USCG Documentation Renewal: When, How, What It Costs and How to Avoid Look-Alike Renewal Mailers

Look at your COD. Under 46 CFR 67.163, a recreational endorsement is valid for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years, depending on what was chosen when it was issued or last renewed. (Commercial endorsements, and a COD that carries both recreational and commercial endorsements, are valid for one year only.) Put the date in your phone now with reminders 60 and 30 days ahead.

About older articles: BoatUS reported in 2020 and 2021 that recreational documentation would move to five-year-only renewals in 2022. The regulation was later amended, and the current eCFR text (checked October 2026) again allows 1 to 5 years. Trust the current regulation and the NVDC site over older articles.

BoatUS says to expect a renewal notice from the Coast Guard about 45 days before expiration. Mail gets lost and addresses change, so treat the notice as a backup, not your reminder. If your mailing address has changed, that's also something you have to report (step 9).

The federal fee table (46 CFR 67.550, checked on the eCFR in October 2026) lists recreational renewal at:

• 1 year: $26
• 2 years: $52
• 3 years: $78
• 4 years: $104
• 5 years: $130
• Late renewal: an extra $5 on top of the renewal fee

These are federal fees and can change. Check the NVDC site for the current schedule before you pay. If someone is asking you for far more than this for a simple renewal, you're probably not dealing with the Coast Guard.

The NVDC lets recreational owners renew online through its own website, the NVDC eStorefront (reach it from the National Vessel Documentation Center pages on the Coast Guard's dco.uscg.mil site). The renewal itself is the Vessel Renewal Notification, Application for Renewal (form CG-1280): under 46 CFR 67.163 you certify that the information on the COD is still accurate and that the certificate hasn't been lost, mutilated or wrongfully withheld. Pick how many years you want, pay the fee and save the receipt.

As of October 2026 the NVDC home page says its old main phone line is no longer monitored and that all documentation and payments must be submitted online through the eStorefront. The same page lists what the eStorefront handles: recreational renewals for 1 to 5 years, initial issue, exchange, replacement and reinstatement of a certificate, and requests for an abstract of title.

If something on the certificate is no longer true (new owner, new name, new hailing port, changed owner name), a plain renewal isn't the right form. See steps 8 and 9.

There's no discount for multiple years; the per-year fee is the same. Longer terms mean fewer chances to forget. But BoatUS (2021) noted the Coast Guard doesn't refund fees if you cancel documentation early or sell the boat during the term. If you're likely to sell soon, a shorter term may make sense.

BoatUS has warned for years about third-party companies that:

• Send letters with names or return addresses resembling the NVDC (which is in Falling Waters, West Virginia)
• Point you to websites with official-looking logos and Coast Guard boat photos
• Typically charge about three times what the NVDC charges, and push multi-year prepayments
• Offer "expedited" service, which the Coast Guard says gets no priority

BoatUS quotes a 2017 Coast Guard bulletin saying these companies don't act for the Coast Guard and can't issue any documentation, including travel letters or permits. They're legal, but you don't need them.

How to check a letter: the Coast Guard's own website is on the dco.uscg.mil domain. Type the address yourself instead of using a link or QR code from the letter, and compare the price against step 3.

If you got a misleading letter or already paid one: the Coast Guard statement BoatUS quotes points complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (ReportFraud.ftc.gov), and BoatUS also suggests reporting mail you think is deceptive to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which takes reports of mail-related crimes and fraud on its website. If you paid by card, call your card issuer quickly. Then renew directly with the NVDC anyway: a third party's receipt is not a Coast Guard renewal.

46 CFR 67.313 requires the person in command to have the original COD currently in effect on board (exceptions include a boat in storage or out of the water, or a certificate sent to the NVDC for exchange). Keep it in a waterproof sleeve with your state registration card if your state requires one, and keep a copy at home and a photo on your phone.

46 CFR 67.167(b) says a COD becomes invalid immediately when ownership changes, the boat's name changes or the hailing port changes. The new owner (or you, for a rename) applies to the NVDC for an exchange of the certificate. The recreational exchange fee in 67.550 is $84 for one year plus $26 for each extra year. BoatUS notes a sale uses a Coast Guard bill of sale (form CG-1340) or the transfer section on the back of the COD. If there's a recorded mortgage, the lender has to consent. See our renaming and purchase-and-closing guides.

Under 46 CFR 67.319, the owner must tell the Coast Guard about any change in the information the COD is based on (such as the managing owner's address) within 30 days. If you don't, the certificate is terminated at the end of that 30-day period. Moving house is the one owners forget. 46 CFR 67.113(e) separately requires the managing owner to report a new address within 30 days (the NVDC's general FAQ, last updated in 2025, still quotes an older 10-day rule, so just do it right away). The FAQ says to use the "I need to change my address" button in the eStorefront or change it while renewing; there's no charge, and only the managing owner can authorize it (a third party needs the owner's written authorization).

• Recently expired: renew as soon as you notice, and expect the late renewal fee on top.
• What lapsing means: under 46 CFR 67.171, failing to renew is one of the reasons a boat becomes subject to deletion from the roll of documented vessels. Failing to keep the required name and hailing port markings, or failing to exchange the certificate after a sale or rename, are others.
• If the boat was deleted: you can apply to return it to documentation (the fee table lists $84 for a recreational return), or switch to state registration. BoatUS notes that engine-powered boats must be either registered with a state or documented, so an undocumented motorboat needs state numbers before you use it.
• Financed boat: your loan papers probably require you to keep the documentation current. Call your lender if it has lapsed.
• Buying a boat whose COD expired: a common forum story is a seller who kept renewing the state registration but let the federal certificate lapse. Sort out the documentation status before you pay, with the NVDC's reinstatement and exchange options in the eStorefront (or state registration if the boat is deleted), and check the abstract of title for liens. Forum posts often link to private documentation sites; use the Coast Guard's own eStorefront.

Contact the NVDC directly if you're unsure where your boat stands.

If your state requires documented boats to register, its renewal is separate from the Coast Guard's and usually on a different cycle (often every year or two). Put both dates in your calendar. Display only the state decal if your state allows that for documented boats; documented boats show their name and hailing port (46 CFR 67.123) instead of state numbers.

Renewal time is a good moment to walk around the boat. The name and hailing port must be marked together on a clearly visible exterior part of the hull, at least 4 inches tall, and the official number must be permanently fixed inside on a structural part of the hull (see our registration numbers guide). Faded or missing markings are both a boarding problem and, under 67.171, a reason for deletion.