Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-83
§7304 Citizenship or Noncitizen Nationality Notation on Merchant Mariners’ Documents
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle II— Vessels and Seamen › Part E— Merchant Seamen Licenses, Certificates, and Documents › Chapter 73— MERCHANT MARINERS’ DOCUMENTS › § 7304
Summary
Anyone applying for a merchant mariner’s document must show acceptable proof that they are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. noncitizen national (as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1408) before that status can be entered on the document.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §7304
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
An individual applying for a merchant mariner’s document shall provide satisfactory proof that the individual is a citizen or noncitizen national (as such term is described in section 308 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1408)) of the United States before that notation is made on the document.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource section (U.S. Code) 730446:643(b) section 7304 specifies, that before a merchant mariner’s document is noted to specify that the individual is a U.S. citizen, the individual must provide satisfactory proof that he is a citizen. This does not impose a requirement of United States citizenship as a condition for issuance of a document.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2025—Pub. L. 119–60 inserted “or noncitizen nationality” after “Citizenship” in section catchline and “or noncitizen national (as such term is described in section 308 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1408))” after “citizen” in text.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 7304
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 18, 2026
Release point: 119-83