You’ve tracked down the vessel you’ve been searching for. It’s been a long journey to find just the right boat for your coastwise passenger transfer business, but you finally did it. You got everything together, only to discover that… the vessel was built outside of the United States. This might seem like the kind of thing that can throw you off, but there is a way to legally use a foreign-built vessel (or a vessel of an unknown build) in United States commerce: the MARAD Waiver. Like so many other forms of vessel documentation, you can find it at our site.
Do You Qualify for a MARAD Waiver?
The first thing to know is whether or not this is a kind of documentation that’s right for you. First off, the vessel has to be at least three years old. If it’s “younger” than that, you don’t qualify. Secondly, it has to be owned by a U.S. citizen or a U.S. organization. Thirdly, the vessel can only be used to carry passengers. You can’t use it for anything else. On top of that, you can’t carry more than twelve passengers at a given time while it’s in service. If your vessel can do all of that, it may be eligible. If you have further questions, of course, you can always contact us.
What You Can’t Do With a MARAD Waiver
Basically, you can’t do anything other than carrying passengers. You can’t move cargo, you can’t get into commercial fishing, towing, dredging, or anything like that. You can’t even salvage with the vessel. If you’re looking to fish recreationally on your vessel, however, you are in luck. Sportfishing is permissible, you just can’t sell the fish commercially. Stay within these guidelines and you should be okay.
Where to Find these Forms
Right here at this site. If you go to the left side of the site, you’ll find these forms as well as all of the other ones that we offer. Once you click on the link, you can actually fill out the form in a matter of minutes. Want to do it even faster? Simply type in all the spaces that have an asterisk. Those are the ones that are the most necessary.
Good News About These Waivers
Most of them are approved. If you meet the eligibility standards mentioned above, then you’re probably going to get one. On top of that, these aren’t forms that you have to get over and over or need to be renewed constantly or anything like that. Once you have this form, it stays with the vessel from one owner to another. Of course, if there’s any part of this you don’t understand or could use more help with, we’re always glad to help. We can walk you through any tongue questions you might have, or, if need be, we can actually take you through the online forms over the phone. You can call us at (866) 981-8783.