To get a captain’s license, you apply to the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center for a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) with an officer endorsement. For most first-timers, that means the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) endorsement, often called the “six-pack.” You’ll need 360 days of documented sea service, a medical exam, a drug test, a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), current First Aid and CPR certification, and a passing score on a written exam covering navigation rules and safety. Plan on three to six months from application to credential once your sea time is in hand, and a total spend of roughly $1,200 to $1,700.
Pick the Right Endorsement First
The Coast Guard doesn’t issue one generic “captain’s license.” It issues an MMC with specific endorsements, and the endorsement decides which vessels you can run and how many passengers you can carry. Choose wrong and your whole application stalls.
- OUPV (Six-Pack). Up to six paying passengers on an uninspected vessel under 100 gross register tons (GRT). This is the standard first license for charter fishing guides, dive boat operators, and small tour captains.
- Master Under 100 GRT. Inspected passenger vessels carrying more than six passengers, plus cargo vessels under 100 GRT. Requires 720 days of sea service and a harder exam.
- Master Under 200 GRT Near Coastal. Similar to the 100-ton Master but for slightly larger vessels, common for small ferries and dinner cruise boats.
- Limited OUPV or Limited Master. Restricted to a specific activity and location, typically for yacht clubs, marinas, camps, or schools.
The rest of this article focuses on the OUPV route, since that’s what most first-time applicants pursue. Master endorsements follow a similar pipeline with more sea time and additional exam modules.1National Maritime Center. Charter Boat Captain
Basic Eligibility
You must be at least 18 for an OUPV endorsement. Master under 200 GRT requires 19, and larger Masters require 21.2United States Coast Guard. National Master of Self-Propelled and/or Aux Sail Vessels of Less Than 100 GRT Upon Near Coastal Waters You must also be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident; the Coast Guard verifies status on every application.3eCFR. 46 CFR 11.201 – General Requirements for National and STCW Officer Endorsements
A licensed healthcare provider has to complete Form CG-719K, a general physical that screens for conditions that could cause sudden incapacitation or impair judgment. Deck officers need vision correctable to at least 20/40 in one eye, with uncorrected acuity of at least 20/200 in that same eye, plus a color vision test using Ishihara plates, a Farnsworth Lantern, or another approved method. There’s also a physical ability demonstration covering ladder climbing, tight-space movement, tool handling, and prolonged standing. Nothing extreme for someone in reasonable health, but balance, mobility, or grip issues can be disqualifying without a waiver.4eCFR. 46 CFR Part 10 Subpart C – Medical Certification
Log the Sea Time
Sea service is the long pole in the tent. For an OUPV, you need 360 days of documented experience operating vessels. If you want the near-coastal version rather than inland-only, at least 90 of those days must have been on ocean or near-coastal waters.5eCFR. 46 CFR 11.467 – Requirements for OUPV Endorsements
What counts as a day matters. On vessels under 100 GRT, a “day” is at least four hours of watch-standing or day-working; on vessels 100 GRT and over, it’s eight hours. Anything under four hours doesn’t count at all.6National Maritime Center. Crediting Sea Service For charter captains and fishing guides working on smaller boats, the four-hour threshold is the one to track.
Recency counts too. At least 90 of your qualifying days must have been within the three years before you apply. If you’ve been off the water for a while, get some current time in before submitting.7United States Coast Guard. National Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels
Sea service goes on Form CG-719S, one form per vessel, listing name, registration number, gross tonnage, length, width, and days served each month.8United States Coast Guard. Small Vessel Sea Service Form If you own the vessel, you can sign your own form but must supply proof of ownership. Otherwise, the owner or operator signs to attest to your time. Reviewers cross-check every vessel against registration records, so numbers and tonnages need to match exactly.
Gather the Supporting Paperwork
Application (CG-719B)
Form CG-719B is the core application. In Section II you describe the endorsement you’re requesting, including type, tonnage, and route (near coastal, Great Lakes, inland). Use the Coast Guard’s Classification of Endorsements to enter the exact endorsement title in the description field. This is one of the most common places applications stall, so verify the wording before you send it.9National Maritime Center. Guide to Filling Out Merchant Mariner Credential Application Form CG-719B
h3>Drug Test (CG-719P)
You need a passing DOT five-panel drug test (marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine, amphetamines) from a SAMHSA-accredited lab, taken within 185 days of your application. Results go on Form CG-719P, or you can submit an original letter from a marine employer confirming a negative test.10United States Coast Guard. DOT/USCG Periodic Drug Testing Form The 185-day window is firm.
TWIC
You have to get a TWIC from the TSA before you apply. It involves a background check and fingerprinting at an enrollment center, costs $124 for five years ($93 if you hold a valid hazmat-endorsed CDL or FAST card), and takes a few weeks to process.11Transportation Security Administration. Transportation Worker Identification Credential Start this one early. Renewals can be done online up to a year before or a year after expiration; past that, you re-enroll in person as a new applicant.12Transportation Security Administration. TWIC Frequently Asked Questions
First Aid and CPR
Every first-time officer endorsement applicant needs current First Aid and CPR. First Aid must have been completed within the 12 months before you apply, and CPR must be valid at application. American Red Cross and American Heart Association certificates are accepted as-is. Anything else has to come from a USCG-approved course, and the certificate must show the course code and approval number. A generic wallet card won’t clear.13National Maritime Center. First Aid/CPR Documentation
Criminal History (CG-719C)
You disclose prior convictions on Form CG-719C: felonies, misdemeanors, military court-martial convictions, DUI/DWI, and foreign court convictions. Minor traffic tickets are excluded; almost everything else must be reported. The Coast Guard reads “conviction” broadly. Guilty pleas, no-contest pleas, deferred adjudication, court-ordered probation, and forgoing an appeal all count. Expunged convictions still have to be reported unless the expungement was based on a finding that the original conviction was made in error.14U.S. Coast Guard. Disclosure Statement for Narcotics, DWI/DUI, and/or Other Convictions
A record isn’t an automatic denial. The Coast Guard applies assessment periods that vary with offense type and count. If you apply inside your assessment period, you can submit evidence of rehabilitation — treatment program completion, character references, stable employment, and successful parole or probation. Failing to disclose is what causes real trouble: delay, and often denial. If you’re denied, you have 30 days to respond in writing and can pursue reconsideration and appeal.15National Maritime Center. Appeal / Reconsideration
Pass the Written Exam
Two routes get you through the exam. You can study on your own and sit for the test at a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center, or you can take a USCG-approved training course that ends in a proctored exam. Most first-time applicants take the course. A typical OUPV course runs about 80 classroom hours and costs $695 to $1,050 depending on the school.
The written test covers Navigation Rules (COLREGS), deck general, safety, weather, emergency response, and basic firefighting. Navigation Rules is the heavy module and is widely cited as requiring a 90 percent passing score, higher than other sections. Expect questions on lights, shapes, sound signals, and right-of-way in crossing, overtaking, and head-on situations. Flashcards and repeated scenario drills tend to work better than reading alone.
Fail one or two sections and you can retake those sections up to twice within three months. Still short after those retakes, and you wait three months, then take the whole exam again with a new fee. Fail three or more sections on the first try, and you go straight to a full re-examination. Every exam and retake has to happen within one year of your approval to test.16National Maritime Center. Retest Policy
What It Costs
Expenses spread across several agencies and providers. A realistic OUPV breakdown:
- Coast Guard evaluation fee: $100
- Coast Guard examination fee: $95 (lower-level officer endorsement)
- Coast Guard issuance fee: $45
- TWIC enrollment: $124
- Approved training course: $695 to $1,050
- Drug test: $40 to $80
- Medical exam: $75 to $200
- First Aid/CPR course: $50 to $100
Coast Guard fees are paid through Pay.gov. The National Maritime Center no longer accepts cash, checks, credit cards, or money orders submitted with your application.17National Maritime Center. Merchant Mariner Credentialing Fees The fee amounts themselves are set in regulation.18eCFR. 46 CFR 10.219 – Fees All in, plan on $1,200 to $1,700.
Submit and Track the Application
Send the complete package to a Regional Exam Center by email or mail: CG-719B, CG-719S sea service forms, CG-719K medical, CG-719P drug test, CG-719C conviction disclosure, First Aid and CPR certificates, TWIC confirmation, Pay.gov receipt, and proof of citizenship. Keep digital copies of everything. Missing signatures and incomplete forms are the top reason applications get stuck.19National Maritime Center. Merchant Mariner Credential
After submission, the National Maritime Center screens for completeness and moves the file to evaluation. Track status through the NMC’s online status tool; the older Homeport portal was shut down in 2025 and replaced with a tracking form on the NMC homepage.20National Maritime Center. National Maritime Center Home Page Evaluation runs several weeks to a few months depending on volume. If reviewers spot a discrepancy in your medical or sea service records, they’ll send an information letter; the faster you respond, the faster things move. Once approved, the credential ships to your home address as a passport-style booklet. Keep it aboard any time you’re operating a vessel commercially.
Keeping the License Valid
Your MMC is good for five years. To renew, you have to show continued professional competence, either through documented sea service during that period or by completing an approved refresher course. There’s an administrative grace period after expiration during which you can renew without retaking the full original exam, though other renewal requirements still apply. Let it lapse past the grace period and you take the whole original exam over.21United States Coast Guard. CG-MMC Policy Letter No. 01-24 – Temporary Extension of Administrative Grace Period for Credentialing Transactions
Drug testing continues after you’re licensed. For renewals and certain other transactions, you either pass a new DOT five-panel test within 185 days of the application or provide a letter confirming participation in a random drug testing program through a marine employer.22National Maritime Center. Drug Testing If you’re a self-employed charter captain, that means enrolling in a random testing consortium. Plenty of new captains don’t realize this until their first renewal comes around.