46 USC § 12114 - Recreational endorsement

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s12114"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "46 USC § 12114 - Recreational endorsement"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
section_number: "12114"
section_name: "Recreational endorsement"
chapter_number: 121
chapter_name: "DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS"
subchapter_number: "II"
subchapter_name: "ENDORSEMENTS AND SPECIAL DOCUMENTATION"
part_number: "H"
part_name: "Identification of Vessels"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 109–304, § 5, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1498.)"
---


# § 12114. Recreational endorsement

**(a)** **Requirements.—** A recreational endorsement may be issued for a vessel that satisfies the requirements of section 12103 of this title.

**(b)** **Authorized Activity.—** A vessel operating under a recreational endorsement may be operated only for pleasure.

**(c)** **Application of Customs Laws.—** 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.

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 109–304, § 5, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1498.)

| RevisedSection | Source (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 (, ).

## Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 12114, , , ; , , , originally derived from section 65c of former Title 46, Shipping, related to home ports, prior to being repealed by , §§ 106(b)(5), 107(a), , , effective .

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Documentation of Recreational Vessels

> **“(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.”

, , , provided that: