You can renew your captain’s license online through the National Maritime Center’s Application Submission Portal (ASAP), without setting foot in a Regional Exam Center. A Merchant Mariner Credential is valid for five years, and the Coast Guard lets you renew any time during that window or up to a year after expiration. The catch is preparation: your TWIC, medical certificate, and drug test all have to be current before you submit, and each takes time to obtain. The NMC recommends submitting a complete package at least 90 days before your credential or medical certificate expires.1National Maritime Center. Frequently Asked Questions – Medical Certificates
When to Start
Work backward from your expiration date. If your TWIC also needs renewal, start five to six months out; the TSA recommends enrolling for a new or renewed TWIC at least 60 days before you need it, and processing sometimes exceeds 45 days during busy periods.2Transportation Security Administration. TWIC If your TWIC is current and you only need to schedule a medical exam, three to four months is a comfortable margin. Waiting until the last month almost guarantees an incomplete submission, which triggers delays and back-and-forth with the NMC.
Who Qualifies to Renew
The credential stays valid for five years from the date it was issued.3eCFR. 46 CFR Part 10 – Merchant Mariner Credential To renew, you have to show your professional skills are current. The standard way is documenting at least one year of sea service during the past five years.4eCFR. 46 CFR 10.227 – Requirements for Renewal
If you can’t meet that threshold, the regulations give you alternatives:
- Pass an open-book renewal exercise issued by a Regional Exam Center, covering navigation rules, safety procedures, and other subjects relevant to your endorsement. You can complete it at home.
- Complete a Coast Guard-approved refresher training course.
- Substitute at least three of the past five years in a position closely related to vessel operations, construction, or repair.
Deck officers who originally qualified through shore-side employment rather than sea service also need to pass a separate Rules of the Road open-book exercise.4eCFR. 46 CFR 10.227 – Requirements for Renewal
Documents You Need Before You Apply
Missing even one supporting document will stall your application. Treat this as a checklist you finish before you touch the form.
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Every renewal applicant must hold a valid TWIC or have applied for one.5eCFR. 46 CFR 10.203 – Requirement to Hold a TWIC and a Merchant Mariner Credential If your TWIC is expired or nearly so, renew it first. Failure to hold a valid TWIC is grounds for denial and can even trigger suspension or revocation proceedings.6eCFR. 46 CFR 10.203 – Requirement to Hold a TWIC and a Merchant Mariner Credential TSA handles enrollment through designated centers, and the process involves a background check, fingerprinting, and an in-person visit.
Medical Certificate
A licensed physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner performs the evaluation using Form CG-719K or CG-719K/E.7U.S. Coast Guard. Application for Medical Certificate – Form CG-719K Validity depends on your endorsement: five years for national-only endorsements, two years for mariners with STCW endorsements.8Federal Register. Pilots Medical Certificate Validity Period A waiver can shorten the period further. If your certificate expires during a voyage, it remains valid until your next U.S. port of call, as long as no more than 90 days have passed since expiration.1National Maritime Center. Frequently Asked Questions – Medical Certificates
Drug Testing
You need to show compliance with Coast Guard drug testing requirements. Form CG-719P documents a periodic drug test. If you participate in an employer’s random or pre-employment testing program, a letter from your employer on company letterhead can substitute for the form.9U.S. Coast Guard. DOT/USCG Periodic Drug Testing Form The letter must include your name, confirm you’ve been subject to the testing program, and state that you haven’t failed or refused a test.
Sea Service Records
Sea service is typically recorded on Form CG-719S, which captures vessel names, tonnage, official numbers, operating waters, and days served by month.10U.S. Coast Guard. Small Vessel Sea Service Form The form is optional for vessels under 200 gross register tons, but it’s the cleanest way to organize your record. For larger vessels, employer records or discharge papers do the same job. Give the NMC enough detail to verify at least one year of service in the past five.
Filling Out Form CG-719B
Form CG-719B is the main application for any Merchant Mariner Credential transaction, renewals included.11U.S. Coast Guard. Application for Merchant Mariner Credential – Form CG-719B Download the PDF from the NMC website and fill it out digitally. Handwritten forms are harder to read during processing and more likely to trigger information requests.
In the transaction type section, select “Renewal.” The form asks for personal identification, contact information, and your Social Security number. A disclosure section covers drug and alcohol history and any criminal convictions, which the Coast Guard checks against federal databases. You sign under penalty of perjury; the NMC accepts digital or scanned handwritten signatures. Include a copy of your current or most recently expired credential (front, back, and all attachments) in the package.4eCFR. 46 CFR 10.227 – Requirements for Renewal
Submitting Through the ASAP Portal
The NMC now processes renewal applications through its Application Submission Portal (ASAP), not through email to Regional Exam Centers.12National Maritime Center. REC Oakland, California All documents must be uploaded in Adobe PDF format; the portal rejects other file formats. Combine your application, medical certificate, drug test form, sea service documentation, and Pay.gov receipt into a well-organized submission. Only First Class Pilot applications should still be emailed directly to a REC.
Before uploading, check that your name matches exactly on every document. A mismatch between your Pay.gov receipt, your application, and your TWIC is one of the most common reasons for administrative holds during intake.
Paying the Fee
Renewal fees are paid through Pay.gov, using a bank account or debit/credit card.13Pay.gov. USCG Merchant Mariner User Fee Payment For an MMC renewal with officer endorsements, the fee is $50 evaluation, $45 examination, and $45 issuance, totaling $140.14eCFR. 46 CFR 10.219 – Fees Non-qualified rating renewals cost $95 because the examination fee doesn’t apply.
The NMC recommends paying the evaluation and issuance fees upfront and holding examination fees until you’ve been approved to test, if an exam is required. Save your Pay.gov confirmation with the tracking ID and attach it to your submission. The NMC cannot process your application without it.13Pay.gov. USCG Merchant Mariner User Fee Payment
After You Submit
The NMC reviews applications through several stages, including document verification, background vetting, and professional evaluation. Web-based tools let you check application status and verify credentials online.15National Maritime Center. National Maritime Center Home Page The NMC’s processing goal for complete applications is 30 days.16United States Coast Guard. National Maritime Center Monthly Report on the Performance of the Mariner Credentialing Program Incomplete ones take significantly longer, because each missing item restarts part of the clock. Respond to information requests immediately.
Once approved, the physical Merchant Mariner Credential ships to your registered address by mail. You must carry it at all times while serving on a vessel.
If Your Credential Has Already Expired
If your MMC expired within the past 12 months, you can still renew through the normal process. During that window, though, you cannot perform any duties requiring a valid credential.4eCFR. 46 CFR 10.227 – Requirements for Renewal You’re on the beach until the new credential is in hand.
Under the standard rule, a credential expired for more than 12 months cannot be renewed; the mariner must instead demonstrate continued professional competence by completing an approved course or passing the complete original examination for the endorsement. The Coast Guard has temporarily extended the administrative grace period from one year to six years, allowing mariners to renew up to six years after expiration without taking the full original exam.17U.S. Coast Guard. Temporary Administrative Grace Period Extension All other renewal requirements still apply, and an open-book exam may be required depending on your situation. If your credential has been expired for a while, check this temporary policy before assuming you have to start from scratch.
STCW and Specialized Endorsements
If your MMC carries endorsements under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, those endorsements carry their own renewal requirements on top of the standard process. Most STCW endorsements require refresher or revalidation training every five years.
Basic Training is the most common. With at least 360 days of qualifying sea service in the past five years on vessels that hold regular fire and abandon-ship drills, you can satisfy the requirement with a one-day revalidation course covering personal survival techniques and fire prevention.18U.S. Coast Guard. STCW Renewal Checklist – BT and All STCW Officer Endorsements Without that sea service, you need the full refresher course or individual courses covering all four Basic Training elements.
Other STCW endorsements like Advanced Fire Fighting, Proficiency in Survival Craft, and Fast Rescue Boats follow the same pattern: qualifying sea service unlocks an abbreviated revalidation course, and without it you take the original or full refresher course. The NMC publishes a detailed STCW renewal checklist that maps every endorsement to its specific requirements.18U.S. Coast Guard. STCW Renewal Checklist – BT and All STCW Officer Endorsements Pull that document early so you can schedule and complete the right courses before submitting your renewal package.
Radar Observer endorsements also renew on a five-year cycle. You can renew one by showing at least one year of sea service as master or mate on a radar-equipped vessel, or by completing an approved radar recertification course. And remember that STCW medical certificates are only valid for two years, so captains with STCW endorsements will need a more recent physical exam than a national-only credential would require.8Federal Register. Pilots Medical Certificate Validity Period
Renewal Timeline at a Glance
- Five to six months out: check your TWIC expiration. If it needs renewal, enroll with TSA immediately.
- Three to four months out: schedule your medical exam (Form CG-719K) and drug test (Form CG-719P). Book any STCW refresher courses now.
- 90 days out: complete Form CG-719B, gather your sea service records, pay fees through Pay.gov, and submit everything through ASAP.
- After submission: monitor status through the NMC’s online tools and respond to any information requests right away.