Last updated 2026-08-18
TL;DR
Alabama does not issue a six-pack captain license. Carrying passengers for hire takes a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV endorsement. You still need Alabama vessel paper, local business licensing, and any ADCNR fishing or for-hire credentials that match your trips. Plan on 360 days of sea time. Confirm current USCG fees and NMC processing before you file.
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Alabama?
Yes, if anyone pays to ride. Alabama does not print a six-pack captain license. The card comes from the U.S. Coast Guard as a Merchant Mariner Credential with an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels endorsement.
Montgomery has no captain board for this. A state boating safety certificate is not a substitute. A fishing license is not a substitute either.
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 in a particular geographic area, under prescribed regulations." [1] That is the whole argument. Passenger-for-hire trip, uninspected boat, licensed operator in control. No wiggle room.
46 U.S.C. 2101 defines passenger for hire as "a passenger for whom consideration is contributed as a condition of carriage on the vessel, whether directly or indirectly flowing to the owner, charterer, operator, agent, or any other person having an interest in the vessel." [2] A Venmo for a "spot on Saturday" sits right inside that sentence. Treat any payment tied to the ride as a license problem.
Run your own recreational boat in Alabama and you need no OUPV. The minute the ride is the product, the federal card is the license. State vessel numbering, city business paper, and ADCNR fishing products stack on top. They do not replace the MMC.
Want the business sequence after the card? Read how to start six-pack captain in Alabama. That path is operations. This page is the license itself.
How much does a six-pack captain license cost in Alabama?
There is no Alabama six-pack fee. The license is federal. Your cash stack is Coast Guard user fees, identity and medical paper, a course if you take one, then state and city items.
46 CFR 10.219 Table 1 lists the Coast Guard user fees for an original officer endorsement. The table has long set evaluation at $100, examination at $110, and issuance at $45. [3] Confirm that table the week you pay. DHS can amend it. Finish a Coast Guard approved OUPV course and you often skip the exam sitting, which means you may not owe the examination line. Ask the school which fee codes NMC will bill.
TSA sets the TWIC fee on its official TWIC page. Check the live number before you book an enrollment center. [4] Do not mail a blogger's old dollar figure.
The physical is form CG-719K, done by a licensed medical practitioner. Clinics charge their own price. Same for the pre-employment drug test under 46 CFR Part 16. [5] Skip the branded "captain medical package" from a marketing site. A local clinic that already does DOT work can complete CG-719K for less.
OUPV schools set their own tuition. Get two quotes. An approved course earns its keep if you have never sat a deck exam. A second weekend cram after you already hold the course certificate is money down the drain.
Then Alabama adds its own cash. State-numbered boats go through ALEA Marine Patrol registration. [6] You will see a county or municipal business license where you take money, plus Alabama business privilege tax if your entity hits that statute. [7] Saltwater or freshwater for-hire fishing products, if your trips catch fish, come from ADCNR. Confirm this year's prices on the Outdoor Alabama fee pages. [8] I will not invent the current schedule.
A working range for the federal card itself (user fees, TWIC, medical, drug test, course) often lands roughly $800 to $2,000, driven mostly by school tuition. That is a market range, not a government figure. Boat payments, insurance, and slips dwarf all of it.
| Item | Who sets it | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| USCG evaluation | 46 CFR 10.219 | Live Table 1 |
| USCG examination | 46 CFR 10.219 | Often skipped after an approved course |
| USCG issuance | 46 CFR 10.219 | Live Table 1 |
| TWIC | TSA | Current TSA TWIC fee |
| CG-719K physical | Your clinician | Clinic cash price |
| Drug test | 46 CFR Part 16 | SAMHSA lab |
| Vessel numbering | ALEA Marine Patrol | Current AL schedule |
| Business license | City or county | Local revenue office |
| Fishing or for-hire paper | ADCNR | Outdoor Alabama fees |
How long does a six-pack captain license take in Alabama?
Sea time is the long pole. A standard OUPV endorsement needs 360 days of service under 46 CFR 11.467. [9] Ninety of those days have to be recent, inside the 3 years before you apply. Nobody in Alabama can waive that clock.
On vessels under 100 GRT, 46 CFR 10.107 treats a service day as 4 hours for these calculations. [10] That helps small-boat people. It is still a pile of real days on the water if you only run weekends. Start the sea service letters now, not after you pay a school.
The classroom piece, if you take an approved course, runs consecutive days, not months. Book the course after the sea service letters are drafted. Sitting class with unfinished time is how people waste a certificate they thought they could sit on.
NMC processing time moves. The National Maritime Center posts current averages. Do not trust a school that promises a credential date. There is no statutory Alabama captain wait. TWIC appointments back up. Medical holds happen when CG-719K is sloppy or incomplete.
If the 360 days are already in the book, the remaining paper path often runs weeks to a few months in ordinary files, and longer when NMC kicks the packet back. Confirm current NMC timing. Do not plan a charter season on a guess.
What does a six-pack captain license actually allow in Alabama?
An OUPV endorsement lets you operate an uninspected passenger vessel of not more than 100 gross tons while carrying not more than 6 passengers. That passenger cap is why people say six-pack. It is a federal vessel class, not an Alabama marketing term. [2]
46 CFR 15.605 is blunt. The operator of an uninspected passenger vessel has to be a licensed OUPV. [13] Your waters still have to match the route on the card. Inland is not near-coastal. Near-coastal covers inland too. Oceans is a different, higher path.
You can run the boat for hire in Mobile Bay, along the Gulf out of Orange Beach or Gulf Shores, or on a north Alabama lake, as long as the endorsement route matches that water and the passenger count stays at 6 or fewer. The MMC is national. You do not get a second card when you cross from Mississippi or Florida. You do pick up Alabama vessel, tax, and fishing paper when the trip is here.
OUPV does not let you advertise a 12 person sunset cruise on an uninspected hull. That is how people earn a boarding they will remember. Want more than 6 paying passengers? You are in inspected-vessel territory (a Certificate of Inspection) and a different officer endorsement, usually Master.
Auxiliary sail is a separate add-on if you want to carry passengers under sail. Radar observer is not required for a plain OUPV. Do not buy radar school until a job or a raise-of-grade actually asks for it.
How much sea time do you need for an OUPV in Alabama?
An applicant for a standard OUPV endorsement needs 360 days of service under 46 CFR 11.467. [9] That figure is national. Alabama does not add a second sea-time board.
You also need recent time. The regulation wants 90 days inside the 3 years before the application. Old Navy or old charter time still counts toward the 360 if it is documented, but the recent-service piece is what kills dusty files.
On vessels under 100 GRT, 46 CFR 10.107 counts a day as 4 hours for this subchapter. [10] Most six-pack boats in Alabama sit under that tonnage line. A long Gulf day can be one service day. A two-hour sunset hop may not.
Document it like an adult. Names of vessels, official numbers or state numbers, gross tonnage, route, dates, and a signature from the owner or master. Self-owned time needs extra care (proof you actually ran the boat). NMC rejects vague letters. "About 400 days, various boats" gets you nowhere.
Limited or restricted OUPV endorsements live in the same section for narrower waters or platforms. Those can carry different service math. If you only want one lake, ask NMC whether a limited endorsement is even worth the extra explanation. For most people chasing paid charters on the Gulf, the ordinary near-coastal OUPV is the cleaner card.
Do you need inland or near-coastal OUPV for Alabama waters?
It depends on the water, not on your zip code. Inland covers rivers, lakes, and specified inland waters. Near-coastal covers those waters plus the near-coastal ocean route printed on the card. Gulf trips out of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Dauphin Island, or Fort Morgan want near-coastal. A Guntersville or Lake Martin only business can live on inland.
Mobile Bay trips are where people argue with themselves. Do not guess from a forum. Match the route to how the Coast Guard treats that water and to the trips you will sell. If there is any chance you will clear the bay for the Gulf, file near-coastal. Re-testing later is a pain.
Near-coastal OUPV still needs the 360-day pile, with the ocean or near-coastal days the regulation asks for. Inland applicants keep their service on inland waters. Read 46 CFR 11.467 for the split rather than a school's sales page. [9]
The same MMC works in other states when the route fits. An Alabama-based near-coastal OUPV is the same federal card a California or Alaska applicant receives. The difference is local vessel, tax, and fishing paper. Compare six-pack captain license in California or six-pack captain license in Alaska if you will work more than one coast.
What Alabama paper sits on top of the Coast Guard card?
The MMC is not a business license and it is not a fishing permit. Alabama still wants its own stack.
Undocumented motorboats used on Alabama waters need state numbering through ALEA Marine Patrol. [6] USCG documented vessels follow National Vessel Documentation Center rules and still may owe Alabama use or numbering decal steps. Confirm that split with ALEA for your hull. Do not assume a federal document makes the boat invisible to Montgomery.
Take money and you will meet a city or county business license where you board guests. Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Mobile, and inland lake towns do not share one form. Alabama also runs a business privilege tax through the Department of Revenue for entities that meet that statute. [7] Confirm with the Department of Revenue and the city clerk. I would not open Instagram ads before those two calls.
Fishing changes the pile again. ADCNR Marine Resources and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries sell the recreational and commercial products. For-hire saltwater trips need whatever charter or license product Outdoor Alabama lists for that year. [8] The product names move. Pull the current list. Do not copy a 2019 forum post.
Insurance is not a license. Carriers still want the MMC, a current survey, and a passenger limit that matches OUPV. That premium will dwarf the Coast Guard fees.
Want a single checklist that lines up the Coast Guard forms with a bareboat file? OUPVPath publishes a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit. You can also pull every government form free from NMC and TSA. The statutes do not care which folder you use.
What medical, drug test, TWIC, and first aid paper do you file?
Four pieces travel with almost every original OUPV file. Skip one and NMC parks the application.
The physical is CG-719K. A licensed medical practitioner completes it. NMC's medical certificate page is the place to read current instructions. [14] Answer the form honestly. Hidden meds and blank fields create holds. There is no Alabama "harbor doctor" you must use.
Drug testing sits in 46 CFR Part 16. A pre-employment test from an accepted lab, or proof you are already in a random program, is the usual ticket. [5] A drugstore cup does not count.
TWIC is a TSA credential. You enroll at a TSA-authorized center, get printed, and keep the card valid. [4] OUPV applicants should plan on holding TWIC unless NMC tells you a narrow exception applies. Confirm on the current NMC checklist, not on a Facebook group.
First aid and CPR come from 46 CFR 11.201. The completions have to be current inside the window NMC will accept, commonly within one year of application. [11] Take a plain Red Cross or equivalent class and keep the cards. Do not buy a $400 "maritime first aid retreat" unless an employer wrote that standard into a job offer.
Age is 18 for OUPV under the same general section. [11] Bring a passport or the identity stack NMC lists. A photocopy of a faded student ID wastes months.
How do you apply for the MMC if you live in Alabama?
You apply to the Coast Guard National Maritime Center, not to ALEA and not to ADCNR. The application is the CG-719B family of forms plus sea service, medical, drug, TWIC, first aid, and any course completion. Pay the 46 CFR 10.219 user fees the way NMC is collecting them that month, often through Pay.gov. [3] [12]
NMC is in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Alabama has no separate captain exam hall you must visit if an approved course covers the exam. Sit a Coast Guard exam instead and you schedule through NMC. Confirm the current delivery method on the NMC officer pages. Schools love to imply they "issue" the license. They do not.
Assemble the sea service letters first, then medical and TWIC, then the course, then the application. Reverse that order and you pay twice.
Keep copies of everything you upload. When NMC asks a question, answer that question. Do not send a five-page autobiography.
OUPVPath is not the Coast Guard and cannot see your file. Status checks go through NMC's published channels. Anyone selling "we expedite MMCs" is selling you a story.
Can you carry more than six passengers on an Alabama six-pack boat?
No. The uninspected passenger vessel class under 100 GRT is capped at not more than 6 passengers. [2] Crew is not a passenger. Friends who did not pay are a fact pattern you should walk through with someone who reads 46 U.S.C. 2101 for a living, because "my buddy rode free" gets messy once money changed hands anywhere in the trip.
More than 6 paying passengers means an inspected passenger vessel and a Certificate of Inspection. That is a different boat, a different manning scale, and usually a Master endorsement, not OUPV. The jump is expensive. A lot of first-year operators are happier staying inside 6 and running more trips.
Charter fishing ads in Orange Beach sometimes blur head boats and six-packs. Look at the COI on the bulkhead, or the lack of one. If you are the operator, you need the endorsement that matches the vessel's actual inspection status. Borrowing a friend's 28-foot center console does not turn it into a 20 passenger party boat.
Same story on inland lakes. A pontoon with 10 paying sunset guests is not an OUPV operation. I would rather turn the booking down than explain it to a boarding officer.
What is a waste of money on the Alabama six-pack path?
Framed "captain kits" from a marketplace seller. Decorative patches. A second exam weekend after you already hold an approved course certificate. Paying a consultant to fill CG-719B when you can read the NMC checklist yourself.
Skip radar observer and STCW basic training for a plain near-coastal OUPV unless a specific job wrote it into the offer. Those classes are real. They are just the wrong year-one spend for most Alabama six-pack boats.
Do not prepay a year of slip and a wrap on the hull before the MMC is in your hand. Sea time and NMC medical holds still exist. The boat payment does not care.
A cheap online first aid card from a site you cannot verify is also a waste, because NMC may bounce it and you will take the class again. Pay once for a provider 46 CFR 11.201 will recognize. [11]
Compare that to paper that actually moves the file: TWIC, a clean CG-719K, sea service letters with official numbers, and the 10.219 fees paid the way NMC asks. [3] [12]
What should you do first if you live in Alabama?
Count your days. If you are short of 360, the next useful act is logged time on a real boat, with a letter trail, not another browser tab. [9] If the days are there, book TWIC and the physical the same week, then pick an approved course.
Decide inland versus near-coastal before you pay a school. Gulf work wants near-coastal. A Guntersville-only plan can stay inland and skip ocean modules you will never use.
Call ALEA about the hull and ADCNR about the fishing product that matches the trips you will sell. [6] [8] Call the city where you will board guests. Those three calls prevent a licensed captain with an illegal shop.
Neighbor-state paper is the same federal card with different local add-ons. If you will also work Arkansas lakes or a second coast, skim how to start six-pack captain in Arkansas or how to start six-pack captain in California. For a colder contrast, how to start six-pack captain in Alaska shows how local fisheries paper changes when the Coast Guard piece does not.
OUPVPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. Nobody here can approve your MMC. If you still want the $149 USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit after you have read the statutes, it is at /start. The free path is the eCFR, NMC, TSA, ALEA, and Outdoor Alabama.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Alabama?
Yes, if you carry passengers for hire. Alabama does not issue that card. You need a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV endorsement under 46 U.S.C. 8903 and 46 CFR 11.467. A state boating safety certificate and a fishing license do not replace it. Recreational use of your own boat does not require OUPV.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Alabama?
There is no Alabama six-pack fee. 46 CFR 10.219 Table 1 has long listed original officer evaluation at $100, examination at $110, and issuance at $45. Confirm the live table. Add TSA TWIC, a CG-719K physical, a Part 16 drug test, optional school tuition, then ALEA vessel paper and local business and ADCNR fees. Federal-card cash often lands roughly $800 to $2,000.
How long does six-pack captain take in Alabama?
The 360 service days in 46 CFR 11.467 are the real clock. Ninety days must fall in the last 3 years. An approved course is days, not months. NMC processing changes. Check current NMC averages and do not let a school promise a credential date. TWIC appointments and medical holds can stretch a clean-looking file.
Does Alabama issue its own captain license?
No. There is no Montgomery six-pack board. Licensing of operators on uninspected passenger vessels is federal. Alabama still issues vessel numbers through ALEA, business licenses through cities and counties, and fishing or for-hire products through ADCNR. Those are extra papers, not a substitute MMC.
Is an Alabama boating safety card the same as a six-pack license?
No. The boating safety course is a state education credential for recreational operators. OUPV is a Coast Guard officer endorsement on a Merchant Mariner Credential. You can hold both. Only the MMC lets you carry passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel. Keep the safety card if Alabama law wants it on the recreational side of your life.
Do I need near-coastal OUPV for Mobile Bay and the Gulf?
Gulf trips out of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Dauphin Island, or Fort Morgan want a near-coastal route. A lakes-only plan can use inland. Mobile Bay is where people guess wrong. Match the endorsement to the trips you will sell, and read 46 CFR 11.467 rather than a forum. If you might clear the bay, file near-coastal.
Does a six-pack license from another state work in Alabama?
The MMC is federal, so there is no separate Alabama stamp. An OUPV issued to a California or Connecticut resident is the same credential. The route on the card still has to match the water. You still pick up Alabama vessel, tax, and fishing paper when you operate here. See also six-pack captain license in Arkansas for a nearby inland contrast.
How many passengers can a six-pack captain carry in Alabama?
Not more than 6 passengers on an uninspected passenger vessel under 100 GRT. That cap is in the federal definition, not in an Alabama brochure. More paying guests means an inspected vessel with a Certificate of Inspection and, usually, a Master endorsement. Advertising a 10 person pontoon sunset trip on an OUPV is how boardings go badly.
Do you need a TWIC for OUPV if you live in Alabama?
Plan on it. TSA issues TWIC. NMC's current original-officer checklist is the document that tells you whether your file requires the card. Most OUPV applicants enroll, pay the posted TSA fee, and keep the TWIC valid. Confirm on NMC and tsa.gov before you skip it. A Facebook exception story is not a checklist.
What form is the Coast Guard captain physical?
CG-719K, completed by a licensed medical practitioner. NMC reviews it and issues the medical certificate. Use the current form on the National Maritime Center medical page. Any clinic that already does thorough DOT-style exams can usually handle it. You do not need an Alabama-only maritime clinic.
Do lake charters on Guntersville or Lake Martin need OUPV?
If guests pay to ride, yes. Inland waters still fall under 46 U.S.C. 8903 when the vessel is an uninspected passenger vessel. The endorsement can be inland rather than near-coastal. You still need sea service, medical, drug, and application paper. ADCNR freshwater rules and local business licensing still apply on top.
Can you skip the license with a bareboat charter in Alabama?
Only if the arrangement is a true demise charter under Coast Guard interpretations, with the charterer in command and no paid captain supplied as part of the deal. Most "we drive, you fish" ads are passenger-for-hire. Get the structure reviewed before you market it. A stacked bareboat file is paperwork. It is not a loophole you invent on a dock.
Do you need radar or STCW for an Alabama six-pack?
Not for a plain OUPV. Radar observer and STCW basic training are real credentials, and some employers want them. They are usually the wrong first-year spend for a six-passenger center console out of Alabama. Buy them when a job or a raise-of-grade writes them down. Spend the first dollars on TWIC, CG-719K, and clean sea service letters.
Sources
- 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 for that vessel type and geographic area.
- U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 46 U.S.C. § 2101: Federal definitions of passenger for hire and uninspected passenger vessel, including the not-more-than-6-passenger class under 100 GRT.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 10.219 (user fees): Table 1 sets Coast Guard MMC officer user fees, including original evaluation $100, examination $110, and issuance $45.
- Transportation Security Administration, TWIC program page: TSA administers TWIC enrollment and posts the current TWIC fee that OUPV applicants must confirm before booking.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 16.210 (pre-employment chemical testing): Marine employers must require a pre-employment drug test before a crewmember starts work covered by Part 16.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 11.467 (OUPV endorsements): Standard OUPV endorsements require 360 days of service, with inland versus near-coastal splits and a recent-service requirement.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 10.107 (definitions, including day): On vessels of less than 100 GRT, a service day for these requirements is counted as 4 hours.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 11.201 (general officer requirements): General original-officer rules include minimum age for OUPV and current first aid and CPR evidence.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Fees: NMC restates MMC user fees and current payment instructions that applicants should confirm before filing.
- eCFR, 46 CFR 15.605 (OUPV manning): The operator of an uninspected passenger vessel must hold a licensed OUPV endorsement.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Medical Certificate: NMC publishes current medical certificate instructions and the CG-719K process for officer applicants.
- Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Marine Patrol Division: ALEA Marine Patrol handles Alabama vessel numbering and registration for undocumented motorboats used on state waters.
- Alabama Department of Revenue, Business Privilege Tax: Alabama levies a business privilege tax on entities that meet the statute, administered by the Department of Revenue.