Any rumblings on when funds to reopen might be allocated? Been sitting on an approval for an raise of grade that I’d love to have. Im sure many are in the same predicament.
Update 3 that I saw today says civilian staff are back in the office processing mmc’s.
Definitely subscribe to receive nmc updates to get info as it comes out.
good info, I will look into subscribing. thanks
Mine finally got processed. Sat around awaiting an evaluator for over 75 days since late JAN, then everything was handled and mailed out over a period of a 10 days. Appears they are back in business. However, I was a week or two ahead of the shutdown with my emailed application for renewal, and that probably made a big difference.
Civilian staff have returned to work under alternative funding arrangements. This funding stream is not a full appropriation and the duration of funding is uncertain. Should DHS exhaust currently available funds before an FY 2026 appropriation for DHS is enacted civilian employees may be furloughed yet again.
Woke up to an approved to print email. Hope the same for all of you also waiting.
So you originally sent your application in late January? I’m early Feb and haven’t heard anything. Good news though!
i sent in the application early to mid January; it didn’t register with WVa for a couple of weeks… then the waiting began for an evaluator.
I sent mine in back in January but had to finish BT/Advanced Fire Reval in March. Got it done and submitted my cert to the “awaiting information tab” on the NMC site. Called and confirmed they received it and they did back in March. Just got the “was issued and mailed” email about 5 minuets ago. Good luck everyone. It would not surprise me if they had mad errors on a bunch of these too. I’m sure they are being pressured to stamp, print, and send these asap…
Amazing how once TSA got paid and returned to work nobody gave a shit about the rest of the people who still aren’t getting paid.
CORRECTED
Lapse in Appropriations and Government Shutdown UPDATE #3: Mitigation Efforts – Extensions
This update supersedes the information in Update #2 dated March 19, 2026.
While DHS and USCG remain without an appropriation providing full FY26 funding, National Maritime Center (NMC) civilian staff have returned to work under alternative funding arrangements. As this funding stream is not a full appropriation and the duration of funding is uncertain, NMC staff have resumed normal operations with some exceptions. Applications for merchant mariner credentials (MMCs), medical certificates, and course approvals and related requests will be processed on a first-in/first-out basis. Requests for national security-related expedite requests will continue to be evaluated as they are received.
The Regional Examination Centers (RECs) remain closed to walk-in customers. Mariners who have examination appointments currently scheduled for future dates will be able to test as long as REC staff remain in an exempted status. Upon determination of continued funding availability, mariners with appointments canceled between February 17 and April 18, 2026, will be contacted by the appropriate REC to reschedule those appointments.
To mitigate the impact caused by the government shutdown, the NMC has implemented the following measures:
· The Application Submission Portal (ASAP) for submission of applications and supporting documentation remains active.
· MMCs (National endorsements only) and medical certificates (National and Pilot expiration dates only) that expire between January 1 and May 31, 2026, remain valid until August 31, 2026. Mariners who are actively working on expired credentials that meet the expiration criteria must carry the expired credential AND a copy of the attached letter while sailing under the authority of those credentials. The NMC will not issue separate or replacement MMCs or medical certificates reflecting the extension.
· International Convention Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978, as amended, for MMCs and medical certificates:
o MMCs: Pursuant to Article VIII, dispensations may be granted for continued service for mariners operating on endorsements that expired on or after January 1, 2026, provided a renewal application was submitted to the NMC and the employer applied to the Coast Guard for dispensation. STCW dispensations that are approved will expire up to August 31, 2026. Once the STCW dispensation letter is issued, mariners shall carry the letter AND a copy of this bulletin with the MMC. Requests for dispensation must be submitted via e-mail with a subject line “STCW Dispensation” to STCWDispensations@uscg.mil and must include the following information: ship name, IMO number, ship tonnage, mariner name, mariner reference number, capacity per STCW regulations, credential issuance and expiration dates, company name, company point of contact, and valid mariner e-mail address.
o Medical certificates: In accordance with STCW Regulation I/9, when the STCW expiration date of a medical certificate occurs during a voyage, the certificate remains valid for 3 months from the expiration date.
· Additional information letters, approval to test letters, mariner training course completion certificates, and drug test letters that expire between February and May 2026, are extended until August 31, 2026. The NMC will not issue updated letters reflecting the extension.
· Qualified assessor and designated examiner certification letters and course approvals that expire between February and May 2026, are extended until August 31, 2026. The NMC will not issue updated certificates/letters reflecting the extension.
· Mariner examinations:
o Mariners who began but did not complete all modules of an examination prior to February 13, 2026, may resume testing without penalty once the NMC reopens. Testing should be completed within 60 days of reopening. Contact the NMC regarding waivers due to sea service.
o 90-day retest periods are paused beginning on February 13, 2026, and will restart upon reopening. Contact the NMC regarding waivers due to sea service.
· For questions regarding credentialing issues related to National Defense, marine employers are advised to contact our Customer Service Center.
For updates on NMC and REC operating status, please monitor the NMC website. For questions, contact our Customer Service Center via the NMC online chat system, by e-mailing IASKNMC@uscg.mil, or by calling 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662).
The NMC understands the shutdown will affect our industry customers and stakeholders, and we apologize for any potential inconvenience.
Sincerely,
/P. A. Drayer/
Patrick A. Drayer
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard
Officer in Charge, Marine Inspections
Republicans are trying to ram through a very big DHS appropriation through the rest of Trump’s term under “budget reconciliation” rules (simple majority, not 60 votes in the Senate) without any Democratic votes.
Yikes
“During the prolonged lapse, the NMC has accumulated a significant backlog of applications, currently more than 19,000 submissions and growing. Processing timelines are expected to extend 8-12 months from the date a completed application is received.”
Woof.
Better hope they grant extensions for expiring credentials.
They’re encouraging mariners to apply 8-12 months in advance of credential expiration but for some folks that I know (seasonal/tourist boats), 360 days in five years is doable but missing the fifth year makes it tough, especially if you were banking on having all five years. Accept that they’re gonna have to take the open book exam, or wait til the end of the season and hope they get the backlog dealt with in time? And, with gov’t shutdowns becoming more and more of a thing, are they ever going to get caught up?
Obviously, if the NMC were a competently run agency, they’d go to an instant summary approval process for this backlog of renewals. In other words, rubber stamp them.
That could probably be automated with AI.
Only the government could think that 8-12 months of delay is acceptable.
There are going to be quite a few people sailing on expired credentials.
I’ve often thought that it would make sense for NMC to have a 90-day limit to complete review of application packages. If they can’t, then they should automatically issue the endorsements requested on the form.
My thinking was that this deadline would add enough pressure to keep the system moving.
Now I realize that everyone would just request the highest level endorsement and wait for the rubber stamp.
I agree. If the government wants to require review and approval of something, and charge a fee for it, then they have a duty to do it in a timely manner. If they fail to do it, then it should be automatically.
If there are a lot of automatic issuances then they’ll need to explain that to Congress.
approved.
Now that makes too much sense…
@jdcavo Do you know if there is there a particular format for this documentation they’re looking for?
- Only applications that demonstrate a clear and documented nexus to national defense will be considered for expedited processing. Marine employers with national defense-related requests are advised to contact the NMC Customer Service Center (CSC).