Title 46, ShippingRelease 119-102
§7103 Licenses for Radio Officers
Title 46 › Subtitle II — Vessels and Seamen › Part E — Merchant Seamen Licenses, Certificates, and Documents › CHAPTER 71 — LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRY › § 7103
Summary
To get a radio officer license, you must already hold a first-class or second-class radiotelegraph operator license from the Federal Communications Commission. Except as section 7318 says, this part does not change the status of radiotelegraph operators working on ships that operate only on the Great Lakes.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §7103
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(a)A license as radio officer may be issued only to an applicant who has a first-class or second-class radiotelegraph operator license issued by the Federal Communications Commission.
(b)Except as provided in section 7318 of this title, this part does not affect the status of radiotelegraph operators serving on board vessels operating only on the Great Lakes.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource section (U.S. Code) 710346:229a46:229b46:229g section 7103 requires an applicant for a license as a radio officer to have, as a prerequisite, a first-class or second-class radiotelegraph operator license issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It also excepts radiotelegraph operators that are engaged on Great Lakes vessels from the requirement of having to obtain a radio officer’s license.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 7103
Title 46, Shipping
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102