{"id":2522,"date":"2017-12-22T17:02:08","date_gmt":"2017-12-22T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/?p=2522"},"modified":"2025-08-25T10:30:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T10:30:10","slug":"how-to-get-your-captains-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/how-to-get-your-captains-license\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Your Captain&#8217;s License"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>Thinking of becoming a fishing charter captain? First, you need to know how to get your captain&#8217;s license from the United States Coast Guard!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2523 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2017\/12\/14154006\/MMCDataPage-300x214.png\" alt=\"a captain's fishing license &ndash; the merchant mariner credential\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2017\/12\/14154006\/MMCDataPage-300x214.png 300w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2017\/12\/14154006\/MMCDataPage-200x143.png 200w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2017\/12\/14154006\/MMCDataPage.png 482w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you want to <a href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/pages\/whylist?utm_source=fishingbooker&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=post_content_link&amp;utm_term=2522\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">make money fishing<\/a> by running fishing charters, the first thing you need to do is become a USCG licensed captain. The document that proves you are a licensed captain is called the Merchant Mariner&rsquo;s Credential, more commonly known as the Captain&rsquo;s License.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"where-do-i-start\"><b>Where do I start?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\nThe information provided by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dco.uscg.mil\/Our-Organization\/Assistant-Commandant-for-Prevention-Policy-CG-5P\/National-Maritime-Center-NMC\/merchant_mariner_credential\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USCG<\/a> on their website can be confusing and hard to digest. Therefore, we&rsquo;ve decided to make a simple breakdown of what the requirements are to apply for a USCG license, what documents you need, and how much it will cost you.\n<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-do-i-prepare\"><b>How do I prepare?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\nFirst off, you need to decide which type of captain&rsquo;s license you need. There are several different types, but the most relevant for the fishing charter business are:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The OUPV license (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel license, more commonly called <b>6-pack license<\/b>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The Master&rsquo;s license<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nThe 6-pack license is what most charter operators will need. As the name suggests, this license allows you to carry up to six paying customers on your fishing charters.<\/p>\n<p>There are two different categories (called &lsquo;routes&rsquo;) of six-pack licenses that are relevant for most charter boat captains: <b>Inland<\/b> and <b>Near-coastal<\/b>. The Inland route covers bays, rivers, and lakes (note that the Great Lakes have some extra regulations and requirements for the license). The Near-coastal route covers everything the Inland route covers, plus ocean waters up to 100 miles offshore. Since the Near-coastal category covers everything you will ever need, we recommend you go for that license.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10659\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/10\/14151720\/e73d5c7b7777972e83a9cf99352c2d94.jpeg\" alt=\"Smiling captain driving a boat by the beachfront\" width=\"869\" height=\"652\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/10\/14151720\/e73d5c7b7777972e83a9cf99352c2d94.jpeg 869w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/10\/14151720\/e73d5c7b7777972e83a9cf99352c2d94-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/10\/14151720\/e73d5c7b7777972e83a9cf99352c2d94-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Master&rsquo;s license allows you to carry more than six paying customers on a boat up to 100t heavy. Most headboat captains will need this type of license. However, this article will only cover how to get the 6-pack license, as that one is sufficient for the vast majority of captains.\n<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"spend-enough-time-on-the-water\"><b>Spend enough time on the water<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\nThe first requirement for applying for a USCG captain&rsquo;s license is having spent enough time on the water. For an OUPV license, you must have spent 360 days piloting or crewing a boat. At least 90 days in the last 3 years. Additionally, 90 days have to be in the ocean in order to quality for a near-coastal license. To get a master&#8217;s license, you need 720 days of sea time, 360 of which need to be offshore and 90 of which need to be within the last three years.<\/p>\n<p>If you own a boat, you can count the time spent on it towards your requirements. If you&#8217;re building up your hours on somebody else&#8217;s boat, they will need to certify that you were crewing or piloting it, not just riding as a passenger. Time spent crewing a boat or ship as part of military service can also count towards your hours, although it requires more detailed documentation.\n<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"find-yourself-a-school\"><b>Find yourself a school!<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\nIn order to apply for a USCG license, you&#8217;ll need to have passed the coast guard exam <i>or<\/i> an exam provided by a captain&rsquo;s school. The second option is probably the safer one, because such schools thoroughly prepare you for the exam.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, they will help you choose the right license category for your needs, and show you what to do after you&rsquo;ve passed the exam. Following a course for the Near-Coastal route should cost you somewhere between $500 and $800.\n<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"show-me-the-list\"><b>Show me the list!<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\nOnce you&rsquo;ve successfully passed your exam and if you&rsquo;ve spent enough time on the water, you&rsquo;re ready to apply for your 6-pack license! Of course, you&rsquo;ll need a fair number of documents to submit alongside your application &#8211; this is bureaucracy, after all.<\/p>\n<p>This is what you need:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your United States Social Security Card<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Proof of U.S. citizenship (or Green Card for foreign nationals)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Proof that you have paid the application fee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Completed application form (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dco.uscg.mil\/Portals\/9\/NMC\/pdfs\/forms\/CG_719B.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CG Form 719B<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Proof of completing your captain&rsquo;s exam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>A copy of your TWIC card. If your application for the TWIC card is in process, you can submit proof that you have applied.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Three written character references<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Medical certificate including vision testing, no more than 1 year old<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Valid first aid and CPR certification<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Results of a random drug test, taken in the last 6 months<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nIt&rsquo;s a bit of a list, but once you gather these things you will be able to obtain your much-desired captain&rsquo;s license. The whole process should cost you a little over $1,000. But then, finally, you&rsquo;ll be a certified charter boat captain!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9262\" src=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/08\/14152229\/captain-sitting-at-the-helm.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/08\/14152229\/captain-sitting-at-the-helm.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/08\/14152229\/captain-sitting-at-the-helm-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/08\/14152229\/captain-sitting-at-the-helm-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2019\/08\/14152229\/captain-sitting-at-the-helm-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is the first and most important step in becoming a paid fishing guide. Now you just need a boat and the appropriate state licenses (and sufficient insurance is highly recommended).<\/p>\n<p>One more thing that&#8217;s good to know is that veterans can get support and discounts when they&#8217;re <a href=\"https:\/\/digital.com\/veterans-business\/\">setting up a business<\/a>, including a charter fishing business.<\/p>\n<p><em>In our next three articles, we will cover the state licenses needed for charter fishing in some of the major fishing states in the US: <a href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/how-to-become-a-fishing-guide-in-florida\/\">Florida<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/how-to-become-a-fishing-guide-in-california\/\">California<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/how-to-become-a-fishing-guide-in-texas\/\">Texas<\/a>. Stay tuned!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Please note that, although we research thoroughly for each article we write, this information should be considered &#8220;as is&#8221; and is not legal advice. You can find more information about this <a href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/disclaimer\/\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thinking of becoming a fishing charter captain? First, you need to know how to get your captain&#8217;s license from the United States Coast Guard! If you want to make money fishing by running fishing charters, the first thing you need to do is become a USCG licensed captain. The document that proves you are a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[358,337,350],"class_list":["post-2522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-captains-corner","tag-beginners-advice","tag-for-captains","tag-technical"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Get Your Captain&#039;s License - FishingBooker Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/how-to-get-your-captains-license\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Get Your Captain&#039;s License\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thinking of becoming a fishing charter captain? Here&#039;s how to get your captain&#039;s license from the United States Coast Guard.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/how-to-get-your-captains-license\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FishingBooker Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FishingBooker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-12-22T16:02:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-25T10:30:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/media\/2017\/12\/14154006\/MMCDataPage.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"482\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joris\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Get Your Captain's License - FishingBooker Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/how-to-get-your-captains-license\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Get Your Captain's License","og_description":"Thinking of becoming a fishing charter captain? 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