46 USC § 10306 - Exhibiting merchant mariners’ documents

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s10306"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "46 USC § 10306 - Exhibiting merchant mariners’ documents"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
section_number: "10306"
section_name: "Exhibiting merchant mariners’ documents"
chapter_number: 103
chapter_name: "FOREIGN AND INTERCOASTAL VOYAGES"
part_number: "G"
part_name: "Merchant Seamen Protection and Relief"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 564; Pub. L. 103–206, title IV, § 404, Dec. 20, 1993, 107 Stat. 2436.)"
---


# § 10306. Exhibiting merchant mariners’ documents

section 10302 of this titlesection 8701 of this title

Before signing the agreement required by , each individual required by  to have a merchant mariner’s document shall exhibit to the master or individual in charge a document issued to the individual, appropriately endorsed for the capacity in which the individual is to serve.

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 564; Pub. L. 103–206, title IV, § 404, Dec. 20, 1993, 107 Stat. 2436.)

| Revised section | Source section (U.S. Code) |
| --- | --- |
| 10306 | 46:643(c) |

Section 10306 requires a seaman to exhibit an appropriately endorsed merchant mariner’s document to the shipping commissioner before signing a shipping agreement. When a master acts as a shipping commissioner, the same procedure applies.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1993— substituted “master or individual in charge” for “shipping commissioner”.