Fee Waivers for Merchant Mariner Credentials: A 2020 Coast Guard Policy
In Spring of 2020, the Coast Guard issued a policy letter to waive fees associated with merchant mariner credential applications for active duty members of the uniformed services. Some folks are still unaware their fees can be waived. The Coast Guard will not, however, refund fees already paid.
Also good news, there is no expiration date on this policy. So, if this is your first merchant mariner credential or a renewal, fees may be waived if you are eligible.
Who is eligible?
Fee waiver eligibility extends to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, NOAA and PHS. Active duty members, including reservists and members of the National Guard, if currently on active duty orders at the time of an application submission.
Applicants who are not eligible include:
- Civilian mariners employed on vessels of Military Sealift Command, Army Corps of Engineers, or NOAA.
- Civilian employees or contractors of any uniformed service.
- Midshipmen at the US Merchant Marine Academy and cadets at a state maritime academy.
What do I provide to waive my fees?
You can provide a fee waiver letter signed by a command representative on official letterhead or a copy of your active duty orders citing Titles 10 or 14 U.S. Code.
The National Maritime Center website has templates for each service. You can find the templates at: www.dco.uscg.mil/nmc/military_sea_service/
How can I use this?
Because this policy does not expire or indicate a limit, you can use this waiver again and again. Just provide the waiver or your orders in each application and the application and issuance fee will be waived.
So if you were waiting to group course certificates together for one application or renew and upgrade with one application- do not wait! Submit your upgrade or renewal applications and waive your fees.
Our software specifically helps military and uniformed service members. 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.
Reference: CG-MMC Policy Letter No. 02-20, dated May 26, 2020
Need to renew, upgrade or get your first USCG license? We're here to help.
About the author
Captain Jen McCullough stood up the Coast Guard's Military to Mariner program for service members, mapping military training and sea service against merchant mariner credential requirements. She has worked across the services to build credential pathways for transitioning members and has more than 10 years of sea experience.
