Did you recently come into possession of a foreign-built vessel and aren’t sure what you can and can’t do with it? Does it seem like you’re very limited in terms of how you can use it to make a profit? Coast Guard registration (vessel registration), in America, dates back to the 11th act of the very First Congress. One of the main goals is to make sure that America (and Americans) get as much of the money that maritime commerce makes as possible. There are exceptions, waivers, and more, so that you can use your vessel as you want. One such form: the MARAD Waiver.
MARAD Waiver: the Basics
To qualify for a MARAD Waiver, firstly, your vessel must be at least three years old. If it’s any newer than that, it won’t qualify. Many folks, if they have a foreign-built vessel that’s not yet three years old, they just hang onto it until it’s been around that long before they apply for this waiver. Also: the owner (you) must be an American citizen. Those are the minimum requirements of the MARAD Waiver.
“Undue Adverse Effect” – and You
The idea behind the MARAD Waiver is that you’ll be granted waivers from existing regulations so long as your intended use of the vessel doesn’t cause “undue adverse effect” on other vessel operators, shipbuilders, and so forth. So, to that end, you can’t have more than twelve people on the vessel. When it’s in service, that’s the maximum. Moreover, you can only carry passengers in a commercial capacity on the vessel. That means you can’t fish commercially with it, salvage with it, dredge with it, carry cargo, tow, and so forth. You can carry up to twelve passengers maximum.
What You Should Do After You Get the MARAD Waiver
Many of the folks who come to our site for a MARAD Waiver rarely fail to come back. For one, once the MARAD Waiver is received, many folks file for a Coastwise trade endorsement as part of their initial documentation. Of course, as they’re getting their initial vessel documentation through our Maritime Documentation Center site, they’re also able to renew their documentation for many years in advance, so they often do that as well. For most folks who get it, the MARAD Waiver is really the beginning of vessel ownership and documentation.
Beyond Coast Guard Registration
We know that when it comes to documentation like the MARAD Waiver, you have many choices of online sites. That’s just one more reason that we do everything we can to make the process that much easier on our customers. Here, you’ll be able to find the MARAD Waiver (as well as all of our other forms) simple to fill out on just about any device – so long as you’re connected to the internet. If you have any questions, we have an entire trained staff on hand to answer them. For more, you can reach them at (800) 535-8570.