Fishermen purchasing or renewing fishing licenses or vessel registrations at Division of Marine Fisheries offices can now use their credit cards for payment.
The Division of Marine Fisheries’ license offices will accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express for in-person payments. The cardholder must present the card and a photo ID at the time of the transaction. Credit card payments cannot be taken through the mail or over the phone.
This new service comes in time for fiscal year 2024-2025 license presales, which begin April 15.
All fiscal year 2024 commercial fishing, seafood dealer and for-hire licenses and permits expire on June 30, 2024. The 2025 licenses and permits will become effective on July 1, 2024.
The Division of Marine Fisheries is mailing license renewal packets to the commercial and for-hire license holders who renewed their license through mail last year.
Licenses and permits also can be purchased or renewed by visiting any Division of Marine Fisheries license office. Please make an appointment with your local license office to reduce wait times. Appointments are available at the following locations:
| DMF Headquarters 3441 Arendell St. Morehead City, N.C. 28577 Phone: 252-515-5500 or 800-682-2632 | Manteo Field Office 1021 Driftwood Dr. Manteo, N.C. 27954 Phone 252-473-5734 or 800-405-7774 |
| Pamlico District Office 943 Washington Square Mall, Highway 17 Washington, N.C. 27889 Phone: 252-948-3800 or 800-338-7804 | Southern District Office 127 Cardinal Drive Extension Wilmington, N.C. 28405 Phone: 910-796-7215 or 800-248-4536 |
The license office in Elizabeth City is permanently closed and cannot accept renewal applications.
For more information, call 252-515-5500 or 1-800-682-2632.