You have 185 days from the day your negative result is signed by the certified Medical Review Officer to submit your package to the USCG.
How do I prove that I am drug free?
Option A:
Provide the results of a test that is a DOT 5-Panel and ONLY tests for Marijuana, Cocaine, Opiates, Phencyclidine, and Amphetamines. The results must be signed by a certified Medical Review Officer.
You can use CG-719P to achieve this.
Option B:
Provide a letter attesting to participation in a random drug testing program. The letter MUST be on marine employer, command, or consortium stationary; the letter must be signed by an authorized official and must be dated.
The letter must have the following verbiage depending on if it is from a private company or a federal organization;
a. Verbiage for Marine Employers: “(APPLICANT’S NAME/SSN) has been subject to a random testing program meeting the criteria of Title 46 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 16.230 for at least 60 days during the previous 185 days, and has not failed nor refused to participate in a chemical test for dangerous drugs.”
b. Verbiage for Active Duty Military/Military Sealift Command/N.O.A.A./Army Corps of Engineers: “(APPLICANT’S NAME/SSN) has been subject to a random testing program and has never refused to participate in or failed a chemical drug test for dangerous drugs.”
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.
