46 USC § 7106 - Duration of licenses

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s7106"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "46 USC § 7106 - Duration of licenses"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
section_number: "7106"
section_name: "Duration of licenses"
chapter_number: 71
chapter_name: "LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY"
part_number: "E"
part_name: "Merchant Seamen Licenses, Certificates, and Documents"
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. 540; Pub. L. 101–380, title IV, § 4102(a), Aug. 18, 1990, 104 Stat. 509; Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 614(b), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2970; Pub. L. 115–282, title V, § 510(1), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4274.)"
---


# § 7106. Duration of licenses

**(a)** **In General.—** A license issued under this part is valid for a 5-year period and may be renewed for additional 5-year periods; except that the validity of a license issued to a radio officer is conditioned on the continuous possession by the holder of a first-class or second-class radiotelegraph operator license issued by the Federal Communications Commission.

**(b)** **Advance Renewals.—** A renewed license issued under this part may be issued up to 8 months in advance but is not effective until the date that the previously issued license expires or until the completion of any active suspension or revocation of that previously issued license, whichever is later.

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 540; Pub. L. 101–380, title IV, § 4102(a), Aug. 18, 1990, 104 Stat. 509; Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 614(b), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2970; Pub. L. 115–282, title V, § 510(1), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4274.)

| Revised section | Source section (U.S. Code) |
| --- | --- |
| 7106 | 46:214(c)46:22546:22646:22846:22946:229c |

Section 7106 sets a 5 year time limit on the validity of a license. It also requires a licensed radio officer to be in continuous possession of an FCC license.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2018—Subsec. (b).  substituted “license, whichever” for “merchant mariner’s document, whichever”.

2010— amended section generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “A license issued under this part is valid for 5 years and may be renewed for additional 5-year periods. However, the validity of a license issued to a radio officer is conditioned on the continuous possession by the holder of a first-class or second-class radiotelegraph operator license issued by the Federal Communications Commission.”

1990— inserted “and may be renewed for additional 5-year periods” after “for 5 years”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1990 Amendment

Amendment by  applicable to incidents occurring after , see , set out as an Effective Date note under , Navigation and Navigable Waters.

### Termination of Existing Licenses, Certificates, and Documents; Applicability of 1990 Amendment

> **“(1)** subsections (a), (b), and (c) [amending this section and sections 7107 and 7302 of this title] were in effect on the date it was issued; and
> 
> **“(2)** it was renewed at the end of each 5-year period under section 7106, 7107, or 7302 of title 46, United States Code.”

, , , provided that: