[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 46, Volume 1]
[Revised as of Octobery 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 46CFR10.205]

[Page 121-125]
 
                           TITLE 46--SHIPPING
 
         CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
 
PART 10_LICENSING OF MARITIME PERSONNEL--Table of Contents
 
  Subpart B_General Requirements for All Licenses and Certificates of 
                                Registry
 
Sec. 10.205  Requirements for original licenses, certificates of registry, 
and STCW certificates and endorsements.

    (a) General. The applicant for an original license or certificate of 
registry shall present satisfactory documentary evidence of eligibility 
in respect to the requirements of this section. Each applicant shall 
make written application on a Coast Guard furnished form and, unless 
exempted under Sec. 10.112, submit the evaluation fee set out in table 
10.109 in Sec. 10.109.
    (b) Minimum age. The applicant shall present satisfactory proof of 
age as prescribed in Sec. 10.201(f). This evidence may be any of the 
items submitted to establish citizenship.
    (c) Citizenship. (1) The OCMI may reject any evidence of citizenship 
that is not believed to be authentic. Acceptable evidence of citizenship 
may be an original or certified copy of the following:
    (i) Birth certificate or birth registration.
    (ii) Certificate of naturalization (original must be presented; 
photocopies are unlawful).
    (iii) Baptismal certificate or parish record recorded within one 
year after birth.
    (iv) Statement of a practicing physician certifying attendance at 
the birth and who possesses a record showing the date and location at 
which it occurred.
    (v) State Department passport.
    (vi) A merchant mariner's document issued by the Coast Guard which 
shows the holder as a United States citizen.
    (vii) Delayed certificate of birth issued under a state seal in the 
absence of any collateral facts indicating fraud in its procurement.
    (viii) Certificate of Citizenship issued by the United States 
Immigration and Naturalization Service.
    (2) If none of the requirements set forth in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) 
through (c)(1)(viii) of this section can be met by the applicant, the 
individual shall make a statement to that effect, and may submit data of 
the following character for consideration:
    (i) Report of the Census Bureau showing the earliest available 
record of age or birth. Request for such information should be addressed 
to the Personal Census Service Branch, Bureau of the Census, Pittsburgh, 
KS 66762. In making such request, the use of Form BC-600, Application 
for Search of Census Records, furnished by the Bureau is required.
    (ii) Affidavits of parents, relative, or two or more responsible 
citizens of the United States stating citizenship.
    (iii) School records, immigration records, or insurance policies.
    (d) Physical examination. (1) All applicants for an original license 
must pass an examination given by a licensed physician or a licensed 
physician assistant and present to the OCMI a completed Coast Guard 
physical examination form, or the equivalent, executed by the physician. 
This form must provide information on the applicant's acuity of vision, 
color sense, and general physical condition. This examination must have 
been completed prior to submission of the application and not more than 
12 months prior to issuance of the license. (Physical examinations are 
not required for staff officers.)
    (2) For an original license as master, mate, pilot, or operator, the 
applicant must have vision correctable to at least 20/40 in each eye and 
uncorrected vision of at least 20/200 in each eye. The color sense must 
be determined to be satisfactory when tested by any of the following 
methods, without the use of color sensing lenses:
    (i) Pseudoisochromatic Plates (Dvorine, 2nd Edition; AOC; revised 
edition or AOC-HRR; Ishihara 16-, 24-, or 38-plate editions).
    (ii) Eldridge--Green Color Perception Lantern.

[[Page 122]]

    (iii) Farnsworth Lantern.
    (iv) Keystone Orthoscope.
    (v) Keystone Telebinocular.
    (vi) SAMCTT (School of Aviation Medicine Color Threshold Tester).
    (vii) Titmus Optical Vision Tester.
    (viii) Williams Lantern.
    (3) For an original license as engineer, radio officer, offshore 
installation manager, barge supervisor or ballast control operator, the 
applicant must have correctable vision of at least 20/50 in each eye and 
uncorrected vision of at least 20/200 in each eye. Applicants need only 
to have the ability to distinguish the colors red, green, blue and 
yellow.
    (4) Where an applicant does not possess the vision, hearing, or 
general physical condition necessary, the OCMI, after consultation with 
the examining physician or physician's assistant, may recommend a waiver 
to the Commandant if extenuating circumstances warrant special 
consideration. Applicants may submit to the OCMI, additional 
correspondence, records and reports in support of this request. In this 
regard, recommendations from agencies of the Federal Government 
operating government vessels, as well as owners and operators of private 
vessels, made on behalf of their employees, will be given full 
consideration. Waivers are not normally granted to an applicant whose 
corrected vision in the better eye is not at least 20/40 for deck 
licenses or 20/50 for engineer licenses.
    (e) Experience or training. (1) All applicants for original licenses 
and certificates of registry shall present to the OCMI, letters, 
discharges, or other documents certifying the amount and character of 
their experience and the names, tonnage and horsepower of the vessels on 
which acquired. The OCMI must be satisfied as to the authenticity and 
acceptability of all evidence of experience or training presented. 
Certificates of discharge are returned to the applicant. The OCMI shall 
note on the application that service represented by these documents has 
been verified. All other documentary evidence of service, or authentic 
copies thereof, are filed with the application. A license is not 
considered as satisfactory evidence of any qualifying experience.
    (2) No original license or certificate of registry may be issued to 
any naturalized citizen on less experience in any grade or capacity than 
would have been required of a citizen of the United States by birth.
    (3) Experience and service acquired on foreign vessels is creditable 
for establishing eligibility for an original license, subject to 
evaluation by the OCMI to determine that it is a fair and reasonable 
equivalent to service acquired on merchant vessels of the United States, 
with respect to grade, tonnage, horsepower, waters, and operating 
conditions. An applicant who has obtained qualifying experience on 
foreign vessels shall submit satisfactory documentary evidence of such 
service (including any necessary translation into English) in the forms 
prescribed by paragraph (e)(1) of this section.
    (4) No applicant for an original license who is a naturalized 
citizen, and who has obtained experience on foreign vessels, will be 
given an original license in a grade higher than that upon which he or 
she has actually served while acting under the authority of a foreign 
license.
    (f) Character check and references. (1) Each applicant for an 
original license shall submit written recommendations concerning the 
applicant's suitability for duty from a master and two other licensed 
officers of vessels on which the applicant has served. For a license as 
engineer or as pilot, at least one of the recommendations must be from 
the chief engineer or licensed pilot, respectively, of a vessel on which 
the applicant has served. For a license as engineer where service was 
obtained on vessels not carrying a licensed engineer and for a license 
as master or mate (pilot) of towing vessels, the recommendations may be 
by recent marine employers with at least one recommendation from a 
master, operator, or person in charge of a vessel upon which the 
applicant has served. For a license as offshore installation manager, 
barge supervisor, or ballast control operator, at least one 
recommendation must be from an offshore installation manager of a unit 
on which the applicant has served. Where an applicant qualifies for a 
license through an approved training school,

[[Page 123]]

one of the character references must be an official of that school. For 
a license for which no commercial experience may be required, such as: 
Master or mate 25-200 gross tons, operator of uninspected passenger 
vessels, radio officer or certificate of registry, the applicant may 
have the written recommendations of three persons who have knowledge of 
the applicant's suitability for duty.
    (2) The OCMI may review the criminal record check of each applicant 
for an original license or certificate of registry according to the 
procedures set forth in Sec. 10.201(h).
    (3) A person may apply for an original license, or license of a 
different type, while on probation as a result of administrative action 
under part 5 of this chapter. The offense for which the applicant was 
placed on probation will be considered in determining his or her fitness 
to hold the license applied for. A license issued to an applicant on 
probation will be subject to the same probationary conditions as were 
imposed against the applicant's other license or merchant mariner's 
document. An applicant may not take an examination for a license during 
any period when a suspension without probation or a revocation is 
effective against the applicant's currently held license or merchant 
mariner's document, or while an appeal from these actions is pending.
    (4) In the event a license or certificate of registry has already 
been issued when information about the applicant's habits of life and 
character is brought to the attention of the OCMI, if such information 
warrants the belief that the applicant cannot be entrusted with the 
duties and responsibilities of the license or certificate of registry 
issued, or if such information indicates that the application for the 
license or certificate of registry was false or incomplete, the OCMI may 
notify the holder in writing that the license or certificate of registry 
is considered null and void, direct the holder to return it to the OCMI, 
and advise the holder that, upon return of the license or certificate of 
registry, the appeal procedures of Sec. 10.204 of this part apply.
    (g) Firefighting certificate. Applicants for the licenses in the 
following categories must present a certificate of completion from a 
firefighting course of instruction which has been approved by the 
Commandant. The course must meet both the basic and advanced sections of 
the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Resolution A.437 (XI) 
Training of Crews in Firefighting. The course must have been completed 
within five years before the date of application for the license 
requested.
    (1) Master's license for service on vessels of 200 gross tons or 
less in ocean service.
    (2) All master or mate's licenses for over 200 gross tons.
    (3) All licenses for master or mate (pilot) of towing vessels, 
except apprentice mate (steersman) of such vessels, on oceans.
    (4) All licenses on mobile offshore drilling units.
    (5) All engineer's licenses.
    (h) First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course 
certificates. All applicants for an original license or certificate of 
registry, except as provided in Sec. Sec. 10.429, 10.456, and 10.466 of 
this part, must present to the OCMI:
    (1) A certificate indicating completion of a first aid course within 
the past 12 months from:
    (i) The American National Red Cross Standard First Aid and Emergency 
Care or Multi-media Standard First Aid course;
    (ii) A Coast Guard approved first aid training course; or,
    (iii) A course the OCMI determines meets or exceeds the standards of 
the American Red Cross courses; and,
    (2) A currently valid certificate of completion of a CPR course 
from:
    (i) The American National Red Cross;
    (ii) The American Heart Association;
    (iii) A Coast Guard approved CPR training course; or,
    (iv) A course the OCMI determines meets or exceeds the standards of 
the American Red Cross or American Heart Association courses.
    (i) Professional Examination. (1) When the OCMI finds the 
applicant's experience and training to be satisfactory and the applicant 
is eligible in all other respects, the OCMI will authorize the 
examination in accordance with the following requirements:

[[Page 124]]

    (i) Any applicant for a deck or engineer license limited to vessels 
not exceeding 500 gross tons, or a license limited to uninspected 
fishing-industry vessels, may request an oral-assisted examination in 
lieu of any written or other textual examination. If there are textual 
questions that the applicant has difficulty reading and understanding, 
the OCMI will offer the oral-assisted examination. Each license based on 
an oral-assisted examination is limited to the specific route and type 
of vessel upon which the applicant obtained the majority of service.
    (ii) The general instructions for administration of examinations and 
the lists of subjects for all licenses appear in Subpart I of this part. 
The OCMI will place in the applicant's file a record indicating the 
subjects covered.
    (2) When the license application of any person has been approved, 
the applicant should take the required examination as soon as 
practicable. If the applicant cannot be examined without delay at the 
office where the application is made, the applicant may request that the 
examination be given at another office.
    (3) The qualification requirements for radar observer are contained 
in Sec. 10.480.
    (4) An examination is not required for a license as radio officer or 
a certificate of registry.
    (j) Chemical testing for dangerous drugs. To obtain a license or 
certificate of registry each applicant shall produce evidence of having 
passed a chemical test for dangerous drugs or of qualifying for an 
exception from testing in Sec. 16.220 of this subchapter. An applicant 
who fails a chemical test for dangerous drugs will not be issued a 
license or certificate of registry.
    (k) National Driver Register. Each applicant for an original license 
or certificate of registry shall consent to an NDR check under Sec. 
10.201(i).
    (l) Basic safety training or instruction. Except as provided in 
Sec. 10.202, an STCW certificate or endorsement will be issued only 
when the candidate provides evidence of having achieved or, if training 
has been completed, having maintained the minimum standards of 
competence for the following 4 areas of basic safety within the previous 
5 years upon assessment of a practical demonstration of skills and 
abilities:
    (1) Personal survival techniques as set out in table A-VI/1-1 of the 
STCW Code (incorporated by reference in Sec. 10.102).
    (2) Fire prevention and fire-fighting as set out in table A-VI/1-2 
of the STCW Code (also incorporated by reference in Sec. 10.102).
    (3) Elementary first aid as set out in table A-VI/1-3 of the STCW 
Code (also incorporated by reference in Sec. 10.102).
    (4) Personal safety and social responsibilities as set out in table 
A-VI/1-4 of the STCW Code (also incorporated by reference in Sec. 
10.102).
    (m) Competence in the use of Automatic Radar-Plotting Aids (ARPA). 
(1) Subject to paragraph (m)(2) of this section, and except as otherwise 
provided in Sec. 10.202, each candidate for an STCW certificate as 
master or mate for service on vessels in ocean or near-coastal service, 
shall present a certificate of completion from an approved course or 
from accepted training on an ARPA simulator. The course or training must 
be sufficient to establish that the applicant is competent to maintain 
safe navigation through the proper use of ARPA, by correctly 
interpreting and analyzing the information obtained from that device and 
taking into account both the limitations of the equipment and the 
prevailing circumstances and conditions. The simulator used in the 
course or training must meet or exceed the performance standards 
established under STCW Regulation I/12 of the 1995 Amendments.
    (2) Training and assessment in the use of ARPA are not required for 
mariners serving exclusively on vessels not fitted with ARPA. However, 
when any mariner so serving has not completed it, his or her STCW 
certificate or endorsement will be endorsed to indicate this limitation.
    (n) Certificate for operator of radio in the Global Maritime 
Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). (1) Subject to paragraph (n)(2) of 
this section, and except as otherwise provided by Sec. 10.202, each 
candidate for an STCW certificate as master or mate for service in 
vessels in ocean or near-coastal service, shall present--

[[Page 125]]

    (i) A certificate for operator of radio in the GMDSS issued by the 
Federal Communication Commission (FCC); and
    (ii) A certificate of completion from a Coast Guard-approved or 
accepted course for operator of radio in the GMDSS or from another 
approved or accepted program of training and assessment covering the 
same areas of competence. The course or program must be sufficient to 
establish that the applicant is competent to perform radio duties on a 
vessel participating in the GMDSS and meets the standard of competence 
under STCW Regulation IV/2.
    (2) Paragraph (n)(1) of this section does not apply to a candidate 
intending to serve only as a pilot, or intending to serve only on 
vessels not required to comply with the provisions of the GMDSS in 
Chapter IV of the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as 
amended (SOLAS).
    (3) Each candidate presenting a certificate described in paragraph 
(n)(1) of this section may have his or her STCW certificate suitably 
endorsed with his or her GMDSS qualification.
    (o) Procedures for bridge team work. Except as otherwise provided by 
Sec. 10.202, each candidate for an STCW certificate as master or mate 
for service on vessels in ocean or near-coastal service, shall present 
sufficient documentary proof that he or she understands and can 
effectively apply procedures for bridge team work as an essential aspect 
of maintaining a safe navigational watch, taking into account the 
principles of bridge-resource management enumerated in Section B-VIII/2 
of the STCW Code.
    (p) Practical demonstration of skills. Each candidate for an 
original license shall successfully complete any practical 
demonstrations required under this part and appropriate to the 
particular license concerned, to prove that he or she is sufficiently 
proficient in skills required under subpart I of this part. The OCMI 
must be satisfied as to the authenticity and acceptability of all 
evidence that each candidate has successfully completed the 
demonstrations required under this part in the presence of a designated 
examiner. The OCMI will place in the file of each candidate a written or 
electronic record of the skills required, the results of the practical 
demonstrations, and the identification of the designated examiner in 
whose presence the requirements were fulfilled.

[CGD 81-059 and CGD 81-059a, 52 FR 38623 and 38666, Oct. 16, 1987, as 
amended by CGD 81-059, 54 FR 133, Jan. 4, 1989; CGD 81-059a, 55 FR 
14799, Apr. 18, 1990; CGD 91-002, 58 FR 15238, Mar. 19, 1993; CGD 91-
223, 60 FR 4524, Jan. 23, 1995; CGD 91-212, 60 FR 65486, Dec. 19, 1995; 
CGD 94-029, 61 FR 47063, Sept. 6, 1996; CGD 95-062, 62 FR 34530, June 
26, 1997; CGD 95-062, 62 FR 40281, July 28, 1997; USCG-1997-2799, 64 FR 
42815, Aug. 5, 1999; USCG-1999-6224, 64 FR 63225, Nov. 19, 1999; 66 FR 
20935, Apr. 26, 2001; USCG-1999-5610, 67 FR 66067, Oct. 30, 2002; USCG-
2004-18884, 69 FR 58342, Sept. 30, 2004]