Vessel - Boats and USCG Bill of Sales Notarizations

Iris Rentas

United States Coast Guard Bill of Sales & Other Boat/Vessel Documents

Online Notarizing Boat/Vessel Bill of Sales

Online notarizing a boat/vessel Bill of Sales and other documents calls for a remote online notary to understand what the United States Coast Guard (USCG) will and will not accept. Our Virginia commissioned notaries at Remote Notarez have been notarizing USCG documents for several years, and we understand what will cause the USCG to not accept your documents.

To start, you should complete the request form that is specifically designed for vessel documents. This is to ensure you include one of the most important items needed – your signature.

Yes, there are cases where the USCG will accept documents with a typed e-signature. We know what to include in a remotely notarized document when we encounter appointments without the person’s signature. To avoid the possibility of the remotely notarized document being rejected, it is best to take a picture of your signature and upload it with your document(s).  When taking a picture of your signature please use a blank piece of white paper (like printer paper or an envelope). Please try to avoid any shadows in the photo and it is best to turn off your flash if it’s on.

If you have uploaded a Vessel buyer or seller’s package your notary will separate each document. This is to ensure that the USCG has a list of all documents signed on the Audit & Signature Certificate you receive with your documents.

What you need to get your Vessel documents remotely notarized!

With all online notarization s you will need to validate your identity and verify your identification. Your Virginia online notary will email and/or text you link(s) for you to validate your identity by answering what is known as “Out of Wallet” questions or otherwise know as KBA. These will be questions that only you can answer and not anyone else will know. You will also get a link to take a picture of your identification. This can be a non-expired driver’s license, identification, or passport.  Then you will be asked to take a selfie. The system will perform a credential analysis to ensure its validity and it will also do a Biometric match to ensure that your live selfie matches the picture on your ID.

You will need to have access to a computer, tablet or smart cell/mobile phone that has a working camera and microphone. Your remote notarization appointment will be conducted with an online video-audio conference. Good internet connection is necessary to conduct the appointment. If you are out at sea it’s best to schedule an appointment when you are close to shore or have a steady internet connection.

What to expect?

Once you have completed all the steps of validating your identity and scheduled your appointment the next step will be to log into your video-audio remote meeting. Here you will meet with your Virginia remote online notary. They will ask you to present the ID that you validated and review your document. You will be given control of the document and be able to apply your signature to the document(s). Once done, you can sit with your Virginia notary and watch her remotely notarize your document(s) or end the meeting.  Your notary will send you an invoice. Once you have paid the invoice, you will receive two (2) emails with details on how to securely download your remotely notarized document(s). If you include the email address and name of your lawyer, yacht broker or vessel documentation representative, we will send them the same two emails.

It’s that easy – as always if you have any questions please let us know.