To get an OUPV license — the Coast Guard “6-pack” credential that lets you carry up to six paying passengers on a vessel under 100 gross registered tons — you need to document 360 days of boating experience, pass a medical exam and a DOT drug test, hold a valid TWIC card, and either pass a four-module Coast Guard exam or complete an approved course. Coast Guard fees run $240, ancillary costs add several hundred more, and the whole process typically takes about five months from submission to credential in hand.1eCFR. 46 CFR 11.467 – Requirements for National Endorsement as Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels2U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Merchant Mariner Credential Processing
The endorsement’s geographic reach depends on where you’ve logged your time. A near-coastal endorsement covers domestic waters up to 100 miles offshore plus the Great Lakes and inland waters; a Great Lakes endorsement covers the Great Lakes and inland waters; an inland endorsement covers all inland waters except the Great Lakes.1eCFR. 46 CFR 11.467 – Requirements for National Endorsement as Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels
Who Qualifies
You must be at least 18.3United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center. National Limited and Restricted Master and OUPV Checklist U.S. citizenship is required for most officer endorsements, but OUPV carries an exception: non-citizens with acceptable alien status can hold the credential if they only operate vessels that aren’t documented under U.S. law, such as state-registered boats. If you plan to run a federally documented vessel, you need to be a citizen.4eCFR. 46 CFR 10.221 – Citizenship
Sea Service: 360 Days, Counted Carefully
The core requirement is 360 days of documented boating experience. For a near-coastal endorsement, at least 90 of those days must have been on ocean, near-coastal, or Great Lakes waters. If all your time is on rivers and lakes, your endorsement will be limited to inland service. Separately, at least 90 of the 360 days must fall within the three years before you apply, so your skills are current.1eCFR. 46 CFR 11.467 – Requirements for National Endorsement as Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels5National Maritime Center. Charter Boat Captain
How the Coast Guard counts a “day” catches many applicants off guard. On vessels under 100 gross tons the standard day is 8 hours. If the operating schedule makes 8 hours impractical, shorter days can be credited, with a hard minimum of 4 hours to count at all.6eCFR. 46 CFR 10.232 – Sea Service A 4-hour half-day fishing charter counts as one day; anything shorter counts as nothing.
How To Document Your Sea Time
You record your time on Coast Guard Form CG-719S (Small Vessel Sea Service), listing for each vessel the registration or documentation number, your dates of service, the waters you operated in, and the vessel’s tonnage. If you worked for someone else, the owner or operator signs the form to attest to your service. If the vessel was your own, you can sign for yourself, but you have to submit proof of ownership.7National Maritime Center. Crediting Sea Service
Acceptable ownership proof includes a title, state registration, Certificate of Documentation, proof of insurance showing the vessel, or a bill of sale. Photographs of the boat won’t do. If the vessel is held by a corporation you own, you also need documentation proving your ownership of the company.7National Maritime Center. Crediting Sea Service
The Paperwork Stack
The application package pulls together several forms and outside credentials. Any one of them missing or wrong will push your file back to you.
- Form CG-719B, the main Application for Merchant Mariner Credential, collects personal information, employment history, and criminal background details for the Coast Guard’s safety and suitability review.8U.S. Coast Guard. Application for Merchant Mariner Credential Form CG-719B
- Form CG-719S documents your 360 days of experience.
- Form CG-719K, the medical certificate, requires a physical by a licensed physician or physician assistant covering vision, hearing, and general fitness.
- Form CG-719P records a DOT 5-panel drug test for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine, and amphetamines, processed at a SAMHSA-accredited lab. Results can be reported on the form or in a lab letter.9United States Coast Guard. Drug Testing
- A valid TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) from the TSA. Without one, your application is denied. A new TWIC costs $124, or $93 at the reduced rate for eligible applicants, and lasts five years.10eCFR. 46 CFR 10.203 – Requirement To Hold a TWIC11Transportation Security Administration. TWIC
- Current CPR and First Aid certification from an approved provider such as the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.
The Medical and Drug Rules That Quietly Disqualify People
Medical review is case by case, but some conditions almost always end the process. Epilepsy, narcolepsy, psychotic disorders, kidney failure requiring dialysis, and conditions needing an implantable defibrillator or heart transplant will almost certainly result in denial, and waivers are rarely granted.12United States Coast Guard. Merchant Mariner Medical Manual
Certain drugs are outright disqualifiers with no waiver available at all: methadone, medical marijuana, CBD products, THC-containing preparations, and hallucinogens. That includes topical marijuana and cannabinoid products, and it applies regardless of what your state allows. The Coast Guard is a federal agency, and federal drug classifications control.12United States Coast Guard. Merchant Mariner Medical Manual This is the item that catches otherwise qualified applicants more than any other. Medications that impair alertness can also be disqualifying on their own unless you obtain a waiver.
What It Costs
Coast Guard fees for an original OUPV endorsement total $240: $100 for evaluation, $95 for the examination, and $45 for credential issuance. All fees are paid through Pay.gov.13National Maritime Center. Frequently Asked Questions – Fees
Ancillary costs typically add several hundred dollars more. Budget for the TWIC ($124 for a new applicant), a DOT drug test (roughly $60 to $90 at most labs), a maritime medical exam (under $100 to several hundred, depending on the provider), and CPR/First Aid certification ($20 to $60). If you take a Coast Guard-approved course in place of the exam, tuition typically ranges from several hundred dollars to over a thousand.
How To Submit the Application
The Coast Guard’s Application Submission and Additional Information Portal (ASAP) is now the primary channel for Merchant Mariner Credential applications. You upload forms, attach supporting documents, pay fees, and track status from one dashboard.14United States Coast Guard News. New Coast Guard Portal Improves Online Credentialing Services for Mariners You can also submit through a Regional Exam Center.15National Maritime Center. Regional Exam Centers
Check every field before you submit. Mismatched dates between your sea service form and your application, missing vessel registration numbers, and unsigned forms are the most common reasons the National Maritime Center kicks applications back. Each round trip adds weeks.
Exam or Approved Course
After your application is approved you can sit for the OUPV exam at a Regional Exam Center. It has four modules: Rules of the Road (50 questions, 90% to pass), Navigation General (50 questions, 70%), Deck General and Safety (50 questions, 70%), and Plotting (10 questions, 90%).16National Maritime Center. Limited OUPV Exam Information Fail a module and you can retake just that one, but each retake stretches the timeline.
Most first-time applicants take a Coast Guard-approved OUPV course instead. Dozens of schools around the country hold approval, and finishing one satisfies the examination requirement entirely. The completion certificate is valid for one year, so submit your application within that window. Each certificate covers a single application.17United States Coast Guard. Course Approvals
How Long It Takes and How Long It Lasts
Applications requiring examinations averaged about 146 calendar days from submission to credential issuance in 2023, and the figure has stayed in the 130- to 155-day range for the past five years.2U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Merchant Mariner Credential Processing Roughly five months, in other words. Much of that is Coast Guard review before you can even sit for the exam, plus more time between your last exam and credential production. Corrections add weeks.
Once issued, the Merchant Mariner Credential is valid for five years.18eCFR. 46 CFR 10.205 – Validity of a Merchant Mariner Credential You can’t legally operate on an expired credential even if renewal is pending, so start the renewal process well before the expiration date.
What You Have To Keep Doing After You’re Licensed
The pre-employment drug test is only the start. Every credentialed mariner in a safety-sensitive position on an uninspected passenger vessel must be enrolled in a random drug testing program run by their marine employer, with a minimum annual random testing rate of 50% of covered crewmembers.19eCFR. 46 CFR 16.230 – Random Drug Testing If you work for more than one marine employer, you may be in multiple programs. Operating a passenger-for-hire vessel without active enrollment is itself a citable violation.
As the credentialed operator you’re personally responsible for the safety gear on board. Uninspected passenger vessels carrying passengers for hire must have a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device for every person aboard, and vessels 26 feet or longer need at least one approved lifebuoy. Fire extinguisher requirements scale with size: boats under 26 feet need at least one 5-B portable extinguisher; boats 26 to 40 feet need two; boats 40 to 65 feet need three. On ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes routes, each PFD must have a light and retroreflective material.20eCFR. 46 CFR Part 25 – Requirements
What Happens if You Skip the License
Running a passenger-for-hire operation without a valid OUPV credential is a federal violation, and the Coast Guard patrols for it. Operating, or employing someone to operate, as master of a vessel without proper credentials carries a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation, and each day of a continuing violation counts separately.21Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 46 USC 8101 – Complement of Inspected Vessels
Violations tend to stack. An illegal charter typically triggers penalties for several infractions at once: no credential, no drug testing program, no Certificate of Documentation, and missing safety gear. In one Biscayne Bay case the operator was cited for seven distinct federal violations in a single stop.22United States Coast Guard News. Coast Guard Terminates Illegal Charter Voyage in Violation of COTP Order Within Biscayne Bay Combined civil penalties can exceed $60,000, and violations of an active Captain of the Port order can carry penalties approaching $100,000 per day.23U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard Marine Safety Information Bulletin The Coast Guard also terminates the voyage on the spot, which leaves your passengers stranded on the water.