When you purchase a boat for your business or a large recreational vessel, you know that the Coast Guard is going to play some kind of role in your use and ownership. You expect that the Coast Guard will be there patrolling the waters when you are out, enforcing regulations, and keeping you safe. The Coast Guard will be there if you ever need assistance or rescuing because of an accident or weather-related incident. What you may not know as a first-time boat owner is that the Coast Guard also factors into the registration of your vessel. The USCG performs many duties, and the Coast Guard documentation center can play a role in your vessel ownership.
The Coast Guard and Documentation
In fact, the Coast Guard is also in charge of maintaining the database that has the information regarding registration and documentation of commercial and recreational vessels. Registering your boat is compulsory if you have a commercial ship, and is optional for recreational boats like a yacht. In either case, the Coast Guard will issue the Certificate of Documentation (COD) that you get for your boat. You will need to apply for the COD, filling out the necessary paperwork, and supplying the Coast Guard with the proof and documents it needs to approve your application. You will also work with the Coast Guard if you ever need to replace a lost or damaged COD, have a change of address, want to change the name of your vessel, sell your boat, and several other instances that can occur in the course of boat ownership.
Using the Documentation Center
The National Vessel Documentation Center, also known as the Coast Guard documentation center, is the department that handles all the processing and paperwork involved in the registration of ships. Anything that has to do with your boat registration goes through this office. Due to the volume of paperwork they work through each day, it is not unusual for processing to take a long time. It is also important to know that most of your dealings with the NVDC take place through traditional mail, slowing things down even further. Should there be any mistakes made in your applications, this can make everything take that much longer.
A Better Way with the Documentation Center
An easier way does exist for you to work with the Coast Guard documentation center. At Vessel Documentation Online, we can act as a conduit for you with the NVDC. We are an outside company that handles processing with the Coast Guard so that you can send your paperwork to us before it gets to the NVDC. We offer applications for any registration need with the Coast Guard online at our website, so you have easy access as well as a quick way to fill out forms. We also have experienced professionals that look over all submissions so we can catch mistakes before they get to the Coast Guard, eliminating many potential delays for you. With our assistance, you can get registration duties accomplished faster so you can spend more time using and enjoying your boat.
