Ten Reasons Coast Guard Licensing Applications are Delayed

It doesn’t take much to derail your maritime documentation so take a look at the ten steps below so that you don’t have to resubmit your paperwork.  Of the ten items below the physical examination report seems to be the report everyone has trouble with so before you leave the doctors office make sure that he has competed all the fields and signed the form.  Any incomplete form will delay you getting your appointment for your maritime documentation.  The following are a “Top Ten List” from the National Maritime Center.

1. Applications – If the application is not completed, it will be returned for correction. Three signatures are mandatory: Section III (“Have you ever…?” questions), Section V (consent of National Driver Registry check), and Section VI (application certification). When the “Applying for:” block is left blank or is incomplete, the REC is left to guess what you want.
2. Drug Screen – A drug screen is often rejected because it does not contain the Medical Review Officer’s (MRO) signature, it is a photocopy, or a company compliance letter is not written to meet the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 46, Part 16, Section 220.
3. No TWIC – Merchant Mariner’s are required to have their TWIC when applying for a Merchant Mariner Credential.
4. Physical Exam – If the Merchant Marine Personnel Physical Examination/Certification Report is not complete, it will be returned for correction. Particular attention is paid to the “competent”, “not competent”, and “needs further review” boxes, which are frequently blank. Often the type of color vision exam given in Section IV in not indicated or mariners who wear glasses and/or contacts submit exams without their uncorrected vision listed in Section III.
5. Original Certificates - Photocopies of essential documents, even if notarized, are not accepted. Only original signatures, those documents signed by the issuing authority (e.g., course completion certificates) or official custodian (e.g., birth certificates) are acceptable. Original certificates will be returned when the evaluation is completed and the REC mails the newly issued credentials to the applicant.
6. User Fees – No or incorrect fees are included with the application. Licensing user fees changed as of October 4, 1999. Current fees are published in the most recent Code of Federal Regulations, Title 46, Part 10, Section 109 and on the web here.
7. Current or Past License, Document, and/or STCW – A mariner who is holding, or has held, a license, MMC, and/or STCW certificate who does not indicate it in the history (Section II of the application) or does not include a copy of their credentials (front and back) with the application package. This especially applies for renewals and mariners with past transactions at other RECs.
8. Sea Service – Missing or conflicting information on the sea service letter (e.g., not including tonnage or horsepower, the position listed does not agree with other documents in the application package, or conflicting waters). Service should be documented with discharges, letters from marine employers, or small boat sea service forms. If a small boat service form is used, it must be certified and signed by the owner or proof of individual ownership is required.
9. Written Statement – If an applicant marks “Yes” in any block of Section III, a written statement is required. Note that all questions beginning with “Have you ever…” include all past convictions, even ones that may have already been disclosed. Simply stating “on file” will not suffice, statements should include the what, when, where, and penalties assessed for each incident, if it has already been disclosed to the REC, and whether there have been any new incidents. The applicant must sign and date the statement.
10. Medical Condition – Additional medical information is required whenever a medical condition is identified on the Merchant Marine Personnel Physical Examination Report.

The following article was take from NMC website.  For more information visit their site.