If you’ve served in the military and accumulated sea service time while on active duty, you may be able to count this time toward obtaining your USCG captain’s license. Military sea time can be credited for licensing purposes, but there are specific guidelines and documentation requirements to ensure it is properly evaluated.
To meet the USCG captain's license requirements, 60% of your military sea service can be used to count toward the total sea time needed for the license. If you have a substantial amount of military sea service, it can significantly reduce the amount of civilian time you need to accumulate.
To ensure that your military sea service time qualifies toward your captain’s license, it must have been served in a capacity relevant to the type of license you are applying for. For instance, if you are seeking an OUPV (6-pack) or Master’s license, the military sea service you provide must be directly applicable to the duties and responsibilities expected of a commercial captain. You could not serve as a cook and expect that time to count.
To document your military sea service and ensure it counts toward your license application, you must provide satisfactory evidence.
Here is the document requesting military records for licensing purposes.
Ask a question, share an experience, or add a helpful tip related to this article. Comments may appear after review to prevent spam.
Learn what questions to ask and how to prepare for a captain’s license drug test to ensure you avoid the most common application delays.
Discover the three types of drug tests working captains must submit to even after they’ve met the initial USCG drug testing requirements for their license.
Discover how a retired airline pilot became obsessed with the Great Loop and built a thriving captain training business through Mariners Learning System.
Learn which substances the MMC drug test looks for, plus how masking agents and false positives factor in.
Discover the five most common mistakes mariners make on the captain’s license physical, plus a checklist for how to avoid them.
Discover why so many charter captains run out of money and how to plan every startup cost from your vessel purchase to guest-ready outfitting.
Learn how to build a charter business plan that covers pricing, expenses, and marketing so your captain’s license leads to lasting profit.
Transform how you talk about price with proven anchoring strategies and value-first framing that stops charter guests from shopping around.
Discover how charter captains use hybrid pricing models and seasonal adjustments to increase revenue and simplify bookings for every guest type.
Learn how Mariners Learning System and We Make built an eight-year partnership creating meaningful careers for adults with autism through real operations.
