Application
Monday, December 10th, 2007Gosh, this seems strange, I usually don’t have a problem writing but on a BLOG? I know this is “the” internet thing to do so I need to get out of the 20th century and begin.
The Coast Guard Application process is not necessarily complicated, but it is very important and must be completed in total. Too many blanks to fill in; Lots of information they don’t need to know you say. Well, yes and no.
Below, I am going to give you some of the reasoning for why the CG needs this information. I don’t necessarily agree with them nor do I disagree with them, but after 22 years in a CG REC I can hopefully make it a little simpler for you to understand those whys.
Some of this information you can find in the CFR’s, the Policies, the Marine Safety Manual and many other places, and some you cannot because it has merely historical knowledge that has been handed down through many many years of just plain doing the job. For instance, I came into the job just shortly after the demise of the “Shipping Commissioner” position. There are only “Historical” documents now, pertaining to what that position did, but I still have a lot of that information locked up in my brain because I had to know that as well as the current regulations of the day. So here we go.
Starting from the top of the application form CG 719B.
Name: You will need to provide your State certified birth certificate; current U. S. passport; current foreign passport; foreign birth certificate; marriage certificate(s); divorce certificate(s); legal name change(s); adoption certificate.
First, Last, Middle and Maiden name of applicable. That is not to hard or intrusive but they do need all three of your names (this is the norm, but not all people have all three, maybe they just have two with a middle initial or no middle initial but a JR., II, III, IV, etc.) What ever your legal name is.
What is your legal name? (This is the name you were given on your State Certified Birth Certificate or a legal name change through the courts either by marriage, divorce, adoption), not “nick” names.
Social Security Number: This is a mandatory requirement. You will need to provide your Social Security Card.
Why do they need my social security number? Until they (the CG) can come up with a totally secure way of identifying you with a totally unique number then your SSN is required. The CG has begun working with “Mariner ID Numbers” which, I understand, will (eventually) replace the SSN, but until that time, the SSN is still a requirement.
Date of Birth: Pretty normal stuff: Month, Day and Year.
Place of Birth:
City:
State and
Country (lots of people error and put the county they were born in, not the Country)
Country of Citizenship:
U.S.; UK; Philippines; China; Japan; Mexico; etc. This is important because it helps the CG with which license or MMD you are eligible for. Non U.S. Citizens can hold a Merchant Mariners Document, but only 1 license is available to them. If a mariner goes to the CG and requests a license as Chief Engineer and is a citizen of Poland, he cannot apply for that license. The clerks at the counter should catch that and save the mariner from spending money for an evaluation that s/he would NOT be approved for.
Color of Eyes:
Color of Hair (yes, the CG even has bald and purple as choices)
Height:
Weight:
All of these are pretty straight forward and not intrusive or worry some
These are pretty straight forward and nothing very complicated but as I said earlier, very important to processing your application(s). This information is also useful when doing your security background checks.
I’ll stop this for now because, now that I have started, I could go on for hours and hours and drive you absolutely insane. My brain is packed with information from years of working for the CG and I cannot begin to spew it all out now.
“TOUCH KEYS WITH YOU LATER”.
N.
Norleen