned by an American citizen. Vessels have to be documented if they are to be used for coastwise trade and/or commercial fishing activities on Maryland’s navigable waters (or any other state) as well as the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). 

In this context, “coastwise trade” more or less means “transporting people and/or goods between American navigable waters/the EEZ.” There are exceptions. 

These are national vessel documentation forms. As such, they’re valid in not just Maryland but throughout the United States as well. All of our forms can be utilized in every state. For any further questions, users are encouraged to email info@maritimedocumentation.us 

Renewal

Fill out this form for Coast Guard vessel documentation renewal. With this form, vessel owners will have the option to renew vessel documentation for not just the next year, but up to five years in advance. Documentation must be renewed every year otherwise. 

Change of Address 

Fill out this Coast Guard vessel documentation change of address form if you have changed addresses from the one that is currently on your Certificate of Registration. 

Abstract 

An Abstract of Title form contains important vessel information such as who the owner is, their contact information, the vessel’s chain of ownership, the status of any mortgages/liens against the vessel (as well as if they exist), and more. 

Initial

Fill out this form to apply for US vessel documentation for the very first time. Registration cannot be renewed with this form nor can it be reinstated. 

Transfer/Exchange 

Complete this form to transfer exchange of USCG documentation. This form is most commonly used to change the name of a managing owner, to add or remove a spouse, to sell the vessel to someone else, or transfer ownership to a new company, individual, trust, or other entity. 

Reinstatement

Vessel registration that expired 30 or days ago is not eligible to be renewed. As such, you cannot renew vessel documentation in this circumstance. Instead, boat documentation must be reinstated. 

Certified Copy (COD) 

Fill out this form to get a Certified Copy of your ship documentation. Without a Certificate of Registration, or if the certificate has been mutilated, your registration is not valid. 

Replacement (COD) 

Obtain a replacement Certificate of Registration with this form. United States Coast Guard national vessel documentation is not valid if your Certificate has been lost or mutilated. 

Deletion (COD) 

Fill out a certificate of deletion vessel if the vessel in question is no longer serviceable, has been lost, or sold to a foreign citizen. 

Change of Vessel Name or Hailing Port

Changing a vessel name or hailing port can be done with the completion of this form. In this context, documentation will define hailing as, more or less, the port the vessel currently operates out of, its current operational port. 

Change of Endorsement/Trade Indicator 

Fill out this form to change the endorsement of your vessel from what is on your Certificate of Registration. For example, if you wish to make your “commercial boat” a recreational one (or vice versa), complete this form. The most common endorsements include “Recreation,” as well as “Coastwise,” “Registry,” and “Fishery.” 

Satisfaction/Release of Mortgage/Lien

The time to complete this USCG Satisfaction of Mortgage form is after you have paid off your vessel’s mortgage and/or lien. Rush processing services are available. 

Preferred Ship Mortgage

Apply for a First Preferred Ship Mortgage by using this form, provided that you have a Certificate of Registration or an application on COD with the NVDC. This mortgage has status as a maritime lien, so it enjoys a certain priority in the event of default. 

Notice of Claim of Lien (NCL)

Record a claim of lien against a vessel with this Notice of Claim of Lien form. Completing this form makes no claim as to a notice’s validity or its ability to be enforced. Contacting private legal counsel about your particular situation is recommended. 

MARAD Small Vessel Waiver 

To waive the American-built requirement for vessels to engage in passenger operations on American waters, apply for a MARAD waiver here. Doing so makes it possible for particular foreign-built vessels to conduct limited passenger operations on US waters. 

Those foreign-built vessels must be at least three years old, wholly owned by an American citizen, and cannot carry more than twelve passengers at any time while in service.  

Foreign Vessel Title Search Request/Transcript of Registry 

With this form, search for information on vessels that are in Canada, the United Kingdom, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and the British Virgin Islands. 

Document Upload 

To apply for the vessel documentation you desire, upload any pertinent US coast guard document vessel forms or others here. These could include a previous Certificate of Registration, a last will/testament, a bill of sale, and others. 

Documented Vessel Search 

Conduct a documented vessel search by number, name, and so forth of the USCG database here. 

USCG Boat Documentation in Maryland and the Rest of America 

All of the forms above can be utilized in Maryland as well as throughout the country. Many of these forms offer a rush processing option. Through that, users can speed the process up further, putting their applications at the very top of our queue. 

Always, our goal is to simplify the process of boat documentation. Thus, our site has been optimized for mobile devices, making it possible to fill out these forms from anywhere on any device and at any time. Safe travels on the water.