Last updated 2026-08-18
TL;DR
You need a federal USCG OUPV (six-pack) to carry paying passengers in Alaska. Coast Guard user fees for an original officer MMC are $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance, so $255 total. Add TWIC, a CG-719K physical, a DOT drug test, and study or a course. Fishing charters add ADF&G guide paper. Sea time is 360 days. Confirm live fees with NMC and ADF&G.
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Alaska?
Yes. Carry one paying passenger on U.S. navigable waters in Alaska and you need a Coast Guard merchant mariner credential endorsed as Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels. That OUPV is the six-pack. Alaska does not print a state captain license to stand in for it.
Federal law is blunt. 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, and of a grade appropriate for the size of the vessel and the waters on which it is operated." [5] The Coast Guard wrote the same duty into 46 CFR 15.605, which requires the vessel to be "under the direction and control of an individual holding a license or MMC endorsed as operator of uninspected passenger vessels." [1]
Six-pack means six or fewer passengers for hire. A seventh paying guest is a different boat and a different license.
The federal card still applies on the Inside Passage, at a Kenai river mouth, or on a Juneau day run. Those are U.S. waters. A city tax certificate is not an MMC.
Fishing work stacks more paper. ADF&G runs sport fishing operator and guide licenses on top of the Coast Guard credential. [8][11] Get the OUPV first. The state will not make you a legal charter skipper by itself.
If nobody pays and you are not holding the boat out as a trip for hire, you may not need an OUPV. Most people asking this question want to get paid. Get the license.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Alaska?
Plan on a few hundred dollars in government fees, then a private pile that often lands between about $400 and $2,000 before you burn a gallon of fuel. The only fixed federal numbers are the Coast Guard user fees. 46 CFR 10.219 Table 1 sets evaluation at $100, examination at $110, and issuance at $45 for an MMC with an officer endorsement. [3][4]
The Coast Guard charges $255 in user fees for an original officer MMC under 46 CFR 10.219.
TSA bills TWIC on its own. Confirm the live enrollment price on the TSA TWIC page before you book. It has sat near $125 for a standard five-year card for years. [6]
Everything else moves. A merchant mariner physical on form CG-719K often runs about $80 to $250, depending on the clinic. A DOT 5-panel drug test with an MRO often sits around $40 to $90. First aid and CPR are commonly $50 to $150. An approved OUPV course, if you buy one, is often $400 to $1,200, plus airfare if you have to leave town.
Alaska adds a state business license. The Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing publishes a $50 fee for a two-year new business license. [7] Confirm that figure on the fee page the week you apply. Fishing charters add ADF&G professional licenses. Those prices change. Read the current ADF&G list. Do not copy a number off a dock-forum thread.
I would budget about $600 to $1,000 if you already have sea time, you study on your own, and you can sit the exam without flying. Budget $1,500 to $3,000 if you buy a class, fly to it, and you are starting from zero on first aid, TWIC, and the physical. Nobody publishes a clean statewide average. Homer is not Ketchikan.
| Cost item | Amount | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| USCG evaluation | $100 | 46 CFR 10.219 |
| USCG examination | $110 | 46 CFR 10.219 |
| USCG issuance | $45 | 46 CFR 10.219 |
| TWIC | confirm with TSA | TSA TWIC program |
| Alaska business license | $50 for two years (confirm) | DCCED CBPL |
What does the Coast Guard actually charge for the OUPV?
Three user fees hit an original officer transaction at the National Maritime Center: $100 to evaluate the file, $110 for the exam, and $45 to issue the credential. That is $255. [3][4]
Pay them when NMC tells you to pay them. Do not mail cash.
If an approved course replaces the Coast Guard exam, ask NMC whether the $110 examination fee still hits your account. I have watched people budget it and skip it. I have watched it go the other way. The regulation table is not your personal invoice.
Renewal later is cheaper. You still pay evaluation and issuance. You usually do not sit the full original exam if you keep service and medical current. Confirm the renewal row on the same NMC fees page when you get close. [4]
NMC does not charge for blank CG-719 forms. Download them. A school that sells you the government PDF is selling you a PDF.
The fee is national. You pay the same $255 structure in Alaska that a skipper pays in Florida. Location does not touch Table 1. What Alaska changes is the drive or flight to a TWIC station, a doctor who knows the 719K, and an exam site if you do not walk in with a course completion certificate.
What extra Alaska paper sits on top of the Coast Guard bill?
The MMC is federal. Your company still lives in Alaska paper.
Get the state business license if you offer a service for money. DCCED posts the current application and the $50 two-year fee. [7] Cities and boroughs may want their own tax registration. Anchorage is not an unorganized borough. Call the clerk. I would not open a booking site before that call.
If guests wet a line, you are in ADF&G space. Alaska Statute 16.40.260 requires a sport fishing operator license before you furnish those services. [11] Guides need the guide license the department issues. ADF&G lays out the stack on its professional licenses page. [8] Saltwater charter work also brings logbooks and harvest reporting. Budget the time, which costs more than the sticker.
Vessel paper is separate. A documented boat stays with the National Vessel Documentation Center. A state-numbered boat goes through Alaska boat registration. Commercial use can change how you title the hull. Ask before you assume your recreational sticker still fits.
Treat ADF&G and the business license as mandatory line items for a fishing six-pack. Skip the fish licenses only if you truly never fish. Wildlife viewing and transfer runs still need the OUPV and usually the business license.
How long does six-pack captain take in Alaska?
Sea time is the long pole. 46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service for the OUPV endorsement. [2] A day is a day you got underway and did deck work, not a calendar day you happened to own a skiff.
46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of sea service for an OUPV endorsement.
46 CFR 11.201 sets the general original-officer rules on age, first aid, CPR, and recent service. Read the current text before you claim an old deckhand season still counts. [9] Confirm recency with NMC for your file.
Once the days exist, the rest is appointment math. TWIC enrollment can take a few weeks from appointment to card in hand, sometimes longer in Alaska because enrollment sites are thin. [6] A physical and a drug test are usually same-week if the clinic knows mariners. First aid is a weekend.
NMC evaluation time moves. The Center publishes updates. I will not quote a week count here because it goes stale and this page is not NMC. Read the current processing notice the week you ship the file. Do not advertise June trips in January on a hope. No approval or timing guarantee belongs in your marketing.
Exam dates depend on whether you use an approved course or you sit a Regional Exam Center. Alaska does not always have a convenient REC seat. Factor a plane ticket.
After sea time is in hand, a careful applicant often spends one to four months collecting TWIC, medical, drug test, first aid, and a complete file, then however long NMC takes. Some files are clean. Some bounce for a missing signature. Build slack.
What sea time do you need before you can apply?
You need 360 days. [2] That number stops more people than the $255.
A typical Alaska season might bank you 60 to 100 days if you run hard. At that pace the OUPV is a multi-year project unless you already worked decks. Deckhand time on charter boats, tenders, and many commercial vessels can count if you can prove it. Keep discharge letters, unofficial logs, and form CG-719S.
Owner-operator time on your own skiff can count too. NMC gets pickier when you sign your own form. Photos, fish tickets, old booking calendars, and a witness help. Start that folder now.
Near coastal versus inland service matters for the waters printed on your card. If your days are all inside the boundary line, you may land an inland OUPV. A lot of Alaska work wants near coastal because this coast is not a closed lake. Read 46 CFR 11.467 and ask NMC before you assume Prince William Sound days are ocean days. [2]
Service on vessels of any tonnage can qualify for OUPV. You do not need 100-ton ships. You need truthful days.
Should you get inland or near coastal OUPV in Alaska?
Get near coastal unless you are certain you will never cross the boundary line. Inland OUPV is not cheaper at the Coast Guard window. The user fees are the same $255 structure. [3]
Near coastal OUPV runs out to 100 nautical miles offshore. That covers almost every six-pack product people actually sell in Alaska. Glacier bays. Outside coasts. Kodiak hops. Sitka grounds. Inland leaves you arguing with yourself at the boundary line on a flat calm day when the fish moved farther out.
If you later want 100-ton Master, the OUPV is not wasted. Sea time still counts. Exam topics overlap. I would not buy a second original path if you already know you want 100-ton.
Hawaii skippers face a similar near-coastal default. See how that stack looks in six-pack captain cost in Hawaii if you like comparing last-frontier math to island math.
Do fishing charters need more than an OUPV in Alaska?
Yes. The OUPV lets you legally operate the uninspected passenger vessel. It does not replace ADF&G. [8][11]
Operator license, guide license, and often a saltwater charter logbook sit on the fishing side. Nonresidents pay more for many ADF&G licenses. Confirm resident rules if you summer here and winter somewhere dry. Domicile arguments get expensive.
Halibut is a federal story on top of the state guide card. If you will fish halibut, read the current NMFS Alaska charter rules before you sell a seat. I am not going to invent a permit code.
Get the OUPV and TWIC in motion first. ADF&G paper is faster when your identity docs already exist. Reverse that order only if you already hold a valid MMC from another coast.
Compare the non-fishing cost picture in six-pack captain cost in California and the heavy charter notes in six-pack captain cost in Florida. The federal $255 does not change. The state barnacles do.
What does the first year of operating actually cost?
The license is the cheap part. Year one cash is insurance, moorage, gear, and fuel.
Marine liability for six-pack work in Alaska is not a number I will invent. Brokers quote from vessel value, passenger limit, waters, and your record. Get two quotes. Do not launch on a homeowner umbrella.
Moorage in Alaska harbors is seasonal and tight. Wait lists are real in the busy ports. Call the harbormaster before you buy a boat that does not fit the stall you can actually rent.
Uninspected passenger vessel safety gear is mandatory. Wearable PFDs for everyone, a throwable, visual distress signals, a sound signal, a fire extinguisher, nav lights. That shopping trip is a few hundred dollars on a small skiff if you already own some of it. More if you do not. I would not cheap out on cold-water flotation here.
Fuel in Southeast and out the chain is painful. Price it per trip, not per gallon at a Lower 48 pump.
If you already have the time and you only need a study path, OUPVPath publishes a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit at /start. Use it if it fits. Skip it if you want a live classroom.
What is a waste of money when you budget this?
Skip framed captain wall certificates from random websites. They are not MMCs.
Skip paying a consultant to fill out CG-719B unless your file is a mess of foreign sea time. The form is ugly. It is not Latin.
Skip buying an inspected 50-ton hull for a six-guest product. You will pay inspection money for a trip you advertised as six packs.
Be careful with multi-day hotel courses in another state if you already test well on Nav Rules. Pay for the class if you fail a timed Rules of the Road quiz twice. That class is tuition, not a souvenir.
I would not buy radar observer for a pure inland OUPV plan. Near coastal six-pack still does not always need it. Add radar later if a job listing asks.
Compare thinner inland stacks like six-pack captain cost in Idaho or six-pack captain cost in Colorado if you want to see how little state paper some places add. Alaska is not those places.
How does Alaska compare to other states on six-pack cost?
The Coast Guard bill is national. [3] Alaska runs expensive because of travel, ADF&G, weather gear, and fuel, not because Juneau invented a captain tax.
Georgia charges you the same $100, $110, and $45. The state pieces on top differ. If you like that contrast, read six-pack captain cost in Georgia.
What you cannot copy from another state is sea-time climate. A 360-day deck career in Alaska is weather-limited. That is time cost, and time cost is real money if you are not already working on the water.
You also cannot copy another state's TWIC appointment density. Rural Alaska means a plane ride for fingerprints more often than a drive. Put that airfare in the license budget, not the vacation budget.
What documents go in the USCG six-pack package?
The file NMC wants is boring and specific. Application CG-719B. Medical CG-719K. Drug test CG-719P. Sea service on CG-719S or discharges. TWIC, or proof you enrolled. First aid and CPR. Citizenship or legal presence. Photos and prints as the current instructions say. [10][12][13]
Medical standards live in the NMC medical program. Your doctor does not pass you. Coast Guard medical evaluators do. A local sports-physical stamp is not enough if the form is wrong. [10]
TWIC is required to hold the MMC. [6][12] Start TWIC early. Alaska appointments fill.
Keep copies of everything you mail or upload. NMC will ask for the one page you cannot find.
OUPV exam topics cover Rules of the Road, navigation general, deck general, and deck safety. Pass them, or present an approved course certificate that NMC accepts in place of those modules.
Can you skip the license with a bareboat setup in Alaska?
A true bareboat charter, where the customer takes legal control of the vessel and you are not the operator, is a different product. The Coast Guard looks at who actually runs the boat, who hires the crew, and who can fire the skipper. If you are at the helm and they paid you, you are not in a magic loophole.
I would not build an Alaska six-pack season on a bareboat theory you read in a thread. If you want that structure, talk to a lawyer who has done vessel charters. Then still learn the OUPV material.
You do not need an OUPV to run your own recreational boat with unpaid friends. The moment money, an advertised trip, or a retained helm enters, stop and read 46 CFR 15.605 again. [1]
Confirm every live fee and form edition with NMC, TSA, DCCED, and ADF&G. This page is a map. It is not your approval.
OUPVPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. We do not file your MMC and we do not speak for the Coast Guard.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Alaska?
Yes, if you carry passengers for hire on U.S. waters. You need a USCG merchant mariner credential endorsed as OUPV. Alaska has no substitute state captain license. Fishing charters also need ADF&G operator and guide licenses. Unpaid recreational trips with friends are a different story. Confirm your exact use with NMC and ADF&G.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Alaska?
Coast Guard user fees for an original officer MMC are $255 ($100 evaluation, $110 examination, $45 issuance) under 46 CFR 10.219. Add TWIC, a physical, a drug test, first aid, and optional course tuition. Alaska's two-year business license is published at $50. ADF&G fishing-guide fees change. Confirm live prices before you budget.
How long does six-pack captain take in Alaska?
The 360-day sea-service requirement in 46 CFR 11.467 is usually the multi-year piece. After those days exist, TWIC, medical, drug test, and first aid often take one to four months if you stay on it. NMC evaluation time changes. Check the Center's current processing notice. Do not sell trips against a guessed date.
Is the Alaska six-pack license different from the federal OUPV?
No. The six-pack is the federal OUPV endorsement on a merchant mariner credential. Alaska does not print a parallel captain card. What Alaska adds is business licensing and, for guided fishing, ADF&G professional licenses. You still apply to the National Maritime Center, not to a state captain board.
Do I need a near coastal OUPV for Alaska waters?
Most working skippers should get near coastal. It covers up to 100 nautical miles offshore and matches how people actually run this coast. Inland only fits if you will stay inside the boundary line forever. USCG user fees are the same either way. Ask NMC how your logged waters will code before you pick.
Can a nonresident get an OUPV and guide in Alaska?
Yes on the federal side. Citizenship or legal presence rules for the MMC are national, not Alaskan. ADF&G charges nonresidents more for many sport-fish professional licenses and checks domicile. Do not assume a Lower 48 address still counts as resident. Read the current ADF&G definitions before you pay the cheaper rate.
Does the $255 USCG fee include the exam course?
No. The $255 is only NMC user fees for evaluation, examination, and issuance. An approved school is a private bill, often a few hundred to a bit over a thousand dollars. If a course waives the Coast Guard exam, ask NMC whether the $110 examination fee still applies to your transaction.
Do I need STCW for six-pack work in Alaska?
Most uninspected six-pack OUPV work does not need a full STCW deck package. STCW shows up more on inspected vessels and certain international voyages. If you will work yachts, inspected passenger vessels, or foreign voyages, ask NMC before you skip it. Do not buy a pile of STCW modules on a guess.
What happens if I carry a seventh paying passenger?
You leave six-pack territory. The boat generally becomes subject to inspection, and the operator credential is no longer a plain OUPV on an uninspected hull. That is a different business, a different Coast Guard subchapter, and usually a Master endorsement. Do not squeeze one more aboard to make a Saturday whole.
Is insurance required to hold the MMC?
No. The Coast Guard does not make you buy liability insurance to be issued an OUPV. Harbors, landowners, and booking platforms often will. For paid trips in Alaska I would not launch without a marine liability quote from a broker who actually writes six-pack risks. A homeowner policy is the wrong tool.
Can I use sea time on my own skiff?
Often yes, if the days are real and you can document them on CG-719S. NMC looks harder at self-certified owner time than at discharges from a company. Keep photos, fish tickets, old calendars, and a witness who will sign. Fake days are a credential problem, not a paperwork inconvenience.
How often do you renew an OUPV?
Officer endorsements are typically issued for five years. Renewal uses a lighter fee row on the same 46 CFR 10.219 table, usually evaluation plus issuance, if you meet medical and service rules. Confirm the current renewal checklist and fees with NMC. Do not let the card lapse in the middle of a booked season.
Do I need a TWIC if I only run Alaska state waters?
Plan on yes. Holding an MMC generally requires a TWIC under the credential rules, even if your trips never leave Alaska. Start enrollment early because the state has few sites. Confirm any narrow exception with NMC in writing. Do not skip the appointment because a friend said state waters do not count.
Sources
- eCFR 46 CFR 15.605 Credentialed operators for uninspected passenger vessels: Uninspected passenger vessels must be under the direction and control of an individual holding an MMC endorsed as OUPV.
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.467 OUPV endorsement requirements: An OUPV endorsement requires 360 days of qualifying service.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.219 Fees: Table 1 sets original officer MMC user fees at $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance.
- USCG National Maritime Center user fees page: NMC collects the 46 CFR 10.219 evaluation, examination, and issuance fees on credential transactions.
- U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. 8903 Uninspected passenger vessels: An uninspected passenger vessel must be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary for that type of vessel and waters.
- TSA Transportation Worker Identification Credential program: TSA publishes current TWIC enrollment requirements and fees for the five-year card used with an MMC.
- Alaska DCCED Business Licensing Forms and Fees: Alaska publishes a $50 fee for a new two-year state business license.
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.201 General officer endorsement requirements: Original officer endorsements are subject to general rules on age, first aid, CPR, and recent service.
- USCG NMC medical certificates: Merchant mariner medical certification uses form CG-719K and is decided by Coast Guard medical evaluators.
- Alaska Statute 16.40.260 Sport fishing operator license: A person may not furnish services as a sport fishing operator in Alaska without the department license.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.203 TWIC requirement: Applicants for a merchant mariner credential must hold a TWIC as required by the credential rules.
- USCG NMC application checklists: NMC publishes the document checklists used to assemble an original officer MMC application.