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MARAD Small Vessel Waiver Program – American Vessel Documentation
Email: nvdc.filing@unitedstatesvessel.us
Contact: (866) 610-6594

This collection of information is required to obtain a waiver of the U.S.-build and other requirements of the Passenger Services Act (46 U.S.C. 55103) and will be used by the Maritime Administration to determine if the applicant is entitled to a waiver.

It is now possible for certain foreign-built vessels, or vessels with no documentation, to gain a waiver of the U.S.-build requirement in order to conduct limited commercial passenger operations in the United States. Some restrictions apply. Once a waiver is obtained, it becomes part of the vessel’s documentation and stays with the vessel if it is sold.

    Activities such as carriage of cargo, commercial fishing, towing, dredging and salvage do not qualify for this program. Sport fishing is permitted as long as the fish caught are not sold commercially. This is not a waiver of any vessel documentation, vessel manning or vessel inspection requirement.
  • Please provide the name of the vessel as it is registered or documented.
  • Provide the USCG documentation number for the requested vessel. If the vessel is not documented, provide some form of identification number such as a state registration number or hull identification number
  • Complete owner information. Applications are only accepted by (or from organizations representing) the owner of the vessel.
  • Select date MM slash DD slash YYYY
    Provide date of build. Vessels must be at least three (3) years old to be eligible for the waiver program.
  • State place of construction. If the vessel is of probable U.S.- build with no construction documentation, please state “no documentation” or “unknown, probable U.S.”
  • Enter size, passenger capacity, and net tonnage.
  • Tell us how you plan on using the vessel commercially. Use for commercial purposes other than for carrying passengers for hire is not permitted. Please also refer to “BASIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.”
  • Please state your intended area of operation as MARAD will not grant a waiver for “all coasts” or “all States.” States where the vessel will operate must be listed in order for MARAD to determine if there will be any adverse impact on current operators or shipyards in a given region. The waiver, if granted, limits the operation of the vessel to the geographic area MARAD specifies.
  • MARAD will not issue a waiver if it will cause an undue adverse effect on vessels built in the United States and already operating in a similar business. Please check to make sure your requested region is not already saturated with passenger vessels.
  • Similar to question 9 above, MARAD will not issue a waiver if it will cause an undue adverse effect on United States vessel builders
  • Your waiver request will be published in the Federal Register as soon as practicable for a period of 30 days for public comment. It is MARAD's goal to make the waiver process as fast and efficient as possible. As a result, you should receive a decision from us on your waiver application within 30 days of the closing of the Federal Register announcement. Please note that the waiver process takes approximately 2-3 months.
  • In addition to the typed name of the signer, show whether that person was acting as an owner, as an agent for an owner, as Trustee, as the personal representative or executor of an estate, or other capacity which entitled that person to sign the MARAD Small Vessel Waiver Application
  • Price:
  • $595.00
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    Supported Credit Cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
     
  • I certify that the information provided is accurate and that I acknowledge that the parties stated within this document assume full responsibility for the transaction. By submitting this request, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge that American Vessel Documentation is a privately owned Documentation preparation service that is not owned or operated by any government agency.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

IMPORTANT LINKS: FOIA | USA.gov | U.S. Department of Homeland Security | DHS Office of Inspector General | WhiteHouse.gov | MHS Notice of Privacy Practices

Unitedstatesvessel.us is a privately owned document preparation service that is not operated by any government agency.