OUPV/Six-Pack Captain’s License - Online Course and Exam

What's Included

Online Course and Exam

• 12-Month Course Access - Study at your own pace with unlimited access to your online training program for one year from activation.
• Online Final Exam - Take your proctored final exam any day, any time - on your schedule, at no additional fee.
• Multimedia Study Materials - Learn your way: read, listen, watch videos, and reinforce your knowledge with practice quizzes. Downloadable content, including eBooks, keeps study resources within reach.
• NAVI AI-Powered Instructor – Get answers to your course questions 24/7, drawn exclusively from MLS course content, so you can keep learning whenever you study.
• Mobile & Offline Learning - Access course materials from your computer, tablet, or phone. Download materials when online to study offline.
• Pass Guarantee - Put in the work, lean on our support, and we'll back your success. If you don’t pass, retest at no additional fee within your 12-month course period.

Licensing Tools and Guidance

• Digital Licensing Tools - Log boating experience, generate sea service forms, and store licensing documents with expiration reminders.
• Two Years of Expert Guidance - Get advice on sea service requirements, training needs, and future license upgrades.

Licensing tools are available through MM-SEAS, with two years of Expert Access included at no additional cost. Expert Access provides guidance on general licensing requirements; application-specific advice, preparation, review, submission, and Coast Guard follow-up are not included at this membership level. Higher membership plans can open these services up to you.

Physical Training Materials

• Long Island Sound Training Chart (12354TR) - A folded practice chart for your Chart Plotting lesson and exercises.
• Official Chart Plotting Test Packet - A clean, folded chart and scrap paper in a sealed envelope for your first Chart Plotting final exam attempt.
• MLS Carrying Bag - Keep your training materials organized in a durable, easy-to-carry tote.

Physical materials are available for free standard shipping. Alternative shipping options are available at checkout for an additional cost.

Chart Plotting Tools Required: You will need a set of parallels and dividers for the Chart Plotting module and final exam. These tools are sold separately. You can buy them from our website.

License Requirements

Overview

The U.S. Coast Guard OUPV (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels) license, commonly called a Six-Pack license, allows you to operate uninspected passenger vessels of less than 100 gross register tons (GRT) (typically 75–90 feet long) carrying up to six paying passengers, plus one crew. It is commonly used for fishing charters, sailing charters, sightseeing tours, and dive trips. Your license route determines where you may operate.

License Routes and Sea Service Requirements

The MLS online course and exam are the same for all OUPV routes. Your qualifying boating experience determines which route you may receive.

Inland

• Where you can operate: Inland waters shoreward of the U.S. Boundary Line (follows the coast, crossing bays, rivers, and inlets), excluding the Great Lakes.
• Sea service required: 360 days of boating experience since 16 years old, with 90 in the last 7 years for recency.

Near Coastal

• Where you can operate: Shoreward of the U.S. Boundary Line (follows the coast, crossing bays, rivers, and inlets), excluding the Great Lakes, AND up to 100 miles offshore.
• Sea service required: 360 days of boating experience since 16 years old, with 90 outside the boundary line; 90 of the overall days in the last 7 years for recency.

Near Coastal with Great Lakes

• Where you can operate: Shoreward of the U.S. Boundary Line (follows the coast, crossing bays, rivers, and inlets), on the Great Lakes, AND up to 100 miles offshore.
• Sea service required: 360 days of boating experience since 16 years old, with 90 on the Great Lakes; 90 of the overall days in the last 7 years for recency.

Does time on your own boat count? Yes. Qualifying experience on your own vessel can count with proof of ownership. Experience aboard another person’s vessel must be properly documented and signed by an authorized person.

Other OUPV License Requirements

To qualify, you must:

• Age and Citizenship - Be at least 18 at the time of application submission and legally able to work in the U.S.
• Medical Qualification - Complete the required physical examination and qualify for a Coast Guard medical certificate.
• Drug Testing - Pass a qualifying DOT drug test or provide acceptable evidence of an exemption.
• First Aid and CPR - Provide Coast Guard-accepted First Aid and valid Adult CPR certification.
• TWIC - Meet Transportation Worker Identification Credential requirements.
• Boating Experience - Document the required sea service experience.
• Course and Exam - Pass the MLS online course and proctored final exam to satisfy the Coast Guard’s examination requirement.
• Application Fees - Pay the required federal fees for your National Maritime Center application.

Getting Licensed

Complete your MLS course and proctored final exam online - without traveling to a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center (REC). After passing, you’ll receive a Mariners Learning System™ Course Completion Certificate that satisfies the Coast Guard’s OUPV examination requirement.

📬 Submit your certificate, application, and required supporting documents to the National Maritime Center within one year of course completion. Once your application is approved, the Coast Guard will issue your Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) with your OUPV endorsement - your official captain’s license.

Online Testing

Complete your Mariners Learning System™ OUPV/Six-Pack course and proctored final exam 100% online - on your schedule, at no additional exam fee.

Any day. Any time. No travel to a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center required.

Final Exam Format and Passing Scores

The final exam includes four modules. You must pass all four to earn your Certificate of Completion:

• Chart Plotting: 10 questions | 90% required to pass | Maximum 1 incorrect answer
• Navigation General: 50 questions | 70% required to pass | Maximum 15 incorrect answers
• Deck General & Safety: 50 questions | 70% required to pass | Maximum 15 incorrect answers
• Rules of the Road: 50 questions | 90% required to pass | Maximum 5 incorrect answers

Exam Retake Rules

• Retake Deadline: Complete retakes within three months of your original exam attempt or before your course expires, whichever comes first.
• Three Failed Attempts: If you fail any module three times, you must retake the entire course and all four exam modules after a 45-day waiting period. All coursework and exams must be completed within your original 12-month course period.

Online Exam Technical Requirements

To take your proctored exam, you must have:

• Desktop or Laptop Computer: Chromebooks, tablets, and phones cannot be used for testing.
• Webcam and Microphone: Required for online proctoring.
• Stable High-Speed Internet: Required during your exam.
• Exam Software: Download and install the required software through your MLS account.

Before testing, you'll be asked to:

• Complete your course evaluation form.
• Show a clear, legible copy of a USCG-approved photo ID on camera.

Accepted USCG-Approved Photo IDs

You must provide one of the following:

• U.S. driver’s license
• U.S. or foreign passport
• U.S. military ID
• Law enforcement credential with photo
• Federal, state, or local government-issued photo ID
• Merchant Mariner Document issued after February 3, 2003

⚠️ IMPORTANT: IDs must be clear, valid, and legible. Failure to present an acceptable ID will result in automatic exam failure - no exceptions per USCG policy.