New requirements for foreign flagged vessels in US waters came into effect as of January 2016. A cruising license is now required which will last for 1 year from date of issue. Please view the details on the US Customs and Border Protection website.

https://www.cbp.gov/es/node/98956

Useful FAQs are being posted here: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/608/~/pleasure-boats---obtaining-a-cruising-license

Vice Commodore, OCC 

That 's actually eased the situation. One year cruising licences have always been available, if you could convince the CBP officer that you intended to cruise, say through Alaskan waters. What you couldn 't do is to get a cruising licence if you crossed from Canada to Puget Sound and back - especially if you entered or left through Friday Harbor, at which place I hold a very low opinion of (most of) the CBP officers. Let 's hope that they know the new rules and will apply them.

I read through the new rules ' press release and its links to form 1300 and the cruising permit page.

Other than the specific item where the licenses might now be available to some Canadians in some places (and one wonders why this was not the case before), there does not appear to be any change.

Please let me know if I missed something. We obtained U.S. cruising licenses valid for 1-year (with gaps while cruising in Canada and in the Bahamas) in 2012, 2013, and 2014, before we sailed to Ireland in 2015; but we anticipate cruising back to the U.S. in a few years ' time.

OH
At anchor, Águilas (Murcia - Spain)