You do not need sea days to renew your USCG license. You can take an Open Book Take Home Test that is emailed from the USCG after your USCG license renewal package has been approved or you can waste your money on a USCG approved renewal course.
Option 1: Open Book Take Home Test (Recommended)
You can take an open book take home test to renew you OUPV six pax USCG License. This will be emailed to you after your application is approved at the National Maritime Center. Remember, you have been sailing and got your original domestic license so the open book test should be a breeze!
The NMC will charge you one Examination fee of $45 for the open book renewal test.
Option 2: Take a Renewal Course
You can also take a USCG approved renewal course for each of your National endorsements. We believe this is a waste of your time and money but you are welcome to do them!
We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!
For complete guidance on renewing your MMC, check out:
- OUPV Six-Pack License Renewal
- 25 Ton License Renewal
- 50 Ton License Renewal
- 100 Ton Captain License Renewal
Start with the Ultimate USCG License Renewal Checklist for a complete overview of the renewal process.
MM-SEAS is free to use on your own and if you need some more personalized help you can upgrade to MM-SEAS Expert Access inside of the site.
No matter what, when you are ready to submit your application you can do it yourself, or you can hand the whole thing to us. A Stress-Free MMC is $399. Two MM-SEAS licensing experts check every page, we pay your Coast Guard fees at submission and charge your card so you never touch pay.gov, and we stay on it with the National Maritime Center until your credential is issued.
MM-SEAS Expert Access is $99 a year. It is your personal guidance counselor for USCG licensing: what training you need next, which sea time counts, and how to reach the credential you want, by phone, email, chat or a 1 on 1 video call. Expert Access members also get $50 off a Stress-Free MMC.
Need to renew, upgrade or get your first USCG license? We're here to help.
About the author
Nate Gilman is President and Co-Founder of MM-SEAS. He hawsepiped from the deck to a 3rd Mate Unlimited license with full STCW compliance over more than 15 years at sea, and is a veteran of the NOAA Commissioned Corps. He works directly with the National Maritime Center, USCG-approved training schools, and vessel operators on credentialing policy, and writes on sea service documentation, evaluation standards, and how mariners move up the license ladder.
