U.S. Coast Guard National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC)
Agency page. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-10-16.
What it is
The National Vessel Documentation Center is “the organizational unit designated by the Commandant to process vessel documentation transactions and maintain vessel documentation records. The address is: National Vessel Documentation Center, 792 T.J. Jackson Drive, Falling Waters, WV 25419. Telephone: (800) 799-VDOC (8362)” (46 CFR 67.3, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/section-67.3 , retrieved 2026-10-16 via eCFR API, current to 2026-10-15). It is the federal title registry for documented vessels — the vessel-world counterpart of a county recorder for real estate. Every mortgage, bill of sale, notice of claim of lien and court order affecting a documented vessel is filed and recorded there: “All instruments submitted for filing and recording must be submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center” and “[a]ll instruments are recorded at” the NVDC (46 CFR 67.213). Hub: vessels.
The NVDC’s own website (dco.uscg.mil) refused automated retrieval this session; online
ordering, forms and search tools are therefore not described here (needs_verification).
Which vessels are in its records
- Eligibility. A certificate of documentation may issue only for a vessel “wholly owned by” eligible U.S.-citizen owners, “at least 5 net tons,” and “not documented under the laws of a foreign country” (46 U.S.C. § 12103(a), https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/12103 , retrieved 2026-10-16). Eligible owners include U.S.-citizen individuals and entities meeting the citizenship tests in § 12103(b) (e.g., a corporation whose CEO and board chair are citizens and in which “no more of its directors are noncitizens than a minority of the number necessary to constitute a quorum,” § 12103(b)(4)(C)).
- Mandatory documentation. “Any vessel of at least five net tons which engages in the fisheries on the navigable waters of the United States or in the Exclusive Economic Zone, or coastwise trade, unless exempt …, must have a Certificate of Documentation bearing a valid endorsement appropriate for the activity” (46 CFR 67.7). Vessels under five net tons are excluded (67.9(a)); vessels not operating on U.S. navigable waters or EEZ fisheries are exempt but may document voluntarily (67.9(b), (d)) — most documented yachts are optional, recreational-endorsed documentation.
- Endorsements are valid one year, except recreational endorsements, valid for 1 to 5 years (46 CFR 67.163(a)).
Undocumented boats follow the applicable state’s title and registration laws, not a universal state-title requirement. Kansas ordinarily numbers/registers watercraft without issuing boat titles (32-1111); registration does not itself certify lien-free ownership. See vessels.
Records a forced-sale buyer uses
| Record | What it is | Fee (46 CFR 67.550) |
|---|---|---|
| General Index or Abstract of Title (CG-1332) | History of recorded instruments (bills of sale, mortgages, lien notices, satisfactions); “Any person may request” it (67.301) | USD 25 |
| Certificate of Ownership (CG-1330) | Ownership and recorded encumbrances statement; “Any person may request” it (67.303) | USD 125 |
| Certified copy of recorded instrument | Copy of a specific filed document | USD 4 (per the table) |
| Certified copy of Certificate of Documentation | — | USD 4 |
The content of the CG-1332 and CG-1330 beyond their names is not described in the retrieved
regulation (needs_verification for exact fields).
What the record does not show. A notice of claim of lien “is not entitled to filing and recording unless the vessel … is covered by a preferred mortgage … outstanding at the time” (46 CFR 67.255), filing is optional (46 U.S.C. § 31343(a): a claimant “may record”), and recorded notices expire three years after the lien date (§ 31343(e)). Most maritime liens therefore never appear on the abstract. See maritime-liens-and-preferred-ship-mortgages.
Recording after a forced sale
| Channel | Evidence of title passage | Removal of recorded encumbrances |
|---|---|---|
| Court action (incl. U.S. Marshal’s sale, bankruptcy sale) | “[C]opies of the relevant court order(s) certified by an official of the court” (67.77(a)) | Certified in rem order “requiring the free and clear sale of the vessel at a Marshal’s sale and, where issued under local judicial procedures, a copy of the order confirming such sale” (67.263(b)); or a certified court order declaring title free and clear or the encumbrance of no effect (67.263(a)) |
| Extra-judicial repossession and sale by a mortgagee | Instrument foreclosed; foreclosing party’s affidavit (reasons, chronology, statutes, compliance steps); evidence of substantial compliance; recordable bill of sale “from the foreclosing party as agent for the defaulting owner(s)” (67.83) | Not by the bill of sale; maritime liens and preferred mortgages are unaffected (46 U.S.C. § 31325(f)(2)) |
| Operation of state law (e.g., marina abandoned-vessel or lien statute) | Copy of the statute; affidavit of basis and compliance; evidence of substantial compliance; recordable bill of sale from the acting party as agent for the owner of record (67.91, with note naming marina statutes) | Not listed in 67.263; satisfaction or release (67.265) or a court order required |
| Federal forfeiture | — | Certified district-court forfeiture order (67.263(c)); for administrative forfeiture, agency officer’s affidavit or Declaration of Forfeiture (67.263(d)) |
| No compliant bill of sale available | Waiver request: written reasons plus “[c]ompetent and persuasive evidence of the passage of title” (67.89); fee USD 15 | — |
Before an extrajudicial transfer of a documented vessel, the person exercising the remedy must give notice to the Secretary (i.e., the Coast Guard), prior recorded mortgagees and recorded lien-notice holders (46 U.S.C. § 31325(f)(1), https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/31325 , retrieved 2026-10-16).
Certificate status after a sale
- The Certificate of Documentation and its endorsements “become[] invalid immediately … when: (1) The ownership of the vessel changes in whole or in part” (46 CFR 67.167(b)(1)); the new owner applies for an exchange (fee USD 84; 46 CFR 67.550).
- Exception: while a recorded mortgage is outstanding, the certificate (but no trade endorsement) remains valid for limited purposes including chapter 313 filings (46 CFR 67.161(a)).
- Deletion occurs, among other causes, when the vessel is placed under foreign flag, sold to a non-citizen, or the owner “no longer elects to document the vessel” (46 CFR 67.171(a)); a foreign transfer requires evidence of the sale and, unless exempt, Maritime Administration consent (67.171(c)). Evidence of deletion costs USD 15 (67.550).
- Foreign transfer restrictions. Without MARAD approval, a documented citizen-owned vessel may not be transferred to a non-citizen, or placed under foreign registry (46 U.S.C. § 56101(a)(1)); the transfer restriction “does not apply to a vessel that has been operated only for pleasure or only as a fishing vessel” (§ 56101(a)(2)); a prohibited transfer “is void” (§ 56101(d)) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/56101 , retrieved 2026-10-16). A district-court sale of a documented vessel may be made “only to a Person eligible to own a Documented Vessel or to a mortgagee” absent a MARAD waiver (46 CFR 221.17(a)).
Fees relevant to forced-sale transfers (46 CFR 67.550)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Initial COD (commercial or recreational, 1 year) | USD 133 |
| Exchange of COD (1 year) | USD 84 |
| Return of vessel to documentation | USD 84 |
| Recreational renewal | USD 26 per year (2–5 year terms: USD 52 / 78 / 104 / 130) |
| Filing and recording bill of sale | USD 8 per page |
| Filing and recording mortgage and related instruments | USD 4 per page |
| Filing and recording notice of claim of lien | USD 8 per page |
| Waiver of bill of sale requirement | USD 15 |
| Abstract of Title (CG-1332) | USD 25 |
| Certificate of Ownership (CG-1330) | USD 125 |
| Evidence of deletion | USD 15 |
Instruments may be filed electronically; “[t]he method(s) or address(es) to be used for electronic
filing may be obtained from the National Vessel Documentation Center’s website” (46 CFR 67.218(a)).
An instrument is deemed filed “at the actual date and time at which the instrument is received”
(67.215(a)). NVDC processing times were not retrieved (needs_verification).
▸ For Buyers / Operators — Order the abstract (USD 25) before bidding; match the recording packet to the sale channel (67.77 / 67.83 / 67.91 / 67.263); expect the old certificate to be void on transfer (67.167(b)(1)); confirm citizenship eligibility (46 U.S.C. § 12103; 46 CFR 221.17).
▸ For Owners / Debtors — A recorded lien notice expires three years after the lien date and the owner can ask the NVDC to annotate the abstract (46 U.S.C. § 31343(e)(2)); a declaratory action in admiralty can clear a disputed notice (§ 31343(c)(2)).
Needs verification
- NVDC online services, processing times, and exact CG-1332 / CG-1330 contents (dco.uscg.mil not retrievable this session).
- Whether the NVDC will remove a recorded preferred mortgage on the strength of a state-law (67.91) transfer alone — the retrieved text of 67.263 does not list such a transfer.
Cross-links
vessels, admiralty-arrest-and-marshals-sale, maritime-liens-and-preferred-ship-mortgages, marina-and-storage-lien-sales-of-vessels, buying-a-vessel-at-a-forced-sale, title-search-walkthrough
Sources
- {regulation, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/part-67, retrieved 2026-10-16 via eCFR API (title 46 up to date as of 2026-10-15)} — 46 CFR 67.3, 67.7, 67.9, 67.77, 67.83, 67.89, 67.91, 67.161, 67.163, 67.167, 67.171, 67.213, 67.215, 67.218, 67.255, 67.263, 67.265, 67.301, 67.303, 67.550.
- {regulation, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/section-221.17, retrieved 2026-10-16 via eCFR API} — 46 CFR 221.11, 221.17.
- {statute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/12103, retrieved 2026-10-16} — 46 U.S.C. § 12103.
- {statute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/12102, retrieved 2026-10-16} — 46 U.S.C. § 12102.
- {statute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/31325, retrieved 2026-10-16} — 46 U.S.C. § 31325(f).
- {statute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/31343, retrieved 2026-10-16} — 46 U.S.C. § 31343.
- {statute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/56101, retrieved 2026-10-16} — 46 U.S.C. § 56101.
This page provides general legal information, not legal advice. Documentation regulations and fees change; verify against the current eCFR and the NVDC before filing, and consult a licensed maritime attorney or documentation professional for any transaction. Last verified: 2026-10-16.