What a six-pack captain license really costs in Alabama

Last updated 2026-08-18

How much does six-pack captain cost in Alabama?

The card is a federal Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV endorsement. Alabama charges no state six-pack fee. Your cash stack is Coast Guard user fees, a TWIC, a merchant mariner physical, a DOT drug test, and, for most people, an approved OUPV course. Boat insurance, fuel, and a city business license sit outside the license price.

The Coast Guard publishes credential fees in 46 CFR 10.219. That table splits original officer work into evaluation, examination, and issuance. Read the live table. Then read the National Maritime Center fees page and pay what they list the week you file.^[2][6]

A single Alabama total does not exist, and I will not pretend one does. Course shops set their own prices. Clinics set physical and drug-test prices. TSA sets TWIC. If someone quotes you one bundled number for the Alabama six-pack, ask them to break it into those line items. Most of that number is their markup.

Sea time is the real cost for a new captain. 46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service for an original OUPV endorsement.^[1] You cannot buy those days from Montgomery. You boat, you log, you get signatures.

Already have the days? Then your out-of-pocket path is the course (or self-study plus a Regional Exam Center test), the federal fees, TWIC, form CG-719K, and the drug screen. If you do not have the days, stop shopping courses and start logging time.

The same federal stack follows you if you move the boat. Local extras change. See six-pack captain cost in Florida and six-pack captain cost in Georgia when you want this breakdown for those docks.

Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Alabama?

Yes, if you carry paying passengers on a vessel that meets the federal uninspected passenger vessel definition. Alabama does not replace that rule with a local captain card. What you need is the Coast Guard OUPV endorsement, the thing people call a six-pack.

46 U.S.C. § 8903 says an uninspected passenger vessel "shall be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary to operate that type of vessel, under prescribed regulations."^[3] That is the whole legal hook. Money for the ride turns guests into passengers.

The six-pack limit is federal too. Under 46 U.S.C. § 2101, the common small uninspected passenger vessel is less than 100 gross tons and carries not more than 6 passengers.^[4] A seventh paying passenger is not a rounding error. It is a different vessel category.

You do not need an OUPV to run your own family boat with friends who do not pay. The trigger is passengers for hire. If cash, Venmo, or a "suggested donation" pays for the trip, treat it as for-hire.

State boater-education rules still exist for recreational operators. Outdoor Alabama runs that program.^[9] A merchant mariner credential is a different paper trail. Do not assume one card answers every Marine Patrol question. Ask ALEA Marine Patrol how they treat a current MMC on a given lake or bay.^[14]

Guiding from shore only? This license is the wrong product. Put people on a boat and take their money, and it is the right one.

What does the Coast Guard charge you on paper?

46 CFR 10.219 is the fee table. It tells you to use that table to figure what you owe for merchant mariner credentialing services.^[2] For an original officer endorsement such as OUPV, the table lists evaluation, examination, and issuance as separate charges.

In the Code those three lines have long read $100, $45, and $45. Confirm the dollars on the National Maritime Center fees page the day you pay.^[6] Rules get amended. Pay.gov will not argue with a blog post from last year.

Finish an NMC-approved OUPV course and the examination charge often drops off, because you are not sitting the Coast Guard exam. That is the usual reason people take the course. You still pay evaluation and issuance.

You pay through the Coast Guard process, not through the Alabama Secretary of State. Keep the receipt. NMC will ask.

Renewal later is a different, usually smaller, row on the same table. Original is what you care about now. 46 U.S.C. § 7106 says, "A license issued under this part is valid for a 5-year period and may be renewed for additional 5-year periods."^[12]

Line item	Who sets it	Where you confirm
Original officer evaluation, exam, issuance	46 CFR 10.219	NMC fees page
TWIC enrollment	TSA	TSA TWIC page
CG-719K physical	Private clinic	NMC medical page
DOT drug test	Private collector	46 CFR Part 16
OUPV course	Private school	NMC approved-course list

That table is the honest cost map. Anyone collapsing it into one magic Alabama price is hiding a margin.

What else do Alabama applicants actually pay?

TWIC. 46 CFR 10.203 requires a Transportation Worker Identification Credential before the Coast Guard issues the MMC.^[5] TSA runs TWIC. The enrollment fee lives on the TSA TWIC page. Confirm it there. Do not tape an old blog figure to your budget if TSA has moved.^[8] The card runs 5 years.

Medical. NMC wants a CG-719K medical certificate application. Their medical certificates page is the instruction set.^[7] A physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who will complete that form can do the exam. Prices in Mobile, Baldwin County, and inland towns are private. People waste a Saturday driving to a maritime-only clinic when their own doctor would sign the same form.

Drug test. 46 CFR 16.210 is the pre-employment chemical testing rule for mariners.^[13] You need a DOT 5-panel from a collector who knows the chain of custody. A cheap clinic "pre-employment screen" that is not DOT can be worthless to NMC. Ask before you pee in the cup.

Course. Optional in law if you sit the Coast Guard exam. Practical for most people. Prices are private. Demand the school's NMC approval code. No code, walk.

Want forms and a bareboat file in one binder? OUPVPath sells a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit. That is optional. The government PDFs are free.

Travel is a real line if you test at a Regional Exam Center instead of using a course. Alabama does not park a full-time REC on every bay. Budget fuel and a hotel if you go that route.

How long does six-pack captain take in Alabama?

There is no Alabama processing clock, because Alabama does not issue the license. Time is sea service, then the course or exam, then National Maritime Center evaluation.

360 days of service is the long pole.^[1] Fish weekends and that can take years. Already work on boats and you may be close. Count days under 46 CFR 10.232, not vibes.^[11]

An approved course is days to a couple of weeks, not a semester. Self-study for the REC exam takes as long as your chart work is weak. Fresh navigation skills finish faster. Last plotted a course in high school? Slower.

NMC evaluation time changes. The National Maritime Center posts current processing information. I will not invent a week count. Look at their board the week you submit. No one can honestly guarantee a date.

TWIC appointments add calendar drag. Medical is one clinic visit if your history is simple. If NMC medical asks for more records, that stretches. Waivers are slower than clean physicals.

A complete package with real sea service is the only speed trick that works. Incomplete CG-719S pages bounce. So do missing drug screens and unsigned medicals.

Plan the license in seasons, not weekends, unless your sea book is already full.

How much sea time do you need for an Alabama six-pack?

46 CFR 11.467 is the OUPV service rule. Near-coastal original applicants need 360 days, and 90 of those days need to be on ocean or near-coastal waters. Inland is 360 days without that ocean slice.^[1]

46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service for an original OUPV endorsement. That number does not shrink because you live in Alabama.

Document small-boat time on form CG-719S. 46 CFR 10.232 defines a day and how you prove it.^[11] Read that section before you tally. Owner-operators can self-certify some small-vessel time. The form explains when. Lying is a federal problem.

Fishing the Gulf out of Orange Beach helps the near-coastal 90. Lake Martin time does not. Nobody has a public dataset of Alabama rejection reasons. Thin or sloppy sea service is the usual story you hear at the dock.

You do not buy sea time from a school. If a school offers sea time included, ask what vessel, what days, and what you will sign. If it sounds fake, it is.

Keep a simple log as you go. Date, vessel, waters, hours, and a signature beat a reconstructed memory two years later. NMC would rather see boring, consistent pages than a heroic essay.

Do you need a TWIC, a physical, and a drug test in Alabama?

Yes. Plan on all three for an original MMC with an OUPV endorsement. The state you live in does not waive them.

TWIC sits in 46 CFR 10.203.^[5] Enroll through TSA, not through a marina office.^[8] Alabama has enrollment sites in the larger cities. Use the TSA locator. A Facebook group is not the locator.

The physical is the CG-719K path on the NMC medical page.^[7] Vision, hearing, and medical conditions get reviewed. Some conditions need more paper or a waiver. Waivers take longer. I cannot tell you whether your specific condition passes. Only NMC medical can.

The drug test follows 46 CFR 16.210 for original applicants entering the random-testing world of commercial service.^[13] Ask the collector if it is a DOT 5-panel for a Coast Guard original. If they look confused, leave.

Keep copies of everything. NMC will not call your clinic for you. A missing page is a delay you gave yourself.

Age rules for officer endorsements live in 46 CFR 11.201. OUPV is available at 18, younger than some Master tracks. Confirm the age line in that section before you apply if you are close to the cutoff.^[15]

Inland or near-coastal: which six-pack fits Alabama water?

If you will run the Gulf, get near-coastal. Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Dauphin Island, and Mobile Bay work that pushes into the Gulf is not an inland story.

If you will only run impoundments and designated inland waters, inland OUPV is the simpler exam and the simpler service proof. Inland does not let you legally take the six-pack into near-coastal waters. The endorsement printed on the MMC is the water you get.

Upgrading later means more paper and more fees from the same 10.219 table.^[2] It is not hard. It is not free. It is not instant.

Pick based on the boat you will run in the next five years, not the boat you daydream about. Near-coastal is what I would get if I lived on the Alabama coast and might take one Gulf trip. Inland is what I would get if I lived on Guntersville and meant it.

A 100 GRT cap still applies either way. Almost every six-pack boat in Alabama sits nowhere near that number. The passenger cap of 6 is the limit that actually bites.^[4]

Does Alabama add its own captain license or charter paper?

Alabama does not issue a six-pack captain license. There is no Montgomery captain board and no state OUPV overlay on the federal card.

Take people fishing for money and ADCNR fishing license rules still apply to the activity. Outdoor Alabama publishes the license list.^[10] Confirm charter, party-boat, and customer license rules there. I will not invent a current price. Those dollars move.

Recreational boater education is a separate Outdoor Alabama program.^[9] Do not mix that card up with an MMC. One is a state boating-safety certificate. The other is a federal officer endorsement.

Local business licenses are city and county. Gulf Shores is not Orange Beach. Orange Beach is not Mobile. Call the city revenue office for the boat-for-hire line, not a friend who licensed a bait shop in 2019.

Vessel registration or federal documentation is about the boat, not your personal OUPV. ALEA Marine Patrol is who you will meet on the water.^[14] Keep the MMC, the registration, and the safety gear where a boarding officer can see them.

Want the same is-there-a-state-card answer elsewhere? six-pack captain cost in Arkansas and six-pack captain cost in California walk those rules.

What first-year operating costs sit on top of the card?

The license is the cheap part once you have sea time. First-year operations cost real money in insurance, gear, fuel, dockage, and tax. I do not have a clean public study of Alabama six-pack protection-and-indemnity premiums. Anyone who gives you one number is selling something.

Federal uninspected-passenger safety gear still applies. Life jackets for everyone on board, fire extinguishers, sound signals, nav lights, a throwable, and the rest of the Subchapter C kit. That shopping list is not optional. A pretty cooler is not a life jacket.

Run fishing trips and bait, ice, and customer licenses stack up. Run sunset cruises and you still have six souls and a Coast Guard boarding risk. The OUPV does not care which brochure you printed.

Do not skip insurance to save the first year. That is a bad trade. Get a marine insurer who understands six-pack uninspected boats, not a car agent who adds a rider and smiles.

Sales tax and income tax are real. Talk to an Alabama CPA who has seen charter books. A license writer is not your accountant.

Compare local add-ons if you trail the boat. six-pack captain cost in Delaware and six-pack captain cost in Illinois are the same federal card with different city and resource-agency extras.

What would I skip, and what would I not cheap out on?

I would skip any guaranteed license pitch. NMC does not sell guarantees. A school that promises a date or an approval is promising something it does not control.

I would skip Master 100 on day one unless you already have the service and a reason to run inspected boats or more than six passengers. The six-pack is the right-sized ticket for a center console and six people. The upgrade waits for you later if the business actually needs it.

I would skip paying someone to fill CG-719B if you can read English. I would not skip the approved course if your last navigation class was never.

I would not buy a framed school certificate and think that is the license. The license is the MMC the Coast Guard issues. The frame is decor.

Waste: extra state certified captain plaques, a second medical clinic because the first form used the wrong ink color, and a website before you have the card. Follow the NMC checklist. That is the whole game.

Useful: a binder with sea service, TWIC receipt, 719K copy, drug screen, course cert, and the fee receipt. Boring wins boardings.

How do you file the Alabama six-pack application?

You file with the National Maritime Center, not with Alabama. Use the current NMC application path and the officer OUPV instructions they publish. Pay the 10.219 fees the way NMC tells you to pay them.^[2][6]

Forms you will actually touch: CG-719B application, CG-719K medical, CG-719S sea service (or other accepted proof), the drug-test result, TWIC, a photo, and a course certificate or exam score. Age and identity rules sit in 46 CFR 11.201.^[15]

Want a paid checklist that also covers bareboat paper? The OUPVPath kit is at /start. OUPVPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. You can do the whole path on government PDFs with zero paid help.

No approval promise. No timing promise. Confirm every fee and every medical ask with NMC. Confirm TWIC with TSA. Confirm fishing and business paper with Outdoor Alabama and your city.

After you hold the card, keep it on the boat with the vessel papers. Boardings go better when the plastic matches the person at the helm.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Alabama?

Yes, if paying passengers ride your boat. Federal law requires a Coast Guard licensed operator on an uninspected passenger vessel. Alabama does not issue a substitute captain card. Recreational family trips with no pay do not need an OUPV. Confirm edge cases with Sector Mobile or ALEA Marine Patrol before you advertise trips.

How much does six-pack captain cost in Alabama?

There is no state six-pack fee. You pay USCG user fees in 46 CFR 10.219, plus TWIC, a CG-719K physical, a DOT drug test, and usually an approved course. Those non-federal prices are private and move. Confirm the Coast Guard and TSA dollars on their pages the week you pay. The boat business is a separate budget.

How long does six-pack captain take in Alabama?

Sea time is the long wait: 360 days under 46 CFR 11.467. A course is days to a couple of weeks. NMC evaluation time changes, so read their current processing board when you file. Nobody can honestly lock a calendar date. Incomplete sea-service pages are the usual delay people give themselves.

Is the Alabama six-pack a state license?

No. It is a federal Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV endorsement. Montgomery does not print it, renew it, or price it. Alabama can still require fishing licenses, vessel registration, and a local business license if you run trips for money. Those are activity and boat rules, not a second captain license.

Can I run charters on Lake Guntersville with an inland OUPV?

Inland OUPV matches inland waters if your service proof and the printed endorsement say inland. It does not authorize near-coastal Gulf trips. Confirm the water you run is inland under Coast Guard rules, more than a local nickname. If any paid trip might leave inland waters, get near-coastal before you advertise it.

Do I need near-coastal for Orange Beach?

If the paid trip goes into the Gulf or other near-coastal waters, yes. Near-coastal also needs 90 of your 360 days on ocean or near-coastal water under 46 CFR 11.467. Inland time on a reservoir will not make that 90. Get the endorsement that matches the brochure, not the cheapest exam.

Is TWIC required if I only run Alabama six-pack trips?

Yes for the credential. 46 CFR 10.203 ties a TWIC to issuance of the MMC. TSA enrolls you and sets the fee. The trips being in Alabama does not create a waiver. Enroll at a TSA site, keep the receipt, and do not let the TWIC lapse while the MMC is still active.

Does an OUPV course replace the Coast Guard exam?

An NMC-approved course usually lets you skip the REC exam and the exam fee line. An unapproved seminar does not. Ask for the approval code before you pay. You still send the application, sea service, medical, drug test, TWIC, and evaluation and issuance fees to the Coast Guard.

Can I apply from Alabama or do I have to travel?

You apply to the National Maritime Center, which is a national process. Many people never visit a Regional Exam Center because they use an approved course. If you sit the Coast Guard exam instead, you travel to wherever that exam is offered. Alabama does not run a separate captain window at the courthouse.

What if I already have sea time on a private boat?

Private-boat time can count if it meets 46 CFR 10.232 and you document it honestly, often on CG-719S. Owner time is not automatically rejected. Fake days are. Near-coastal still needs 90 days on ocean or near-coastal waters. Read the form and the day definition before you invent a total.

Do fishing clients need licenses if I hold the six-pack?

Often yes. Your OUPV is an operator credential, not a blanket fishing permit for everyone on the boat. ADCNR sets angler, charter, and boat license rules. Read the current Outdoor Alabama fishing license pages for the water you fish. Do not copy last year's dock rumor into this year's brochure.

How often do you renew a six-pack MMC?

46 U.S.C. § 7106 sets a 5-year license period, with renewal for more 5-year periods. Renewal has its own row on the 46 CFR 10.219 fee table and its own medical and professional-development asks. Start early. A lapsed card is not a weekend fix, and Alabama cannot renew it for you.

Is Master 100 worth it over OUPV in Alabama?

Not on day one for a true six-passenger center console. Master costs more course time and more service proof. It starts to matter if you want inspected vessels or more than six passengers. I would earn the OUPV, run the business, then upgrade if the work actually requires it.

What happens if I carry a seventh passenger?

You leave the six-pack uninspected category in 46 U.S.C. § 2101. That is not a paperwork shrug. It can mean a different vessel inspection path and a different operator endorsement. Do not sell the seventh seat to cover fuel. Stay at six or change the whole setup on purpose.

Sources

1. eCFR 46 CFR § 11.467 OUPV endorsement: Original OUPV service is 360 days, with 90 days on ocean or near-coastal waters for the near-coastal endorsement.
2. eCFR 46 CFR § 10.219 user fees: Coast Guard merchant mariner credential fees, including original officer evaluation, examination, and issuance, are set in the 10.219 table.
3. U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 46 U.S.C. § 8903: An uninspected passenger vessel must be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary.
4. U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 46 U.S.C. § 2101: The small uninspected passenger vessel category is less than 100 gross tons carrying not more than 6 passengers.
5. eCFR 46 CFR § 10.203 TWIC requirement: Applicants must hold a TWIC for issuance of a merchant mariner credential.
6. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, User Fees: NMC publishes the live collection amounts that implement the 46 CFR 10.219 fee table.
7. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Medical Certificates: Original officer applicants submit medical evidence on the CG-719K path described by NMC.
8. Transportation Security Administration, TWIC program page: TSA administers TWIC enrollment and publishes the current enrollment fee.
9. eCFR 46 CFR § 10.232 sea service: A day of service and acceptable proof of that service are defined in 10.232.
10. U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 46 U.S.C. § 7106: A license issued under that part is valid for a 5-year period and may be renewed for additional 5-year periods.
11. eCFR 46 CFR § 16.210 pre-employment testing: Marine employers must require a pre-employment chemical test for dangerous drugs for covered mariners.
12. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Marine Patrol: ALEA Marine Patrol is the state water-enforcement contact for Alabama boating stops and related questions.
13. eCFR 46 CFR § 11.201 general officer requirements: General officer-endorsement rules, including age, sit in 11.201 and set OUPV eligibility at 18.