My USCG license has been expired for over a year. Do I have to take the Merchant Mariner Oath again?

Yes. The merchant mariner oath is needed for every renewal/reinstatement that is outside the 1 year renewal grace period.

The great part is that any legal notary in the jurisdiction where you are taking the oath can deliver it to you and notarize the USCG Oath Form.

Make sure the notary witnesses you reciting your oath and then signs and stamps your oath form.

You can click on the image above to have an oath form that does not say SAMPLE on it like the one provided by the USCG. If you want to use the one that says SAMPLE it works great and you can use it as your oath form (https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/NMC/pdfs/forms/Merchant_Mariner_Oath.pdf)

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.