Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Delaware does not print the card. You need a U.S. Coast Guard MMC with an OUPV (six-pack) endorsement to carry up to six passengers for hire. Plan on 360 days of sea time, a TWIC, a medical exam, a drug test, and a Delaware business license if you run it as a business. USCG user fees sit in 46 CFR 10.219. Confirm processing with NMC. No timing guarantees.
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Delaware?
Yes, the second you carry one passenger for hire. Federal law puts a licensed operator on every uninspected passenger vessel. Delaware prints no substitute captain card, and a state boat registration is not permission to carry paying guests.
The statute 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 in the particular geographic area, under prescribed regulations." [1] The Coast Guard wrote the matching manning rule in 46 CFR 15.605. A self-propelled uninspected vessel described in 46 U.S.C. 8903 that carries six or fewer passengers must carry an individual holding an MMC endorsed as operator of uninspected passenger vessels. [3]
People still try to talk themselves out of this. Splitting fuel with friends is one thing. Posting a trip, taking Venmo, and running a route is another. If money changes hands for the ride, treat it as carriage for hire and get the credential. The definition of an uninspected passenger vessel lives in 46 U.S.C. § 2101. For boats under 100 gross tons, the usual six-pack box is not more than six passengers, including at least one passenger for hire. [2]
Bareboat is the other fork. If you truly demise the boat, meaning the charterer takes possession and control, picks the operator, and does not hire you as captain, that is a different paper path. Most "I will drive, you pay" ads are not bareboat. If you are the operator and they are paying, you need the six-pack.
You also need the geographic endorsement that matches the water. A card limited to inland waters does not cover a run outside the Delaware Bay boundary line. More on that below. The license itself is national. It works on Delaware water the same way it works on California water. The state piece is the business and boat layer, not the captain card.
What is a six-pack captain license in Delaware?
A six-pack captain license in Delaware is a federal Merchant Mariner Credential with an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels endorsement. It is not a Delaware occupational license and it is not a DNREC boating safety card.
OUPV is the Coast Guard name. Six-pack is the dock name, because the common limit is six paying passengers on an uninspected boat under 100 GRT. 46 CFR 11.467 is the qualification section for that endorsement. [4] The MMC comes from the National Maritime Center, not from Dover and not from a marina.
You will hear people call it a captain's license, a six-pack ticket, or "my Coast Guard card." Same thing, as long as the endorsement line reads OUPV. Master 25/50/100-ton is a different, higher endorsement. Do not buy a 100-ton course if you only need OUPV. That upsell is common and usually a waste in year one.
The credential is national. Once NMC issues it, you can run trips in Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, or Connecticut waters if the route matches your inland or near-coastal limit and the boat stays in the uninspected six-passenger box. Delaware can still tax the business and register the hull. It cannot replace the MMC.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Delaware?
The only fixed federal user fees are the ones in 46 CFR 10.219. For an original officer endorsement the regulation lists $100 to evaluate, $110 to examine, and $45 to issue. [5] Confirm what Pay.gov actually charges on the NMC fees page before you send money, because you pay the live collection process, not a blog number. [9]
Everything else is market priced or set by another agency. TSA sets the TWIC fee on its TWIC page. [10] A CG-719K physical is whatever a doctor charges. A DOT five-panel drug test is whatever the clinic charges. An approved OUPV course runs anywhere from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand, depending on the school and whether you sit in a Mid-Atlantic classroom or take a self-paced class. Nobody publishes a clean Delaware-only average. Budget the USCG trio first, then get written quotes for TWIC, the physical, the drug screen, and one approved course.
Skip the extras you do not need. Radar observer is not an OUPV requirement. STCW basic training is not required for a domestic six-pack that stays off international voyages. A 100-ton master class is a different license. If a school bundles those, ask them to unbundle.
Delaware adds a business-license layer if you operate for profit. Title 30 of the Delaware Code requires a state business license for most occupations and activities carried on in the state. [11] The dollar amount sits on the Division of Revenue schedule and moves. Confirm the class and fee with Revenue. Do not mail a number you found on a forum. Gross receipts tax is a separate Delaware calculation on the same side of the house. [13]
Insurance is usually the real check you write, and it is not a government fee. Get a quote from a marine insurer that understands six-pack work before you advertise trips. Do not buy a new boat to look official before the MMC is in hand. That is how people light money on fire.
| Cost piece | Who sets it | Honest move |
|---|---|---|
| USCG evaluation / exam / issuance | 46 CFR 10.219 and NMC | Pay the live NMC amount [5][9] |
| TWIC | TSA | Use the current TSA TWIC fee [10] |
| Physical and drug test | Clinic market | Call two clinics, pick the cheaper complete packet |
| OUPV course | Private schools | Buy an approved OUPV course, not a 100-ton bundle |
| Delaware business license | Division of Revenue / Title 30 | Confirm class and fee with Revenue [11][13] |
How long does six-pack captain take in Delaware?
Sea time is the long pole, not the week you spend on a course. 46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service in the operation of vessels to qualify for OUPV. Near-coastal also needs 90 of those days on ocean or near-coastal waters. [4] If you do not have the days, no school in Lewes can manufacture them.
Once the days exist, the rest is a stack of appointments plus NMC review. TWIC enrollment, a physical, a drug test, first aid and CPR, and either an approved course or a sit-down exam at a Regional Exam Center. Course length is often several days in person or spread out online. I cannot quote a current NMC calendar time. Processing moves. The National Maritime Center posts status information on its credential pages. Check that, and do not let a school guarantee a ship date. [8]
Recency matters. General officer rules in 46 CFR 11.201 include service and other original-issue conditions like age, medical, and chemical testing. [6] If your last underway day was years ago, read the recency rule before you pay a school.
A clean, complete packet beats a cheap packet. Missing TWIC, an incomplete CG-719K, or a sea-service letter that does not identify the vessel will bounce you into a correspondence loop. That loop is how a two-month file becomes a six-month file. Nobody has a trustworthy public dataset on first-pass approval rates. The closest honest advice is simple: follow the NMC checklist and do not invent sea days.
Starting from zero days? Count in years, not weekends. 360 days is a job, not a hobby summer. If you already have the days on your own small boat, the calendar after the course is mostly waiting on NMC and TSA.
What sea time does the Coast Guard require?
360 days. That number lives in 46 CFR 11.467, not in Delaware code. Inland OUPV is 360 days in the operation of vessels. An OUPV that is not limited to inland waters still needs 360 days, and 90 of those days must be on ocean or near-coastal waters. [4]
How a day gets counted is 46 CFR 10.232, not dock folklore. Read that section before you write letters. People both undercount and delay themselves, or overcount and get questioned. [15] A letter that only says "John ran my boat a lot in 2023" is junk. NMC wants vessel identifiers, dates, waters, horsepower or tonnage, and the capacity you served in.
Your own boat can count. You still need proof. Keep a log with dates, places, and hours. Pair it with registration or documentation, photos if you have them, and a signed small-vessel sea service form. If you worked for a licensed operator, get a letter on their letterhead. Do not buy weekend sea-time cruises that promise 360 days of credit. That is a waste of money and a good way to earn a rejection.
Near-coastal time is the Delaware-specific trap. Time on Rehoboth Bay and the river inside the boundary line is inland time. Time outside the capes is the 90-day bucket. If you want to run Lewes to the beach or across toward Cape May, plan the 90 days now, not after you already paid for an inland-only course.
Inland or near coastal for Delaware Bay and the Inland Bays?
Inland covers a lot of pretty water and skips the trip many Delaware captains actually sell. The licensing line is the Coast Guard boundary line in 46 CFR part 7, not the "it feels like a bay" test. 46 CFR 7.45 sets the Delaware Bay and tributaries line off Cape May and Cape Henlopen. [7]
46 CFR 10.107 defines inland waters as waters shoreward of those part 7 boundary lines, and near-coastal as ocean waters not more than 200 miles offshore. [14] Indian River Bay, Rehoboth Bay, the C&D Canal, and the Delaware River above that line all sit on the inland side for this purpose. Once you leave through the mouth and work the Atlantic, you are in near-coastal territory.
If you only fish the Inland Bays and never clear Indian River Inlet into the ocean, inland OUPV can be the honest endorsement. If your plan includes artificial reefs, a canyon edge, or a hop toward New Jersey, get near-coastal. Upgrading later means more paper and another NMC wait. Take near-coastal if you have the 90 days. Do not lie about the 90 days to get it.
The six-passenger and under-100 GRT box does not change with the water. The endorsement line does. Carry the MMC on board. If a boarding officer asks, the geographic limit on the card is what they read, not your website copy.
What paperwork goes to the National Maritime Center?
The application is federal. You send it to NMC, not to a Delaware office. The working pile is an MMC application (CG-719B), a medical certificate application (CG-719K), chemical-test evidence (CG-719P or an accepted equivalent), proof of identity and citizenship or lawful permanent residence, sea-service evidence, first aid and CPR, TWIC, and either an approved-course completion or an exam report. Pull current editions from the Coast Guard forms pages. Old PDFs fail. [8]
NMC, not Dover, evaluates officer endorsements. Their merchant mariner credential pages are the checklist that matters. [8] A forms kit only helps if it points at the current CG-719 editions. OUPVPath sells a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit at /start if you want that stack in one folder. You can also download every form free from the Coast Guard and ignore the kit.
Photos, signatures, and dates are where tidy people still fail. The physical has to be complete. The drug test has to meet the chemical-testing rules, not a random clinic special. Sea-service letters have to identify the vessel. If you use an approved course in place of the REC exam, the certificate has to still be in its acceptance window when NMC opens the file.
Mail only what the current instructions ask for. Extra character-reference essays do not help. A cover letter that argues with 46 CFR 11.467 does not help. If NMC asks a question, answer that question. Then wait. Refresh status on their site instead of calling daily.
TWIC, physical, and drug test: what actually fails people?
TWIC is a TSA card, not a Delaware ID. Enroll through the TSA TWIC process and pay the posted TSA fee. [10] NMC will not finish an original officer credential without the TWIC piece on the current checklist. Book the appointment early. Enrollment centers are not on every corner of Sussex County.
The physical is form CG-719K, reviewed for a medical certificate. Color vision, medications, sleep apnea, and blank doctor comments are the usual stalls. Pick a clinician who has seen the form. A rushed urgent-care stamp with empty blocks comes back. Fees are private. Call ahead.
The drug test is a DOT-style chemical test tied to 46 CFR, evidenced on CG-719P or an accepted company program. A home kit from a drugstore is not the same thing. If you are already in a random-testing program, ask whether they can issue the accepted proof. If not, use a collection site that knows mariners.
Age is 18 for an officer endorsement under the general rules in 46 CFR 11.201. [6] Citizenship rules are also federal. OUPV has a path for lawful permanent residents that some higher endorsements do not. Read the current 11.201 text rather than a Facebook summary.
None of these come from Delaware DNREC. A Delaware boating-education card does not replace TWIC, and a driver's medical examiner card does not replace CG-719K.
Do you also need a Delaware business license?
If you take money in Delaware as a business, plan on a state business license. Title 30, Chapter 23 is the occupational and business license chapter. It is the statute Revenue uses when it asks for a license on a trade you carry on in the state. [11] The six-pack MMC does not waive that.
Confirm the license class and the current fee with the Division of Revenue. Gross receipts tax is the companion Delaware piece for many firms. Revenue publishes the business-license and gross-receipts material on its site. Use that, not a national payroll blog. [13] Delaware has no general retail sales tax, which surprises people who moved from New Jersey or Maryland. Income tax is still a thing if you are a resident or have Delaware-source income. I am not your accountant. Talk to one if the receipts are real.
An LLC is optional. Forming an entity with the Division of Corporations is a separate filing from the Revenue license. Plenty of first-year operators start as sole proprietors, get the Revenue license, and revisit entity choice when the insurance broker or a CPA says it matters. Do not pay a formation mill before you have sea time and a TWIC appointment.
If clients will fish, ask DNREC whether any extra fishing, guide, or for-hire stamp applies to that trip. That is a fisheries question, not an NMC question. Rules differ for tidal finfish and for who must hold the rod license. Confirm on the current DNREC fishing license pages before you advertise a "license included" special.
What rules apply to the boat, more than the captain?
The MMC rides with you. The hull still has to be legal. Uninspected passenger vessels live under the uninspected-vessel safety rules, not under a full Certificate of Inspection like a small passenger vessel that carries more people. Life jackets, fire extinguishers, visual distress signals, and the rest of the Subchapter C kit are not optional because you only have four guests.
Registration is a Delaware question if the boat is not federally documented. Title 23, Chapter 21 is the state's boat numbering and registration chapter. [12] A documented vessel plays under federal documentation rules instead of a Delaware number, but it can still owe state titling or use taxes in some fact patterns. Confirm with DNREC Boating and with documentation if that is your hull.
Passenger count is a hard stop. Six paying passengers on the common under-100 GRT six-pack setup. Crew is not a free seventh guest in disguise. If you want seven paying people, you are in a different Coast Guard world, an inspected small passenger vessel, and this article is not that path.
Name the waters in your ads the same way the card reads. "Sunset cruise past the capes" is a near-coastal sentence. Keep a count of heads. Keep the safety gear where a boarding team can see it. I would rather own a boring, well-found 22-footer than a pretty boat with expired flares.
How does the Delaware path compare to other states?
The captain card is the same federal OUPV. Alabama and Colorado do not issue a different six-pack either. What changes is the business tax wrap, the hull registration office, and whether a state wildlife agency adds a guide or for-hire fishing layer.
Delaware is small, which is nice for driving to a TWIC center or a clinic and annoying if you expected a local captain board. There is no Delaware captains' board that grades your MMC. NMC grades it. Renewal is also federal. If you want the renewal paper path spelled out in another state's wrap, the California renewal walkthrough is the same Coast Guard clock with a different tax office at the end.
Boundary water is the local flavor. A how to start in California reader worries about Pacific distances and a huge inspected-vessel industry. Here the live question is the Cape Henlopen line and whether your 90 near-coastal days exist. Pennsylvania time on the river can count as inland service. New Jersey time outside the line can feed the 90 days. Log the actual water, not the state on the trailer tag.
I would not move an LLC to Delaware just to look like a maritime company. The franchise-tax folklore around Delaware corporations is a land-business story. It does not impress NMC.
What would I actually do first (and what I'd skip)?
Count the days. If you are short of 360, every dollar you spend on a course right now is early. Keep a real log for a season. Get other operators to write proper letters. Then book TWIC, the physical, and the drug test in the same two-week window so the dates line up.
Take an approved OUPV course if you can. Sitting the REC exam is legal and cheaper on paper. Most working people pass faster with a decent approved class and a completion certificate NMC already understands. Buy OUPV only. Skip radar, skip STCW, skip master 100-ton unless you already know you need it next year.
Pick inland versus near-coastal based on 46 CFR 7.45 and the trips you will refuse, not the trips you wish you had. File the MMC. While NMC has the file, get the Delaware business-license question answered by Revenue and call two marine insurers. Do not advertise six-pack dates until the credential is in hand. A deposit on a May Saturday is how people talk themselves into operating unlicensed.
OUPVPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. Nothing here is a promise that NMC will approve you. If you want the $149 kit, it is at /start. If you do not, use the .gov links and save the money for flares and a physical.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Delaware?
Yes, whenever you carry a passenger for hire on an uninspected passenger vessel. 46 U.S.C. § 8903 requires a licensed operator. Delaware does not issue a replacement captain card. The credential is a Coast Guard MMC with an OUPV endorsement. A state registration or boating-education card does not authorize paid trips.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Delaware?
USCG original-officer user fees in 46 CFR 10.219 are $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance. Confirm the live Pay.gov amount on the NMC fees page. Add TSA's posted TWIC fee, a medical exam, a drug test, an approved course at market rates, and a Delaware business license fee from Revenue. Insurance is usually larger than all of those.
How long does six-pack captain take in Delaware?
Sea time is 360 days under 46 CFR 11.467, which is the real clock if you are starting from zero. After the days exist, TWIC, the physical, a course or exam, and NMC review still have to finish. NMC processing changes. Check current NMC status tools. No school can honestly guarantee a ship date.
Is inland OUPV enough for Delaware Bay?
It depends which side of the 46 CFR 7.45 boundary line you run. Time and routes shoreward of the Cape May to Cape Henlopen line are inland for licensing. Once you work the Atlantic outside that line, you need a near-coastal OUPV. Inland Bays trips that never leave the inlet can fit inland. A Lewes-to-ocean reef trip does not.
Can a non-resident run six-pack trips in Delaware waters?
The MMC is federal, so Delaware residency is not what authorizes the helm. You still need the right inland or near-coastal endorsement and a legal boat. Taking money in Delaware can trigger a state business license and tax filing even if you live in Maryland or New Jersey. Confirm with Revenue and a CPA.
Do I need a TWIC if I only run Rehoboth Bay?
Plan on it. Original officer MMC applications follow the NMC checklist, which includes TWIC. The bay being inland does not cancel TSA's card. Enroll through the official TSA TWIC process and use their posted fee. Book early. Enrollment sites are limited on the southern Delaware shore.
Can I skip the Coast Guard exam?
Yes, if you complete a USCG-approved OUPV course and submit a still-valid completion certificate. That is the usual path. You can instead sit the exam at a Regional Exam Center and pay the examination user fee in 46 CFR 10.219. I would take the approved course unless you already know the question bank cold.
Does Delaware tax charter income?
Delaware has no general sales tax, but it does use a business license and a gross receipts tax system under Title 30, and it has a personal income tax. Charter receipts can land in more than one of those buckets. Confirm classification with the Division of Revenue. Get a CPA if the season is real money.
What if I only do bareboat charters?
A true bareboat (demise) charter hands possession and control to the charterer. You are not the hired operator. That is not a six-pack trip and the advertising has to match. If you still show up as captain, or you pick the crew, you are back under 46 U.S.C. § 8903. When in doubt, get the OUPV.
How do I prove sea time on my own Delaware boat?
Use the small-vessel sea service evidence NMC accepts, plus a log that shows dates, waters, and the vessel ID. Attach registration or documentation. 46 CFR 10.232 controls how days are counted. A vague paragraph from yourself is weak. Do not buy packaged sea-time weekends that promise the full 360 days.
Do I need radar observer or STCW for a Delaware six-pack?
Not for a standard domestic OUPV. Radar observer and STCW basic training get bundled by schools because they raise the invoice. Skip them unless a specific route or a later endorsement actually requires them. Spend that money on the physical, TWIC, and gear the boarding team will look for.
Can I carry six passengers plus extra friends?
The usual under-100 GRT uninspected passenger vessel limit is not more than six passengers, including at least one for hire. Friends on the boat still count as passengers if they are not bona fide crew. If you need seven paying people, you are looking at an inspected small passenger vessel, which is a different Coast Guard process.
Where do I send the MMC application?
To the Coast Guard National Maritime Center, following the current MMC instructions on the NMC site. Do not mail it to DNREC or to the Delaware Division of Revenue. Those offices handle boats and business licenses. Download current CG-719 forms. Confirm addresses and any electronic upload options on the live NMC pages.
Do passengers need their own Delaware fishing licenses on a six-pack trip?
Often yes, unless a current DNREC rule or boat license covers them. That is a fisheries question, not an MMC question. Read the live DNREC fishing license pages for tidal waters and for-hire boats before you advertise "licenses included." Your OUPV does not replace a fishing license.
Sources
- 46 U.S.C. § 8903, Uninspected passenger vessels: Federal law requires an uninspected passenger vessel to be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary for that type of vessel and geographic area.
- 46 U.S.C. § 2101, Definitions (uninspected passenger vessel): An uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons is defined around carrying not more than six passengers, including at least one passenger for hire.
- 46 CFR 15.605, Credentialed operators for uninspected passenger vessels: A self-propelled uninspected vessel described in 46 U.S.C. 8903 carrying six or fewer passengers must carry an individual holding an MMC endorsed as OUPV.
- 46 CFR 11.467, Operator of uninspected passenger vessels: OUPV qualification requires 360 days of vessel service, with 90 days on ocean or near-coastal waters when the endorsement is not limited to inland waters.
- 46 CFR 10.219, Fees (Table 1 user fees): Published USCG user fees for an original officer endorsement are $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance.
- 46 CFR 11.201, General officer endorsement requirements: Original officer endorsements are subject to general Coast Guard rules on age, medical fitness, chemical testing, and related original-issue conditions.
- 46 CFR 7.45, Delaware Bay and tributaries boundary line: The Coast Guard boundary line for Delaware Bay and tributaries is drawn in the Cape May and Cape Henlopen area and controls inland versus ocean/near-coastal waters.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Merchant Mariner Credential: The National Maritime Center issues the Merchant Mariner Credential and publishes the live application process for officer endorsements including OUPV.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, User fees: NMC collects the live MMC user fees and is the page to confirm what applicants actually pay.
- Transportation Security Administration, TWIC program page: TSA administers TWIC enrollment and publishes the current TWIC fee and application process required for many MMC original issues.
- Delaware Code Title 30, Chapter 23, Business and occupational licenses: Delaware statute requires business and occupational licenses for many activities carried on in the state, separate from any federal merchant credential.
- Delaware Code Title 23, Chapter 21, Boating safety and registration: Delaware law governs state numbering and registration of undocumented vessels used on Delaware waters.
- 46 CFR 10.107, Definitions in subchapter B: Inland waters are defined as waters shoreward of the 46 CFR part 7 boundary lines; near-coastal waters are ocean waters not more than 200 miles offshore.
- 46 CFR 10.232, Sea service: Coast Guard sea-service credit is counted under 46 CFR 10.232, which controls what counts as a day on a vessel.