To go from Master 25 GRT to Master 50 GRT you need to have 90 days on any size boat, on any waters as long as you are helping with the safe navigation of the vessel. This means that you can upgrade your USCG license to 50 GRT when you have 90 days of sea service while holding your 25 ton license on any boat on any waters as long as you are helping with the safe navigation of the vessel.
If you hold a 25 GRT Captains License, MM-SEAS automatically includes it as an increase in scope when someone is qualified using just your sea time!
If you were a wiper (lowest position in the engine department) or the Steward on a vessel you could not increase in scope with that time.
After I receive my upgrade to 50 GRT can I submit another application to upgrade to a 100 GRT after I have 90 day of sea time?
Yes, it's as simple as that! You submit another full application with 90 days of sea service in the deck department on vessels between 0 and 50 GRT while holding your new license.
I am currently running boats on both inland and near coastal waters. Can the 50 GT for inland be added to my Near Coastal Waters license?
Think of the routes like a hierarchy. Inland is the lowest so every license with a route above it is automatically qualified for Inland Waters. Near Coastal is the next up followed by Oceans.
Great Lakes and Western Rivers are each a separate route that you add on to the main three.
Can USCG License applications be expedited?
There is no way to expedite the USCG processing your MMC at the National Maritime Center.
We're seeing an average of about 3-5 weeks for renewals as long as the paperwork is perfect. The fastest we've seen this year was 8 days from submission to the USCG REC to being in someone's hands.
You can avoid unnecessary delays by submitting a complete application. Any issues or problems such as missing signatures, modifying the application half way through or the incorrect CPR certificate are causing delays for folks up to and over 90 days!
We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!
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. An MM-SEAS Navita Navigator walks you through submitting in Navita, the Coast Guard's new submission portal, on a short video call. No computer, or not up for a video call? Our team gets your application submitted to the Coast Guard for you anyway. 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.
