No idea. I only know what’s in the same bulletin you read.
Your company Crewing head has contact information. Only the companies can submit this request. As I understand this, the rest of us are screwed as far as STCW. For me, the license extension is useless without valid STCW.
That is absolutely insane.
Just called,19,000 is real. I just put in my renewal about 7 days ago and my stuff expires in sep. I just got back as I work 4 months out then take time off “SIU” but worked almost 5 months this time.
I am screwed and i guess will have to get a land job. It is my fault really i never let it get down to a year but i had a lot going on this year in real life and for got. But maybe they will keep extending and let people sail after aug.
Yeah, I’m in the government division of an OSV company… I have to assume that my office is mentally retarded when it comes to stuff like this, so I was hoping to have the info to hold their hand and walk them through it.
Someone explain this to me. USCG was shut down for… 2.5 months, give or take a few days. How does a 2.5 month shutdown result in an 8-12 month backlog? Seems to me that if they continue processing applications at the normal rate, with the normal number of personnel, the backlog from a 2.5 month shutdown should be 2.5 months. So if it was taking 6 weeks to process an application prior to the shutdown (which was what my last upgrade took last fall), then I would expect a 4 month processing time, not an 8-12 month. What am I missing? Did a whole bunch of NMC evaluators quit or get laid off? Is 19000 applications in 2.5 months abnormally high? The maths aren’t mathing. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I’m not rabidly anti-NMC, but this doesn’t make sense to me.
(And, my ticket expires in ten months so I have to figure out when I want to submit my renewal, particularly given another shutdown is likely in October.)
Maybe their one printer overheats too easily so they have to process/print them slowly..
The NMC is caught in a funding squeeze due to a dysfunctional government which is Republican controlled. Maybe a deal has been reached but it will take months if not longer to recover. The DHS is just one of many agencies affected. I’d complain to my congressman but he’s part of the dysfunction.
ahahahah!!! isn’t that nuts how many times the NMC has ground to a halt because of a printer/printers has malfunctioned / needed service. We put men on the moon in 1969, but a POS gov’t printer is, at times, keeping hundreds to thousands of US citizens from returning to work on time. Now that’s retarded.
how can we verify application status , the nmc website cant be open
Your useing chrome as your browser I take it because I was having problems with anything related to nmc when using Chrome but I switched to Firefox and or private session and then everything started to magically work so I would try Firefox or check it on your phone the websites and everything work for me on my phone on Brave as well give it a go
It works. It even worked during the shutdown. You just can’t use your phone. You have to use a desktop computer.
NMC Extension Policy Update: Extension of Merchant Mariner Credentials and Medical Certificates
The National Maritime Center (NMC) is expanding the existing extension policy outlined in Update #3: Mitigation Efforts – Extensions, dated April 22, 2026, for merchant mariner credentials (MMCs) and medical certificates impacted by the 2026 lapse in appropriations and continued processing delays.
Effective immediately, MMCs (National endorsements only) and medical certificates (National and Pilot expiration dates only) that expire between January 1, 2026, and July 31, 2026, will remain valid through 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.
This extension is intended to support continued maritime operations while the NMC works through increased application volumes and processing backlogs following the lapse.
Key Information:
· Applications will continue to be processed on a first-in, first-out basis.
· Mariners are strongly encouraged to apply early via the ASAP Tool due to ongoing processing delays. Paper submission, because of manual handling, may delay issuance of mariner credentials and medical certifications.
· All other extension policies and measures outlined in Update #3: Mitigation Efforts – Extensions, dated April 22, 2026, remain in effect unless otherwise superseded or rescinded. Mariners should refer to that bulletin for full details.
Mariners are encouraged to monitor the NMC website for updates regarding processing times, REC operations, and policy adjustments as operations stabilize. For ongoing updates, sign up for the NMC list server by scanning the QR code below.
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).
Sincerely,
/P. A. Drayer/
Patrick A. Drayer
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard
Officer in Charge, Marine Inspections
I submitted my package April 11, my license expires in November.
If I don’t get it back in time or they stop giving extensions I’ll just take an extended hiatus. I’m getting to the point where I don’t care anymore
Sounds like the idea quite a few shipmates I know are toying with. The level of ineptitude and mismanagement that has allowed our licensing and renewal system to get to this point is truly pathetic.
The OCMI should be ashamed.
I submitted for renewal March 3 , license in the mailbox today . Was set to expire in June.
Took over two weeks for status to become “Recieved” for a raise-in-grade. Sent 30APR
Thats much better than the window they are advertising. Hopefully mine is similar, this will be my first time over 30 days since the NMC opened.
I submitted in Feb with a June expiration. Never got a “received” notification but it passed the initial checks Apr 23, went to the professional qualifications eval on 6 May, approved to print 7 May. Not sure when it showed up at home, my wife scanned it and sent it 22nd May.
Edit to add, that was a renewal with an added endorsement
I submitted electronically April 11 and got a “received” notification on May 28. It’s a straight renewal, hopefully it cruises on through. It doesn’t expire until November in any case.