US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

46 U.S.C. § 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.

Pub. L. 98–8997 Stat. 540Pub. L. 101–380, title IV, § 4102(a)104 Stat. 509Pub. L. 111–281, title VI, § 614(b)124 Stat. 2970Pub. L. 115–282, title V, § 510(1)132 Stat. 4274(, , ; , , ; , , ; , , .)

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised section

Source section (U.S. Code)

7106

46:214(c)

46:225

46:226

46:228

46:229

46:229c

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

Pub. L. 115–2822018—Subsec. (b). substituted “license, whichever” for “merchant mariner’s document, whichever”.

Pub. L. 111–2812010— 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.”

Pub. L. 101–3801990— inserted “and may be renewed for additional 5-year periods” after “for 5 years”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1990 Amendment

Pub. L. 101–380section 1020 of Pub. L. 101–380section 2701 of Title 33Amendment 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

Pub. L. 101–380, title IV, § 4102(d)104 Stat. 510

“A license, certificate of registry, or merchant mariner’s document issued before the date of the enactment of this section [] terminates on the day it would have expired if—
“(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: