Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73
§12114 Recreational endorsement
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle II— - Vessels and Seamen › Part Part H— - Identification of Vessels › Chapter CHAPTER 121— - DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - ENDORSEMENTS AND SPECIAL DOCUMENTATION › § 12114
Summary
Vessels meeting section 12103 may get a recreational endorsement for pleasure and go between US and foreign ports without clearing with Homeland Security, but must report arrivals (section 433, 19 USC 1433) and follow customs rules.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §12114
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)A recreational endorsement may be issued for a vessel that satisfies the requirements of section 12103 of this title.
(b)A vessel operating under a recreational endorsement may be operated only for pleasure.
(c)A vessel for which a recreational endorsement is issued may proceed between a port of the United States and a port of a foreign country without entering or clearing with the Secretary of Homeland Security. However, a recreational vessel is subject to the requirements for reporting arrivals under section 433 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1433), and individuals on the vessel are subject to applicable customs regulations.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 12114(a)46:12109(a). 12114(b)46:12109(c). 46:12110(c). 12114(c)46:12109(b). In subsection (c), the words “Secretary of Homeland Security” are substituted for “Customs Service” because the functions of the Customs Service and of the Secretary of the Treasury relating thereto were transferred to the Secretary of Homeland Security by section 403(1) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107–296, 116 Stat. 2178).
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 12114, Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 589; Pub. L. 99–36, § 1(a)(8), May 15, 1985, 99 Stat. 67, originally derived from section 65c of former Title 46, Shipping, related to home ports, prior to being repealed by Pub. L. 100–710, title I, §§ 106(b)(5), 107(a), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4752, effective Jan. 1, 1989.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Documentation of Recreational Vessels Pub. L. 115–282, title VIII, § 826, Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4314, provided that: “Coast Guard personnel performing nonrecreational vessel documentation functions under subchapter II of chapter 121 of title 46, United States Code, may perform recreational vessel documentation under section 12114 of such title in any fiscal year in which— “(1) funds available for Coast Guard operating expenses may not be used for expenses incurred for recreational vessel documentation; “(2) fees collected from owners of yachts and credited to such use are insufficient to pay expenses of recreational vessel documentation; and “(3) there is a backlog of applications for recreational vessel documentation.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 12114
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73