Be Aware of Documentation web sites!

[Scott T-Bird]

I finally got around to performing the Exchange for our Documented boat that we purchased last summer and I entered two web sites thinking they were official USCG sites. It was confusing because both sites were very similar but different in subtle ways. As it turns out, they are also very good at mimicking the USGS form. The alarm bells went off when the fees were assessed. One site quoted $348 for the Ownership Exchange application and $64 (I think) for the renewal fee. The other site quoted $450 for the Exchange and $75 for the renewal. The fees weren't shown until I filled out the forms, so I never processed the applications when I saw the fees.

When I finally got on the USCG site, you can see the link to the fees right from the HOME page. The Exchange application is $84 and a year renewal is $26. The exchange form can be filled out on line and then printed. Then I scanned the completed Exchange Application and the Bill of Sale and forwarded by e-mail to the posted address. I am confused about how the fee is paid. I got an immediate e-mail response that the documents were received but I have seen nothing else yet. I assume they contact me by e-mail with instructions to post the fee, but I'm waiting and I'm not sure how this process works.

Can anybody fill me in? Also, the previous owner had a currently valid Documentation that expires on March 31, 2021. I assume that I will need to fill out the renewal form and submit with the renewal fee only after I get a document completing the Exchange. Is that correct, or does the Exchange include the 1st year renewal for me?

 

[dlochner]

There are legitimate documentation companies that are often used by people who are too busy to do the work themselves or are required by banks who are mortgaging boats. They charge fees and perform a service, much like title insurance companies.

Then there are the companies like the one you found which prey on those who don't do their homework, as you have done. The legit companies are pretty clear about who they are and what they do, the quasi-legit companies masquerade as official USCG sites. In the past they harvested documentation information from publicly available .gov websites and sent official looking letters to boat owners. The service they offer is not really a fraud because buried in the website is some disclaimer, but it is about as close as you can get to being a fraud without being one.

Current renewal fees are $26 a year and you can renew for up to 5 years for $26 a year. The multi-year renewal required, at last year, that it be done by mail. Transferring the documentation is pretty straightforward, follow the directions on the official site and pay the fees. The transfer should include the documentation fee for the first year. Processing straight renewals is pretty quick, transferring ownership usually takes longer, sometimes months. The USCG Doc center does have a way to track your application, should be on the website. Which ends in a .mil domain.

If I recall correctly you will need to have a USCG Bill of Sale indicating you are now the boats owner.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I've submitted the Exchange Form 1258 and a scanned copy of the Bill of Sale. I see in the instructions now that the first year is included in the fee, but you can add up to 4 additional years (5 total) for $26 per year. I've never found government instructions to be particularly clear and/or concise and it seems you have to look at multiple instruction sheets. There are instructions at the end of the 1258 form itself, which say nothing about how or when to pay the fee. Now I see there are a list of instructions on the front page (duh)! At the bottom of the Exchange instructions page, the first instruction is to "Return existing Certificate of Documentation if available". What is that supposed to mean? I suppose I could get it from the previous owner, but I thought the Bill of Sale was the requirement. (I wonder how their phone response is)

In any case, there appears to be a payment form 7042 for credit card transactions. I'm guessing that I don't need to submit the existing COD.

 

[dlochner]

Recently I have had some dealings with the Documentation office about a confusing transfer of ownership for another boat. They are as a group helpful folks.

If you don't send in the right forms, you'll get a letter stating what you will need to do. It will be a very formal letter, probably boilerplate written by lawyers, but it does not reflect the people who work there. For some transactions they use Pay.gov which is the government payment system.

Compared to the FCC website, necessary for a ship's station license, the USCG Documentation instructions are as clear as a sunny summer day on Barnegat Bay.

Expect to wait 2-3 months for the paperwork to be processed. Once you submit the paperwork it can be tracked here:

National Vessel Documentation Center - Paperwork Status Inquiry

www.dco.uscg.mil

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Yes, I saw the tracking ... I think my application is complete except for the payment. I'll give them a call about that issue.

 

[Capt jgw]

I don't know about a transfer, but on the page for renewal there's a link to pay.gov. The instructions are pretty clear. I've paid that way since they started charging and never had a problem with it.

 

[ifmdalvey]

I get bogus reminders every year and even though i know about it have completed what looks like genuine forms then it comes to payments and the alarm bells ring and i kick myself for nearly falling for their scam yet again.
If its not $26 its not genuine, its a completely bogus rip off site.
Even when you type in the correct website address i got 6 bogus answers come higher on my search than the genuine site.
The documentation unit would appear to be be the most efficiently run government unit i have ever had to deal with, there really is no reason at all to use any intermediary .

 

[Justin_NSA]

There have been a few discussions on these fake sites.

Documentation renewal

Be wary when applying online for renewal. I know there are scamming companies out there but yet again i nearly fell for one of the dummy sites. It was only the fee of $70 instead of the correct $26 that alerted me i was on the wrong site. After a bit of checking i found that there are 8...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Documentation

I just received the letter from U.S. Vessel Documentation which hopefully we all know is a scam. Just to make sure no one falls into this trap as there are more than one of these companies out there, I'd like to help you remember who your dealing with. Documentation is done by the United...

forums.sailboatowners.com

 

[tfox2069]

Whatever you do, do NOT let your documentation lapse. It is a giant PITA and takes an uncomfortably long time to start over and rectify. Ask me how I know. That's all on me - the CG sent me a nice reminder that I put in a "to do" stack and promptly forgot. At any rate, this year I renewed immediately for the max period - 5 years - and put a reminder on my calendar in 4 years and 6 months to do it again. They actually make it very easy now, and I think they've caught up a lot on their backlog from a year or so ago when it took me 4+ months to fix my lapse.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I still don't know why we've kept up our documentation. Just because it was when we bought here? I doubt we'll see a Dunkirk anytime soon. Not in KS anyway

The National Vessel Documentation Center facilitates maritime commerce and the availability of financing while protecting economic privileges of United States citizens through the enforcement of regulations, and provides a register of vessels available in time of war or emergency to defend and protect the United States of America.

 

[sailme88]

A give away as. to CG or private entity is the number of yrs that you can document. CG is yr to yr ONLY !

 

[Justin_NSA]

A give away as. to CG or private entity is the number of yrs that you can document. CG is yr to yr ONLY !

That's what I thought too. Also their website should end with .mil or .gov

 

[dlochner]

A give away as. to CG or private entity is the number of yrs that you can document. CG is yr to yr ONLY !

The USCG Doc site will allow up documentation up to 5 years. The fee is 5 * $26, or $130. This certainly makes it more convenient for us and less work for the Doc Center.

The National Vessel Documentation Center facilitates maritime commerce and the availability of financing while protecting economic privileges of United States citizens through the enforcement of regulations, and provides a register of vessels available in time of war or emergency to defend and protect the United States of America.

The history of documentation dates back to the days when there was a need to to have private merchant ships pressed into a war effort. I think it dates back to the early 19th century. Today, for recreational boaters it provides a title that is recognized across the country and provides a history of ownership. Having a documented vessel also prohibits the vessel from displaying state registration numbers, although annual registration stickers are allowed.

 

[tfox2069]

A give away as. to CG or private entity is the number of yrs that you can document. CG is yr to yr ONLY !

Not true anymore. they now allow up to 5 years. I just got my documentation back directly from the Coast Guard and its good for 5 years. Its right on the USCG.mil National Vessel Documentation Center website (and its $26/year):

 

[Biobob Catalina 27]

I totally agree with most of what is stated above, I am changing ownership of the documented boat, and I almost didn't do it as I had gotten to one of the $450 sites and didn't want to spend that much because in MD you still have to pay their fee, but if documented do not need #s on the front.
I got in touch with the real CG this morning and (with a 15 minute wait,) got on with a VERY helpful lady, who gave me the real information, and said "you didn't pay 450 I hope". She told me how to fill out the CG-1258 form and also the cg-7042 payment form, and advised that next year they would be only issuing the 5 year renewals but if desired I could currently opt to pay for the 5 year renewal.
Also when I first got on with her, she asked for the official documentation #, (step B on the form) and she was able to tell me the previous owners name and verify that I was the new owner.
Filling out the form is very simple as it has a instruction sheet as page 4, and if I had any questions call back and they would be happy to help with any questions.
Just fill out the pertinent information on the top section, page 1, check boxes as to what your boat is used for, and the first line at the top of the page 2, then on the bottom of the third page fill out your name and signature.

Took me all about 10 minutes to do, now just get to them and wait.
I was very pleased with their courtesy and helpfulness!

You can find all the forms at:

National Vessel Documentation Center

www.dco.uscg.mil

The fee schedule is found at:

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/NVDC/Fee_Schedule.pdf

Bob Steele
new owner of a 1997 Catalina 380 in awesome shape.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The fake USCG sites end in .us. That kind of makes them look official, but the real CG site ends in .mil. The renewal application appears very straightforward. I'm attempting to navigate the Exchange for COD, sales tax, and state registration and dealing with 2 states to boot.

The boat was purchased in Mass and I finally paid the Mass Sales Tax. New Jersey requires that I pay a Use Tax at 6.625% but I get credit for the Sales Tax paid in Mass (6.25%). Since the Sales/Use Tax is higher in NJ than it is in Mass, it would seen that I owe additional $ in NJ, except that NJ recently passed an exemption that says for a boat purchase, the sales tax is only half the rate. So it would seem that I owe nothing to NJ. However, there is a footnote that says there must be a reciprocal agreement between the states for sales tax for the credit/exemption to apply. Despite searching the internet, I can't find any source for reciprocal agreements on Sales Tax ( I can only find agreements on Income tax between states). I've paid the Mass Sales Tax but not anything to NJ ... yet.

I haven't registered in NJ yet. New Jersey says that a USCG Documented boat has to be registered in the state, but I do not get a Title. They do require that I go to the MVC with a completed "Universal Title Application Form" and pay a $60 Title fee, but I get no title. I also have to complete the Boat Registration Form, and provide the USCG COD and the USCG Bill of Sale and pay the Registration fee ($52). I'll have to wait for the COD before I can go in to register. They don't say anything about proof of Sales Tax payment (unless it is on the Title form - I haven't looked at it yet), but I printed the Mass payment certificate just in case.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I got in touch with the real CG this morning and (with a 15 minute wait,) got on with a VERY helpful lady, who gave me the real information, and said "you didn't pay 450 I hope". She told me how to fill out the CG-1258 form and also the cg-7042 payment form, and advised that next year they would be only issuing the 5 year renewals but if desired I could currently opt to pay for the 5 year renewal.

Bob Steele
new owner of a 1997 Catalina 380 in awesome shape.

Thanks! That is very helpful. I submitted the completed 1258 form and submitted a scanned copy of the Bill of Sale. I got e-mail confirmation for my submittal, but it wasn't clear to me when or how to pay. I later saw the 7042 payment form but haven't followed thru with that yet. I'm hoping that when I do, they know to attach it to my previous submittal.

Congrats on your Catalina! The more I see from Catalina, the more I like!

 

[Justin_NSA]

I got in touch with the real CG this morning and (with a 15 minute wait,) got on with a VERY helpful lady, who gave me the real information, and said "you didn't pay 450 I hope". She told me how to fill out the CG-1258 form and also the cg-7042 payment form, and advised that next year they would be only issuing the 5 year renewals but if desired I could currently opt to pay for the 5 year renewal.
Also when I first got on with her, she asked for the official documentation #, (step B on the form) and she was able to tell me the previous owners name and verify that I was the new owner.

I talk to her every year. I never catch her name. She is always friendly and helpful

 

[sailme88]

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.. obviously in error regarding the CG's allowing multi year documentations. Hurray !!!

 

[Capt jgw]

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.. obviously in error regarding the CG's allowing multi year documentations. Hurray !!!

The 5 year renewal is new this year. Lot's of people don't know about it.