FCC Ship Station License vs. a Free MMSI: Which One Your Boat Needs, and How to Keep It Current

Use this checklist, based on FCC rules (47 CFR 80.13) and the FCC and NAVCEN pages:

You need an FCC ship station license if any of these is true:

• You will visit a foreign port (the FCC lists Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands as examples) or communicate with foreign stations.
• You have SSB/HF radio, satellite radio terminals, or any transmitter other than the ones "licensed by rule." Under 80.13, a boat licensed by rule may transmit only on marine VHF (156-162 MHz), AIS, EPIRB and radar; all other transmissions need a license.
• Your boat is required by law to carry a radio (for example, a vessel certified to carry more than six passengers for hire on the open sea, a power-driven vessel over 20 meters on navigable waterways, or a vessel required to carry AIS). Our passengers-for-hire guide covers the charter side.

If none of these apply, you're "licensed by rule." You only need an MMSI from an approved private registrar (step 2). You can still get an FCC license voluntarily if you want one (step 4).

NAVCEN lists the approved registrars for recreational boats that don't need an FCC license:

• BoatUS (free for members, $25 for non-members, as BoatUS listed it in October 2026; membership isn't required)
• U.S. Power Squadrons (America's Boating Club)
• Shine Micro

Sea Tow no longer registers MMSIs. NAVCEN says Sea Tow withdrew from the program and all Sea Tow accounts were moved to the U.S. Power Squadrons. If yours came from Sea Tow, log in there to update it.

BoatUS says its MMSIs are for U.S. registered or documented recreational boats, under 65 feet, not required to carry a radio and not visiting foreign ports. Have your boat's registration or documentation number, description, home port, contact info and emergency contacts ready. If you have an EPIRB, BoatUS asks for its ID code too (it doesn't replace NOAA beacon registration; see our EPIRB guide).

These domestic MMSIs are not valid internationally; the FCC says they end in a digit other than zero.

NAVCEN says each radio on the vessel must use the same MMSI (the exceptions are AIS-SARTs and VHF handhelds that aren't dedicated to that boat).

• Enter the MMSI exactly, following the radio's manual. Most radios let you enter it once or twice only; a typo may need the manufacturer to fix it.
• Connect the radio to GPS so a distress alert sends your position.
• Enter it in your AIS (Class B units are often programmed by the dealer or with the maker's software).

Our VHF/DSC and AIS guides walk through setup and test calls.

The FCC process, as described on its licensing page:

• File FCC Form 605 online in the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS). You'll first need an FCC Registration Number (FRN).
• Ask for a new MMSI on the form. The FCC will not accept an MMSI issued by BoatUS or another private registrar; leave that field blank and it will issue a new one.
• The license is valid for 10 years. The FCC no longer mails licenses; you print it from the link it emails you or from ULS.
• You may operate while the application is pending; the FCC says that temporary authority lasts 90 days and you should keep a copy with the station records.
• There's a filing fee; ULS calculates it.

Already have a domestic MMSI? NAVCEN warns you'll have to delete the old MMSI from your radios and enter the FCC one, and you usually can't do that yourself without the radio maker's instructions (step 8).

The FCC says that if you travel to a foreign port, you also need an operator permit: for recreational boaters, the Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit.

• File Form 605 in ULS; no test is required.
• It's valid for your lifetime, and the FCC says to keep it even if you sell the boat.

The station license belongs to the boat; the operator permit belongs to you.

A DSC handheld you carry from boat to boat (a dinghy, friends' boats, kayaking) is different:

• NAVCEN says handheld MMSIs have their own format (starting with 8) and are currently issued only by the FCC and Shine Micro.
• BoatUS and Power Squadron MMSIs are for boats; don't put them in a handheld unless the handheld stays with that one boat.
• NAVCEN says a handheld used only on boats that are "licensed by rule" (step 1) can get its handheld MMSI from a license-by-rule provider such as Shine Micro. A handheld used for anything else must be licensed by the FCC and get its MMSI from the FCC.
• The FCC explains why the special format matters: the handheld MMSI tells rescuers they're dealing with a low-power radio with limited range. Its VHF Handheld Stations page lists two license options: a portable ship license (SA radio service) for a radio that moves between boats, and a coast station handheld license for use mainly on land.

Using a handheld on shore. NAVCEN notes that the FCC allows portable marine VHF radios ashore only in areas next to the water, such as docks and beaches, and only for the operational needs of the associated boat, with transmissions kept as short as practical. A marine handheld isn't a walkie-talkie for the campground or the ski slope, and calling boats from your living room isn't allowed either.

NAVCEN says to update your registration whenever contact or vessel information changes; registrars send reminders every two years. Update it when you:

• Change phone, address, email or emergency contacts
• Rename the boat, repaint it a new color, or change the home port (our renaming guide covers the rest of the paperwork)
• Add an EPIRB or change your float plan habits

With an FCC license, address, email, name and emergency contact changes are a free Administrative Update in ULS. Changes to vessel data or the MMSI on the license go through FCC support.

NAVCEN is clear: the MMSI goes with the vessel, not the user. Before the sale closes, either:

• Transfer the registration to the buyer (BoatUS has a "Transfer to New Owner" option; the buyer then claims it), or
• Have the own-ship MMSI deleted from every DSC radio and AIS on the boat, using the manufacturer's procedure, and cancel your registration.

If you keep any radio or AIS, its MMSI must be deleted. NAVCEN warns that if you skip this, you could be held responsible if the new owner sends a distress alert or uses the AIS under your MMSI.

With an FCC license: the FCC says you can cancel it in ULS (the new owner then applies for a new license and can reuse the MMSI once yours is canceled), or request an assignment to the buyer with Form 603.

• Ask the seller for the MMSI and who registered it, and do the transfer together.
• If you can't reach the seller, NAVCEN says contact the radio manufacturer to delete the old MMSI before you use the radio, then register your own.
• Don't know who issued an MMSI? NAVCEN publishes a list of MMSI blocks by registrar.
• Before buying a used DSC radio or AIS, NAVCEN suggests finding out how that model's MMSI is deleted; on some it takes a dealer visit or return to the factory.

For an FCC-licensed boat, keep a printed copy of the license (and operator permits) with the boat's papers, as foreign officials may ask. For a domestic MMSI, keep the number and registrar on a card by the radio along with the boat name and Mayday steps.