Entry & progression
Governing: 46 CFR 10.219 (fees) and 10.217 (submission).
The distinction
- Upper level — credentials authorising service on vessels of any gross tons / unlimited tonnage or unlimited propulsion power.
- Lower level — credentials authorising service on vessels of less than 1,600 GRT / 3,000 GT.
OUPV and Master under 100 GRT are both lower level. Comfortably so. The only practical effect is a $15 saving on the examination fee.
The table
| Transaction | Evaluation | Examination | Issuance | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original — lower level | $100 | $95 | $45 | $240 |
| Original — upper level | $100 | $110 | $45 | $255 |
| Renewal | $50 | $45 | $45 | $140 |
| Raise of grade | $100 | $45 | $45 | $190 |
| Modify / remove a limitation | $50 | $45 | $45 | $140 |
CAUTION — An approved course does not save you the exam fee 46 CFR 10.219(e)(2): an examination fee is charged for each exam or series of exams for an original, raise of grade or renewal — whether or not you sit the Coast Guard's exam. Taking an approved course in lieu of the exam saves you the exam room, not the $95. Schools are not always clear about this.
Paying
- Fees may be paid all at submission, or phased: evaluation at submission, examination before the first exam section, issuance before the MMC is issued (10.219(b)).
- Payment must be for the exact amount and made by electronic payment (10.219(d)).
- A Document of Continuity carries no issuance fee (10.219(e)(3)).
Who pays nothing
46 CFR 10.219(h)–(l): no fee for volunteers or employees of charitable, not-for-profit, youth-oriented organisations — the Boy Scouts, Sea Explorers, Girl Scouts and the YMCA are accepted without further evidence. And 10.219(m): members of the uniformed services are exempt from the evaluation, examination and issuance fees entirely.
Where it goes
46 CFR 10.217(a): to any Regional Examination Centre, or any other location the Coast Guard designates. The NMC now runs an online submission portal (ASAP), which is the path most applicants will use.
| National Maritime Center | 100 Forbes Drive, Martinsburg, WV 25404 |
| Telephone | 1-888-427-5662 (or 304-433-3400) |
| IASKNMC@uscg.mil |
Call them. The NMC answers the phone, and a five-minute conversation before you file beats a deficiency letter six weeks after.
What the fees do not include
The $240 is what you pay the Coast Guard. It is not what the credential costs you, and budgeting for the former and being surprised by the latter is a rite of passage:
- The TWIC fee is the TSA's, and separate.
- The drug test is yours (the CG-719P says so expressly).
- The medical examination — the doctor's fee is yours. The certificate is free; the exam is not.
- First aid and CPR courses are yours.
- Any approved course taken in lieu of the exam is yours — and, per 10.219(e)(2), it does not save you the $95 exam fee.
The three fees are three different things
| Fee | What it buys |
|---|---|
| Evaluation | The Coast Guard reading your file and deciding whether you qualify. Paid whether or not you are approved |
| Examination | The right to be examined. Charged even if you present an approved course instead |
| Issuance | The printing of the credential itself |
They are payable at different points if you want them to be (10.219(b)) — evaluation on submission, examination before your first module, issuance before the book is printed. For a first-timer unsure whether their sea service will be accepted, paying in stages is the sensible way to do it.