OTI Licenses Must be Renewed Every Three Years; First Deadline is May 31

The Federal Maritime Commission has notified ocean transportation intermediaries that it will soon launch its online OTI license renewal process. A total of nearly 5,000 OTIs will need to renew their licenses, a process that will take place over three years with approximately 160 renewals per month. Failure to renew an OTI license could result in its revocation or suspension.

OTI license renewal dates will be determined by the last and second-to-last digits of the license number, as follows.

The FMC states that the first 146 licensees will receive email renewal notifications on March 2, which is 90 days prior to the first renewal deadline of May 31. These notifications will contain instructions as well as a username and password and a link to the renewal site. Once logged in the licensee will have the option of self-completing the renewal or assigning it to a third party (i.e., an attorney or FMC practitioner). A pre-populated form FMC-18 containing data on file will be presented to the user to be confirmed or updated.

OTI license renewals will not require a fee or the recertification of the licensee or the existing qualified individual.

For more information or assistance please contact Lenny Feldman at (305) 894-1011.