Captains License Florida: 4 Schools’ Prices + FWC Fees
Do you need a captain's license in Florida?
Florida doesn't issue its own captain's license. To carry paying passengers you need a US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential: an OUPV ("six-pack") for up to six passengers on an uninspected boat, or a Master license for inspected boats that carry more. Saltwater fishing charters also need an FWC charter captain or charter boat license.
Taking friends out with nobody paying needs no license. Friends voluntarily splitting the actual fuel and food costs doesn't count as payment under federal law (46 USC 2101). A set price per head does, whatever you call it.
Which captain's license do you need in Florida: OUPV or Master?
The Coast Guard rules are national, and the full breakdown is in our USCG captain's license guide. The short version:
| License | Sea time needed | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| OUPV, inland | 360 days | 18 |
| OUPV, near coastal | 360 days, 90 of them on ocean or near-coastal waters | 18 |
| Master under 100 GRT, near coastal | 720 days (up to 360 can be inland) | 19 |
Sources: 46 CFR 11.467, 11.428, 11.201. The CFR counts a year as 360 days (10.107).
A "day" of sea time can be as short as 4 hours on small boats (46 CFR 10.232), and at least 3 months of it must fall within the 3 years before you apply. Your Master license is issued as 25, 50 or 100 GRT, depending on the size of the boats you logged time on (46 CFR 11.422).
The OUPV only covers uninspected boats under 100 GRT carrying six or fewer passengers (46 CFR 24.10-1). Carry more and the boat needs a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection and a Master in charge. That's why headboats and dinner cruises hire Masters. Most people start with the OUPV and upgrade later. If you want yacht work, aim for the Master. Owners and charter companies notice the difference.
How do I get a captain's license in Florida?
- Log your sea time. Record dates, the vessel, its tonnage and the waters you ran on. On someone else's boat, the owner signs your sea service form (CG-719S). On your own boat you sign it yourself and attach proof of ownership.
- Take a USCG-approved course. Florida schools teach the OUPV and Master courses and give the exams in the classroom, so there's no separate test at a Coast Guard exam center. Apply within a year of finishing.
- Get your first aid and CPR cards. The NMC wants first aid completed within the last year (46 CFR 11.201). Take an in-person course; online-only cards get rejected.
- Pass a DOT drug test and a physical. The drug test goes on form CG-719P and the physical on CG-719K.
- Apply for a TWIC. An original application must include proof that you hold a Transportation Worker Identification Credential or have applied for one (46 CFR 10.225). You enroll with the TSA. Keep the receipt.
- Apply to the National Maritime Center (NMC) with form CG-719B, your course certificate, sea service, medical and drug test. The Coast Guard's charter boat captain page has the current checklist. A missing item gets you an "awaiting information" letter and stalls everything.
- Running fishing charters? Buy your FWC charter license once the credential arrives (see below).
How much does a captain's license cost in Florida?
Expect about $650–$1,100 for the course, plus Coast Guard fees, a medical, a drug test and first aid/CPR. Here's what Florida schools listed on their websites on October 27, 2026:
| School | OUPV course | Master upgrade | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea School (HQ St. Petersburg; FL sites incl. Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, Islamorada) | $850 at most sites; $900 Islamorada, $950 Daytona Beach, $1,050 Destin, $1,100 Miami | $400, 3 days | 54 hours over two Fri–Sun weekends, or 6 days in a row |
| Sea School online | $650 | Online version also offered | Self-paced, 12 months' access, remotely proctored final exam |
| Chapman School of Seamanship (Stuart) | $930, including books and USCG testing fees | $370, 3 days; $1,200 for both together (11 days) | 8 days (64 hours), day or evening classes |
| Captain School (Cape Coral; also Naples, Venice) | $900, plus a $100 testing fee on exam day | $400, Fri–Sun | Thursday evenings, 6–10pm |
| MPT (Fort Lauderdale) | Not published; call 954-525-1014 | +3 days | 8 days, or 2 weeks of evenings and Saturdays; exams at MPT |
St. Petersburg's downtown marina; Sea School is headquartered in this city. Photo: 2candle, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Check three things before you pay:
- Does the price include the exam? Chapman's does; Captain School charges $100 on top.
- Attendance rules. Chapman requires 100% attendance before it lets you test.
- The pass marks. At Chapman, Rules of the Road and chart plotting need 90%, the other modules 70%. Rules of the Road is where most people slip up.
On top of the course, the Coast Guard charges a $100 evaluation fee and a $45 issuance fee for an original officer credential, plus a $95 exam fee where it applies (46 CFR 10.219). Medical, drug test and first aid/CPR prices vary by clinic.
What is a charter boat captain license in Florida?
It's a state fishing license, not a boating license. Anyone carrying paying customers to catch saltwater fish needs either a Charter Captain or a Charter Boat license from the FWC. Their customers then don't need their own recreational saltwater licenses.
- Charter Captain license: issued to you, so it moves with you from boat to boat.
- Charter Boat license: tied to one named vessel.
Both are annual, and both are priced by how many customers you carry:
| Customers on board | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| 4 or fewer | $201.50 |
| 5–10 | $401.50 |
| 11 or more | $801.50 |
Fees as listed in FWC's regulations summary (eRegulations), checked October 27, 2026.
To buy either one, FWC requires a current Coast Guard license to operate a passenger-carrying vessel (FWC charter licenses), and the boat must be commercially registered or documented for commercial use. County tax collector offices sell both.
Key West charter row: every boat taking paying anglers out on salt water needs a USCG-licensed captain plus an FWC charter license. Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0.
How long does it take to get a captain's license in Florida?
The course takes one to two weeks. The sea time is what holds most people up. With 360 days already logged, you can finish the course in two weeks, apply the same month and wait on the NMC. If you don't have the days yet, remember that 360 days is years of weekend boating. Working as a deckhand or mate gets you there much faster.
The NMC asks mariners to apply at least 90 days before they need the credential. Incomplete applications are the usual reason it drags, so send everything at once, and book your physical and drug test while you're still on the course.
Is the Florida boater education card a captain's license?
No. FWC says plainly that the Boating Safety Education ID Card is not a boating license. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 needs it to run a boat of 10hp or more, and it never lets you take paying passengers. A Coast Guard master's license exempts you from needing the card (Florida Statutes 327.395).
Where do Florida captains work?
A Florida captains license opens three kinds of work:
- Keys and Gulf fishing charters: six-pack offshore trips, backcountry flats guiding, and headboats if you hold a Master.
- Dive, eco, sunset and sandbar trips: mostly OUPV work on boats under 100 GRT.
- Fort Lauderdale yachts: the US superyacht hub. Your USCG license covers US-flag boats, but most superyachts fly foreign flags (Cayman, Marshall Islands, Malta). Their captains also need MCA tickets, usually starting with a commercially endorsed Yachtmaster.
Sportfishing boats in a Fort Lauderdale marina, where charter work and yacht work share the same docks. Photo: DaSpader, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Plenty of Florida captains do both: charters in the slow months, and relief captain or mate jobs on yachts when a boat needs one. For what that work looks like and pays, see yacht captain jobs and yacht captain salary. Heading for yachts? You'll also need an STCW course and probably an ENG1 medical, and the Fort Lauderdale crew agencies are worth registering with. Our yacht jobs guide covers more ways in.
Crew can join Radius free, check in at their port and get their ENG1, STCW and CV verified, so captains hiring nearby can find them on the live map.
FAQ
How do I get a captain's license in Florida with no experience?
You can't skip the sea time, so work as a deckhand or mate and log every day. You can take the course early, but you must apply within a year of finishing it.
Can I take the captain's course online in Florida?
Yes. Sea School's self-paced online OUPV costs $650 with a remotely proctored final exam. You still need the sea time, medical, drug test and first aid.
Do I need a captain's license to run a fishing charter in Florida?
Yes. You need both a Coast Guard license and an FWC charter captain or charter boat license. FWC won't sell you the charter license without the Coast Guard one.
Do I need a TWIC for a captain's license?
Yes. An original credential application must show you hold a TWIC or have applied for one.
What's the difference between a six-pack and a 100-ton license?
The six-pack (OUPV) covers up to six paying passengers on uninspected boats. A 100-ton Master needs twice the sea time and lets you run inspected passenger vessels up to its tonnage.
Does a USCG license let me captain a superyacht?
Not on its own. Most large yachts are foreign-flagged and want MCA certificates, so Florida yacht captains often hold both.