NMC Update, mailing and paying.

[Capt_Anonymous]

June 26, 2009
Update – Mailing Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) Applications to
Regional Examination Centers (RECs) & Pay.Gov User Fee Payment

This bulletin update provides additional information on procedures to follow when mailing credential applications to a Regional Examination Center. New procedures were implemented in April 2009 to enable mariners to mail their applications to one of the 17 RECs throughout the country. These changes simplify the application process by enabling mariners to send photocopies of supporting documentation when submitting applications by mail. Additionally new procedures streamline the payment of user fee options for mariners and the Coast Guard.
Application Submission: Title 46 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 10, Subpart B 10.209 General Application Procedures allows mariners to mail copies of their entire application package, including sea service and training / course certificates, to one of the 17 Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers for processing. Merchant mariner applicants submitting copies by mail are advised that application documentation may be subject to auditing and verification by the Coast Guard during the evaluation process.
In the near future, the Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC) intends on providing capabilities for mariners to submit credential applications by e-mail. Sending your application packages to RECs via e-mail will save further time and money and is a more secure method of delivery. Stay tuned to our website, www.uscg.mil/nmc, for more information on this.
User Fee Payments: In 2005, the NMC introduced the availability of www.pay.gov and ushered in a fast, convenient and more secure method for paying user fees. Since then this electronic link to the U. S. Department of Treasury has provided tens of thousands of mariners a safe, quick and reliable way to pay user fees.
1. To ensure quick processing of applications submitted to an REC by mail, mariners can pay user fees via www.pay.gov. The application package submitted to an REC must include a copy of the pay.gov payment receipt.
2. For quicker turnaround times for administering exams and issuing credentials, user fees identified during the evaluation process, such as testing or issuance fees, can be paid via www.pay.gov. The notifications sent to mariners regarding testing or credential issuance fees will contain quick links to the www.pay.gov web site.
3. The Coast Guard cannot accept cash or money-order payments submitted with applications mailed to an REC.
We thank you for your continued patience as we begin to modernize operations.
Sincerely,
David C. Stalfort
Captain, U. S. Coast Guard
Commanding Officer
United States Coast Guard
National Maritime Center
100 Forbes Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25404
Phn: (888) 433-3400
E-mail: iasknmc@uscg.mil
Commanding Officer
For the latest information on merchant mariner credentialing, visit our web site at http://www.uscg.mil/nmc.
The National Maritime Center is an ISO 9001:2000 Compliant Organization.