To upgrade from a Master 25 GRT to a Master 50 GRT you need to have 90 days of deck service while holding your USCG license as a Master 25 GRT.
How does that work?
As soon as you have 90 Sea Days while holding your Master 25 GRT you are qualified to upgrade your license to a Master 50 GRT per 46 CFR 11.422. (Note: This also means that you can upgrade your 50 Ton USCG license to 100 GRT when you have 90 days of sea service while holding your 50 ton license on any boat on any waters as long as you are helping with the safe navigation of the vessel.
Does the USCG automatically give me an upgrade when I renew?
No. The USCG does not automatically give you an upgrade, you have to ask for it.
Will I get the upgrade when I submit through MM-SEAS?
Yes. When you submit with MM-SEAS, part of our review process is looking for these upgrades and including them in the renewal application.
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.
