My First Aid | CPR Course Expires in 2 Years—Why Won't the USCG Take It After 1 Year for My License?

All approved courses for domestic USCG licenses are only valid to be submitted to the USCG for one (1) year after the issued date.

This comes from 46 CFR § 11.201 - General requirements for national and STCW officer endorsements.

We completely agree that it is frustrating as CPR and First Aid training courses are good for 2 years but only accepted by the USCG for your original captains license for 1 year after issuance.

I took a course through a USCG-approved school/program. When does my course certificate expire?

The best place to look for course expiration is the course approval information on your course certificate which most schools write out on their certificates. It's a paragraph and the it will typically say "must be submitted within one (1) year of the date shown" or  "must be submitted within five (5) years of the date shown".

A general rule is that you have one year for courses that substitute for an examination given by the Coast Guard, and five years for all other courses.

Any course certificate or training related to a 6 pack, 100 ton Master or 200 ton Master will always need to be submitted within one (1) year.  

If your training is for any license above these or for the International STCW endorsements there is a possibility that it could be valid for 5 years.

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 Pro inside of the site.

No matter what, when you are ready to submit your application, you can choose to have the MM-SEAS staff create a perfect application, handle the USCG application fees and work with the USCG on your behalf to resolve any issues for a flat fee of $349 or you can choose to submit on your own.

Pro MM-SEAS members get access to unlimited live 1 on 1 calls with one of our USCG Licensing Specialists. We've found that answering questions live with screen sharing in a video call makes both of our lives easier. Pro MM-SEAS members can access these features inside of MM-SEAS under License Guidance.