Vessel documentation is a national form of registration through the U.S. Coast Guard. To qualify, the vessel owner must be a U.S. citizen or the owner of the corporation must meet Coast Guard citizenship requirements. The vessel must be a minimum of 5 net tons, which is a measure of a vessel’s volume and should not be confused with the vessel’s weight. Vessels of 5 net tons or more used in fishing activities on navigable waters or the U.S. or in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), or used in coastwise trade must be documented unless the vessel is exempt from Documentation.

A Certificate of Documentation many times facilitates clearing foreign ports and U.S. Customs and gives you the status and protection of a U.S. flagged vessel. Many financial institutions prefer a vessel to be documented in order to record a First Preferred Ship Mortgage against the vessel in lieu of a State Title with a lien.