OTI group supplemental bonds.
From $100. Enter your amount.
A sole proprietor or partnership acting as an ocean transportation intermediary (OTI) — an ocean freight forwarder or a non-vessel-operating common carrier — must maintain financial responsibility under 46 U.S.C. § 40902. When that coverage runs through a group or association bond, 46 CFR § 515.21(b) lets a member post a supplemental bond on Federal Maritime Commission Form FMC-69 so the coverage available for its license actually reaches the amount its OTI type requires. Pricing is 4% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — enter the amount your filing requires and your exact price appears at the application.
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Apply to filed in one sitting.
No long underwriting queue for the standard group supplemental filing — enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and file with the Commission. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details (including your SSN if you apply as an individual owner), the bond amount your OTI type calls for, and a one-time credit consent that authorizes a soft pull only.
Approved
Most group supplemental filings clear quickly on a soft pull that never affects your score — pricing is 4% of the bond amount, $100 minimum. Larger amounts may get a brief review.
File with the FMC
Your executed FMC-69 bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the Federal Maritime Commission to complete your group or association coverage. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the OTI group supplemental bond actually guarantees
An ocean transportation intermediary (OTI) — an ocean freight forwarder or non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC) — may not advertise, hold itself out, or act as an OTI without furnishing a bond, insurance, or other surety, under 46 U.S.C. § 40902. The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) sets the required form and coverage amount and must approve the surety, whether the OTI operates as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or another entity.
The coverage stands behind penalties the FMC assesses, reparations the Commission orders, and certain claims arising from an OTI's transportation-related activities that the OTI does not resolve. Under 46 CFR § 515.21(b), a group or association of OTIs may satisfy this requirement collectively, with total coverage equal to the lesser of the sum of each member's individually required amount or $3,000,000 in the aggregate. Form FMC-69 is the supplemental bond a sole-proprietor or partnership member files so the group's coverage reaches what that member's own OTI type requires.
Base amounts under 46 CFR § 515.21(a) run $50,000 for an ocean freight forwarder, $75,000 for an NVOCC, and $150,000 for a registered NVOCC. Enter the figure your group's filing requires; we price it at 4% of the bond amount from a $100 minimum. Applying as an individual owner adds an SSN field, and either way the credit step authorizes a soft pull only.
You need this bond if you are
One application, then a quick review.
These are the actual FMC-69 underwriting fields for a sole-proprietor or partnership applicant, including a one-time credit consent that authorizes a soft pull only. Submit once and most clear the same day.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Federal bonds.
Group coverage, closed the same day.
Premiums from $100, priced at 4% of the bond amount. Enter your required figure and file the executed FMC-69 with the Commission.