How to Get an Abstract of Title to Show You What You Need and More

Do you want to know more about a particular vessel but are unsure about who you can trust online? Does it seem like every site that promises “more info about vessels” is exactly the caliber of the site you shouldn’t trust for more information? It can be deeply frustrating to search online and be unable to find genuinely truthful information. That’s just one of the reasons that we’re often asked: “How to get Abstract of Title” or some version thereof. These boat documentation forms provide plenty of information.

How to Get Abstract of Title Simply
First, at the risk of simplifying matters too much, just open our site, click on “Abstract of Title” and fill out the pertinent information. Don’t worry about where you are when you do this, what kind of device you’re filling it out on, and so forth. Our site has been specifically designed to be utilized on any kind of device that’s connected to the internet, always with the most secure SSL encryption.

What’s in the Abstract of Title?
This form contains the vessel’s chain of ownership during the time it has been documented. Thus, you’ll get the current owner, as well as previous owners (should there be any). This can also tell you when and where a vessel was manufactured so that you can definitively know the vessel’s age. Beyond that, this form will let you know if there are any encumbrances, liens, mortgages, and the like against the vessel. You’ll know if they were satisfied or if they’re outstanding, which is very important information to know, to say the least, before purchasing a vessel.

Is There a Way to Search Through the National Documentation Portal?
If you just want to know information about a vessel’s particulars (its name, service information, tonnage information), its documentation status, and so forth, you can find that out just by through our site. Simply click on “Vessel Documentation Search” and then fill out the vessel’s HIN or Official Number. Now, this particular form will not give you the identity of any of the vessel’s owners, current or otherwise. Additionally, you won’t be able to find that information about mortgages, liens, and encumbrances, either. Many use this search to see if they should pursue learning more about a vessel and then, after completing it, apply for the Abstract.

I Bought the Vessel I Always Wanted! Now What?
First, congratulations. Purchasing a vessel is one of those moments in life that, come what may, you never really forget. What you can do after that is what many other vessel owners have done: come to our site and find the vessel documentation you may need. Here, you can find just about all of that which may be necessary through the course of owning a vessel. Beyond simply applying for initial documentation (and renewing it), you can find forms to contribute to applying for a Preferred Ship Mortgage, transferring ownership, and much more.

Vessel Documentation Search Done Right Through Our Site

Have you been researching a particular vessel? Do you want to learn more about a vessel but want to be sure that information comes from an unimpeachable source? We can help. Here at the National Documentation Portal, you can conduct a vessel documentation search through our site. This search can help you to learn more about a particular vessel. That said, there are other forms you can apply for through our site which can provide you with even more information about a vessel.

How to Conduct a Vessel Documentation Search at Our Site
We wanted to make it as easy as possible to search at our site. Simply click on “Vessel Documentation Search” and then enter a vessel’s Official Number or HIN (Hull Identification Number). Don’t worry about which device you’re doing this search on: our site has been optimized to work on laptops, phones, tablets, and more. Plus, through SSL encryption, your information is secure.

What This Search Can Provide You With
Through this search, you’ll be able to find out more information about a vessel, to put it mildly. You’ll learn the vessel’s name, its service information, its particulars, and even its tonnage information. In fact, you’ll also be able to find out its documentation and certifications. This will include the status of its Certificate of Documentation, when it was issued as well as when it will expire.

For a More In-Depth Search: the Abstract of Title
What you won’t find through the search on our site is any information about the vessel’s owner. There’s a good reason for that: ownership information was pulled from these searches about five years ago now. However, you can find that information and more on our site. Simply fill out an application for an Abstract of Title. With that, you can learn not just the identity of the current owners of the vessel but also the chain of ownership when the vessel was documented. You can also discover whether or not there are any liens, mortgages, or encumbrances against the vessel as well as their status.

Information About Vessels Overseas
We understand that some people may have their eye on a vessel overseas. Through the “Foreign Vessel Title Search Request,” you can learn more information about vessels in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and elsewhere.

Documentation Beyond a Search
Many would-be vessel owners initially come to our site to conduct a search or apply for an Abstract of Title so as to learn more information about a vessel before purchasing one. Then, once they’ve purchased the vessel that they wanted, they come back to our site to start the documentation process, finding all of the documentation forms they need to be able to use their vessel how they want to use it legally. You can find all of those forms and others right here at the National Documentation Portal. To see all that we offer, click here.

Finding Your Best Path to Documented Vessel Renewal

Are you wondering exactly how to renew your vessel documentation? Does it feel as if your vessel’s documentation should be renewed soon, but you aren’t sure? Vessel documentation is valid for one year. That said, it can be all too easy to lose track of exactly when your vessel was documented. As such, having your vessel documentation expire can be easier than you might imagine. Documented vessel renewal shouldn’t be a challenge or a chore. Here at the National Documentation Portal, we can help you to get your vessel in compliance in multiple ways.

If Your Vessel Documentation Hasn’t Expired
If your vessel documentation has yet to expire but you want to renew it, you can do so easily through our site. Just click on “Renewal” on the top left of the page and fill out the form. Now, you can do this at any time, but we don’t recommend doing it until your vessel documentation has almost expired. Why? Because the date you renew will set a new date for expiration. So, if your vessel documentation is set to expire in November and you renew it in August, then next year, it’ll expire in August. That’s both a way to lose money as well as to forget and not realize your vessel documentation expires earlier in the next calendar year.

If Your Vessel Documentation Has Expired
In the event that your vessel documentation has expired, that the renewal date was 30 or more days ago, then you cannot renew your vessel documentation. However, (and this is crucial) that does not mean that you are precluded from documenting your vessel. You can do so. It’s just that you have to go the route of “Reinstatement.” You can find the form for this on our site. Remember: you can’t “renew” 30 days or more after the renewal date, but you can “reinstate.”

If You Want Your Vessel Documentation to Be Valid for Years
Yes, remembering to renew your vessel documentation year after year can be a bit of a chore, especially if you plan on having your vessel documented for a long time to come. However, we can help here, too. All you have to do is, when you fill out the form to renew your vessel documentation, choose to renew it for two, three, four, and even up to five years. With just a few presses of a button, you can renew for the next half-decade without any concerns of expiration whatsoever.

Beyond Documented Vessel Renewal
As stated, renewal is most likely the most common use of our site. However, it’s far from the only form of vessel documentation that we assist with. Indeed, you can find just about everything else that you may potentially need here for the course of vessel ownership. Beyond initial documentation, renewal, obtaining a Certified Copy, and more, you can even find the forms that you would use to research a potential vessel purchase. To see all of the forms and how they can help your vessel as well as your situation, click here. 

Vessel Documentation for a Foreign Vessel: the MARAD Waiver Explained

Did you recently come into possession of a foreign-built vessel and wish to use it for passenger operations in the United States? Are you worried about running afoul of The Jones Act? This can be tricky, as it can be against the rules. However, there are exceptions. That’s where the MARAD Waiver comes in. This makes it possible to acquire vessel documentation for certain, limited operations in the United States. At the National Documentation Portal, you can find this form of documentation among others.

Who Can Be Eligible for the MARAD Waiver
There are stringent rules about who can and cannot apply for this waiver as well as what kinds of vessels are eligible. For example, the vessel cannot be too new. In fact, it has to be at least three years old to qualify. Beyond that, the vessel itself must be owned by a US Citizen (i. E. You). Something to keep in mind about this waiver: it’s not a waiver for any form of boat documentation, requirement for vessel inspection, or the like.

What You Can Do With a Vessel That Has Received This Waiver
When we say that you can conduct “limited passenger operations,” we mean it. Specifically, when in service, your vessel cannot carry more than 12 passengers. That means you can have up to 12 passengers on it in a commercial capacity, passengers that paid to be there/transported, and so forth. Now, that also means that you cannot use it to fish commercially, carry cargo, dredge, tow, salvage, and so forth. Sure, you can fish recreationally (or “sport fishing” as it’s also called) but you can’t sell any of the fish you catch.

What Most Do After They Receive This Waiver
It may take a bit of time for this waiver to clear, as the powers that be have to determine that you’re eligible, that you aren’t going to harm the local economy through your operations, and so forth. That said, the good news is that a strong majority of these waivers tend to be granted. Additionally, once the waiver has been received, most vessel owners don’t just “stand pat,” especially not if the vessel measures at least five net tons. If that’s the case, then they file for a coastwise trade endorsement as a passenger vessel. You can find the application for that form on our site as well.

Vessel Documentation for American Vessels
In fact, the MARAD Waiver as well as the initial boat documentation forms are just two of the many forms that we offer at our site. Indeed, many vessel owners who come to us just to file for a MARAD Waiver end up getting all of their boat documentation through our site: the initial documentation, the renewal, applying for a Preferred Ship’s Mortgage, and more. To see all of the vessel forms that we have to help simplify the process for vessel owners, please see the rest of our site.