Roger
A. Roger,
As you know if you had the 360 days of sea time in the 5 years
your license was valid, you would not need to do anything but
paperwork to get a new USCG license and STCW Certificate. Since you do
not have the 360, you will have to follow a few more steps. However,
renewing/revalidating your license is still quite simple. If you have
a Master 100 ton or Six Pack license you will simply need to take a 1
day license renewal/refresher course (or a short written open book
exam that the USCG mails to you) and if you have STCW, the Basic
Safety Training refresher as well.
If your license is 200 ton or
higher, with STCW, you will need to either take a 2 day
renewal/refresher course (or the written open book exam) and the
appropriate STCW refresher courses.
Certain candidates may have
additional requirements if they got their license before some new
requirements came into effect to bring their license up to the current
standard. This would include things like Able Seaman, Lifeboatman and
possibly advanced firefighting.
For individual cases, I will review
your paperwork for specific answers to your questions.
This is not a difficult process and
is well worth the effort. Even if you are not actively working at sea,
keeping your license valid is crucial. Because getting it back after
it expires beyond grace is a bigger issue.
You must renew your license before
the 5 years has passed. The USCG allows you to apply for renewal up to
1 year in advance of your expiry if you will be out of town and
because the processing can take several months, submitting the
paperwork in advance is very helpful. If you are uncertain as to what
their specific requirements will be you can submit the application,
physical, drug test and fees and they will send you a pending letter
with your training requirements. If you do not renew your license on
time, the USCG gives you one additional year of "grace" with which you
can renew without penalty, however you cannot operate during this
time.
In addition to the courses and
paperwork, you will also need to go to the USCG Regional Examination
Center nearest to you to give them a new set of fingerprints. This is
a new Homeland Security requirement. They do them at the REC using a
new electronic process that forwards them directly to the FBI.
If for some reason you decide not
to renew your license, reconsider and think about renewing for
continuity purposes. This makes your license inactive but revalidates
it so you don’t lose it. Then later you can renew it in full active
force if you want to.
Keep in mind that in addition to
the licensing requirements, there may be some courses you need to take
or retake to maintain Flag State Compliance.
Good luck and let me know if you
have any questions!
Amy
![Classes Starting! [Click Here to Enroll]](../images/click_here_nav_bar_top.gif){kind=small}
