You will always need a valid medical certificate for the type of endorsement you are renewing. The USCG will either accept your unexpired medical certificate or you have to have submitted a medical certificate application.
Here's a video to help you out as well as step by step instructions below the video!
You're in luck because renewing your medical is three easy steps!
Step 1: Print off a CG-719K/E form from the USCG NMC Medical website (https://www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/medical_certificate/).
Step 2: Schedule your medical exam with a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who is licensed in the US or US Territory. PRO TIP: Bring the printed form CG-719K/E with you to your medical exam appointment and have your medical provider complete and sign the form.
Step 3: After your exam, submit the completed CG-719K/E through Navita, the Coast Guard's new submission portal. Inside Navita you first re-enter your information into an online version of the CG-719K. That version is unofficial, just a paperwork step the Coast Guard now puts in front of the real submission, and Navita will not let you upload your signed, completed form until you finish it. Your upload needs to be one PDF.
That’s it. Once you’ve done all three steps you are all set. The MMC lookup feature of MM-SEAS will automatically update after your application is accepted by the USCG.
P.S. Two Pro Tips
- Bring the printed form CG-719K/E with you to your medical exam appointment and have your medical provider complete and sign the form!!!
- Make sure you send the completed form as one PDF. Include your full name and mariner reference number if you have one on the document. The PDF must be under 75MB.
We designed MM-SEAS to simplify the entire process by organizing the paperwork and supporting documents required for Merchant Mariner credentials, ratings, and licenses, including your Coast Guard medical certificate renewal.
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.
