How to File Form CG-1340: Documented Vessel Bill of Sale

To file Form CG-1340, complete the Bill of Sale with the vessel’s name and Official Number, the seller’s and buyer’s full legal names and addresses, the percentage of interest transferred, and (optionally) the sale price; have the seller sign in front of a notary; and submit the notarized form to the National Vessel Documentation Center along with a Declaration of Citizenship, an application for a new Certificate of Documentation, and the recording fee. Miss any of those companion pieces and the filing sits unprocessed. The sections below walk through each step, the documents most first-time filers forget, and what to expect after you submit.

Check the Vessel’s Title Before You File

Documented vessels can carry preferred ship mortgages and maritime liens that follow the hull, not the owner. Buy a vessel with a mortgage still on file and you inherit it. Before closing, request an Abstract of Title through the NVDC’s eStorefront.¹ The Abstract shows the full chain of title, every recorded bill of sale, and any active mortgages or liens. If a mortgage appears, the seller needs to file a Satisfaction of Mortgage with the NVDC to clear it before the transfer records cleanly.²

The buyer also needs to be eligible to own a documented vessel: a U.S. citizen (native-born, naturalized, or derivative), or, for entities, a corporation or LLC that satisfies the citizenship structure in the regulations.³⁴

Completing Form CG-1340

Download the fillable PDF from the NVDC’s Instructions and Forms page.⁵ The Coast Guard recommends the latest Adobe Reader on Windows or Mac; mobile devices may not handle the form fields reliably. You can print and complete it by hand in black ink, but typed entries reduce the chance of rejection for illegibility.

Vessel Identification

Enter the vessel’s name and Official Number exactly as they appear on the current Certificate of Documentation. Federal regulations require every recorded instrument to contain enough information to clearly identify the vessel, and for documented vessels that means the name and Official Number at minimum.⁶ The Official Number is a six- or seven-digit identifier permanently assigned to the hull. Include the twelve-character Hull Identification Number as well; it appears on the starboard side of the transom on most boats.⁷

Seller (Grantor) and Buyer (Grantee)

Use full legal names for both parties. No nicknames, no abbreviations. Physical street addresses are preferred over P.O. boxes so the NVDC can reach owners with renewal notices and safety alerts. The regulations require the form to state the names, addresses, and each party’s interest in the vessel.⁸

When a corporation or LLC signs, the signer must have authority to act for the entity. You aren’t required to attach a corporate resolution, but having one available if the NVDC questions the signer’s authority is sensible.

Interest Transferred

Enter the percentage being conveyed. A straightforward sale is 100 percent. Partial interest transfers are permitted and require the exact percentage.⁹ When more than one buyer takes title, they must specify how they hold it. Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship means a deceased owner’s share passes automatically to the survivor. Tenants in Common means each share passes to that owner’s estate. The distinction matters if something happens to one owner.

Sale Price

The sale price field is optional. If you enter an amount, it gets noted on the vessel’s General Index at the NVDC.¹⁰ Some parties leave it blank for privacy. For gifts, you can write “gift” or a nominal amount like “ten dollars and other valuable consideration.” Whatever you put on the federal form, your state may separately require the actual purchase price for sales tax purposes.

Notarization

Federal law requires the Bill of Sale to be signed and acknowledged, which in practice means notarized.⁹ The seller signs in front of a notary public or another official authorized under state or federal law to take acknowledgments of deeds. The notary completes the acknowledgment block, applies a seal, and enters the commission expiration date. Without a valid notarization, the NVDC rejects the filing.

If the sale is executed outside the United States, the notarization must comply with the Hague Convention on foreign public documents, which means an apostille certificate from the foreign country’s designated authority.¹¹ For countries not party to the Hague Convention, consular authentication may be needed. Sort this out before closing, because a corrected notarization from overseas adds weeks or months to an already slow process.

What to File Alongside the Bill of Sale

The Bill of Sale alone is not enough. Under 46 C.F.R. § 67.211, a bill of sale conveying an interest in a documented vessel cannot be filed unless a Declaration of Citizenship from the new owner accompanies it.² The standard form is Maritime Administration Form MA-899.¹² This is the requirement most first-time buyers miss, and your Bill of Sale will sit unprocessed until the declaration arrives.

You also need to submit an application for a new Certificate of Documentation (or an exchange of the existing one), together with the applicable fee. Current application forms are on the NVDC’s Instructions and Forms page.

Where to Send It and What It Costs

The NVDC accepts filings by mail, fax, and email. The mailing address is USCG/National Vessel Documentation Center, 792 TJ Jackson Dr., Falling Waters, WV 25419. Electronic filings can be sent as PDF attachments by email or transmitted by fax without following up with paper originals.¹³ Scan at high enough resolution that the notary seal and signatures are clearly visible; blurry scans get rejected.

Recording a Bill of Sale costs $8 per page. Since CG-1340 is typically a single page, most filers pay $8 for the recording itself. Exchanging the Certificate of Documentation into the new owner’s name costs $84. The fee schedule also lists a $15 charge for a bill-of-sale eligibility determination when there’s a question about whether the instrument meets filing requirements.¹⁴ Pay by credit card using Form CG-7042.

There is no late fee for filing a Bill of Sale after the sale. The NVDC does charge a $5 late fee for overdue Certificate of Documentation renewal, so don’t let that deadline slip while your transfer is in the queue.

After You File

Processing times fluctuate with volume, and waits of several months are normal. Current case processing dates are posted on the NVDC homepage.¹ While you wait, keep a copy of the submitted Bill of Sale on board as evidence that a transfer is pending. Once processing finishes, the NVDC mails the new Certificate of Documentation (Form CG-1270) to the address on your application.

The person in command of a documented vessel must have the original Certificate of Documentation on board, with limited exceptions for non-self-propelled vessels, certificates submitted for exchange, and vessels in storage or out of the water.¹⁵ Willfully failing to carry or present the certificate can bring fines and up to a year of imprisonment.¹⁶

Federal documentation replaces state titling. Under 33 C.F.R. Part 187, a documented vessel is exempt from state certificate-of-title requirements, and state offices must reject title applications for vessels already documented.¹⁷ Documentation does not exempt you from state taxes or registration fees, though. Most states still require documented vessels kept in their waters to register and pay use taxes or annual fees. Check your home state’s boating agency after the federal transfer clears.

New Construction Uses a Different Form

Form CG-1340 is not used to document a brand-new vessel for the first time. The builder completes Form CG-1261, the Builder’s Certification and First Transfer of Title, which establishes build details, dimensions, and U.S.-build status and records the first transfer from builder to owner.¹⁸ It must be completed by the person who supervised construction or a company employee with access to build records; an importer or broker cannot sign it. Every subsequent sale of the vessel uses the standard Bill of Sale.

1
United States Coast Guard. National Vessel Documentation Center
2
eCFR. 46 CFR Part 67 Subpart O – Filing and Recording of Instruments, General Provisions
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 46 USC 12103 – General Eligibility Requirements
4
eCFR. 46 CFR Part 67 Subpart C – Citizenship Requirements for Vessel Documentation
5
National Vessel Documentation Center. National Vessel Documentation Center – Instructions and Forms
6
GovInfo. 46 CFR 67.205 – Requirement for Vessel Identification
7
eCFR. 33 CFR Part 181 Subpart C – Identification of Boats
8
eCFR. 46 CFR Part 67 – Documentation of Vessels – Section 67.220
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 46 USC 31321 – Filing, Recording, and Discharge
10
United States Coast Guard. Bill of Sale (Form CG-1340)
11
eCFR. 46 CFR Part 67 – Documentation of Vessels – Section 67.3
12
United States Coast Guard. NVDC Initial Vessel Documentation Instructions
13
United States Coast Guard. Information for PDF, Fax and Mail
14
United States Coast Guard. National Vessel Documentation Center Table of Fees
15
eCFR. 46 CFR Part 67 – Documentation of Vessels – Section 67.313
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 46 USC 12133 – Duty to Carry Certificate on Vessel
17
eCFR. 33 CFR Part 187 – Vessel Identification System
18
United States Coast Guard. Builder’s Certification and First Transfer of Title (Form CG-1261)