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National Maritime Center Bulletin: Delayed Issuance/License Creep

Published Jan 20, 2011 10:09 AM by The Maritime Executive

Coast Guard clarifies Delayed Issuance of Credentials.

The purpose of this bulletin is to emphasize long standing Coast Guard Policy regarding delaying the issuance of a Merchant Mariner Credential for renewal applicants to closely coincide with the expiration date of a current credential. The Coast Guard first codified Delayed Issuance in NMC Policy Letter 09-03. Recent changes to the Code of Federal Regulations eliminate the need to codify this practice in a formal manner. Policy Letter 09-03 is no longer valid and will be removed from circulation, however, the long standing business process for Delayed Issuance will remain in place. In keeping with the letter and spirit of the regulation, mariners may request that the issuance of their MMC be delayed to closely coincide with the expiration of their current credential under the following conditions:

• Mariners must specifically request Delayed Issuance of their credential in writing on their application (719B) when it is submitted to the Coast Guard. Requests received after application acceptance will be considered on a case by case basis. The Coast Guard will not be able to approve requests for delayed issuance once the credential is issued.

• The Coast Guard will, if Delayed Issuance has been requested, hold the credential in a ready to print status for up to twelve months from the date that the Coast Guard accepts the application, which is normally the date it is received by the Regional Exam Center.

• Credentials will be issued approximately 1 month prior to the expiration date of the current credential to allow adequate time for delivery. The Coast Guard cannot accommodate requests for specific issue dates.

• Under Delayed Issuance the Coast Guard cannot delay the issuance of specific Endorsements. We will not issue a partial credential while delaying a particular endorsement.

This process is considered a standard business practice that assists the mariner by minimizing the potential for what has long been termed “License Creep”. This information will be further published in various places on the National Maritime Center’s WEB site.

Read the bulletin online by clicking HERE.
 

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Sincerely,

David C. Stalfort, Commanding Officer, Captain, United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard National Maritime Center
100 Forbes Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25404
Phone: (304) 433-3400 / Fax: (304) 433-3409
E-mail: [email protected]

For the latest information on STCW and Licensing, visit the NMC web site at http://www.uscg.mil/nmc. The National Maritime Center is an ISO 9001:2008 Compliant Organization.