Federal vs state#
Federal: OUPV from USCG (everything on this site). State: a separate fishing-guide license issued by the state's fish and wildlife department, typically required if you take any compensation as a fishing guide. The state license usually requires only an application + fee + sometimes a state-water knowledge exam — much lighter than the federal OUPV. The captain's-license trigger guide is the faster starting point if the question is whether the trip is private, cost-sharing, bareboat, or passenger-for-hire at all.
The key point for search: there is no separate "Florida captain's license" or per-state federal credential. The OUPV is a single federal credential that authorizes charter work in every state, including Florida. A captain in Tampa and a captain in San Diego hold the identical USCG OUPV; only the optional state fishing-guide license differs.
A mariner's MMC displays which number on its face?
How many passengers a charter can carry#
The OUPV authorizes up to six PASSENGERS on a vessel that is not inspected by the USCG, at least one of them a passenger for hire — not six paying ones with room for friends on top. The ceiling traces to the controlling definition in 46 U.S.C. 2101, which defines an uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons as one "carrying not more than 6 passengers, including at least one passenger for hire"; 46 U.S.C. 8903 then requires such a vessel to be operated by a licensed individual, and 46 CFR 15.605 requires it to be under the direction and control of a credentialed OUPV operator. That six-pack limit is why most inshore and offshore fishing charters run the OUPV rather than a Master credential.
A "passenger" is everyone aboard except the owner, the charterer, the master and working crew, so the non-paying people count too: four paying anglers and three friends along for the ride is seven passengers, and that trip is outside the credential. If the business needs a seventh angler aboard at once, the OUPV no longer covers it — that requires an inspected small passenger vessel (Subchapter T) and an appropriately endorsed Master.
Sea time for a charter OUPV#
360 days of total sea service (a standard day is 8 hours; on vessels under 100 GRT the NMC may credit a full day for 4 or more hours when the operating schedule warrants it — you cannot log more than one day in any 24-hour period). Under current USCG Policy Letter 02-25, the NMC applies a 90-day recency test within the 7 years immediately before application. For the Near-Coastal route, a separate 90-day requirement applies to ocean, near-coastal, or Great Lakes service within the 360-day total. Days spent fishing your own boat, working as a mate, or running a friend's vessel can all count if you can document them — see the USCG sea time requirements guide for how to log and prove service.
Inland or Near-Coastal: which route your charter needs#
Charter trips that stay in inland waters — bays, sounds, the Intracoastal, inland rivers — are covered by OUPV Inland, which is examined on the Inland Rules of the Road. "Inland waters" here is a licensing term: 46 CFR 10.107 defines it as the navigable waters shoreward of the 46 CFR Part 7 Boundary Lines, and 46 CFR 11.467(b) gives an inland endorsement all inland waters except the Great Lakes. Charters that run offshore past that Boundary Line need OUPV Near-Coastal, which reaches ocean waters not more than 100 miles offshore plus the Great Lakes and all inland waters, requires the ocean/near-coastal service in 46 CFR 11.467(c), and is examined on the International Rules (COLREGs).
Do not use the 33 CFR Part 80 demarcation line to answer this. That line decides which Rules of the Road you steer by (33 CFR 80.01), and it is drawn in a different place — on the Gulf Coast, 46 CFR 7.105 runs the Boundary Line along the 12-mile territorial-sea limit while 33 CFR 80.845 runs Galveston's demarcation line across the harbor entrance. Pick the route that matches the farthest water you actually fish — Near-Coastal also covers everything Inland does, but it costs more sea time to qualify.
Bluewater and canyon trips#
If your charter goes more than ~3 nm offshore, OUPV Near-Coastal is the right credential — it extends authority out to 100 nm and tests you on COLREGs (International Rules), which is what's enforced offshore.
Exam, medical, and screening#
The OUPV written exam has four modules: Rules of the Road (Inland and/or International COLREGs depending on your route), Deck General, Deck Safety, and Navigation General. Most modules pass at 70%, but Rules of the Road carries a 90% pass mark and is the module charter applicants fail most often. Review the USCG captain's license exam format and practice-test guide before scheduling so you know the module split, pass marks, and retest rules.
Alongside the exam you need the CG-719K medical certificate, a CG-719P drug test, a TWIC card, and CPR/First Aid from a USCG-recognized provider.
What a charter OUPV costs#
If you test directly at a USCG Regional Exam Center, the federal fees total $240 for an original OUPV: $100 evaluation, $95 examination, and $45 issuance. Add the CG-719K physical (~$80–200), the drug test (~$60), the TWIC card ($124), and CPR/First Aid ($60–100). Approved course providers bundle the exam and charge their own course fee, so compare the all-in course price against the REC fee path before enrolling.