---
type: "LegalText"
title: "46 U.S.C. § 10503"
description: "Exhibiting merchant mariners’ documents"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
chapter_number: "105"
chapter_name: "COASTWISE VOYAGES"
section: "10503"
citation: "46 U.S.C. § 10503"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc46@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s10503"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-46/usc46.xml"
source_hash: "46da06c011b60104cf5198816dcc78323abb4ee308e1db500048cf838a36f37b"
raw_snapshot_hash: "eb1331aa3c08ed87231a3606d86b30d1b5942cdf8542f6a3df8ac1d66e86057f"
text_hash: "e7f4b0b420eeb4fe625336cba6042397166eb8b63c6e011017580936b7caad4c"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 46 U.S.C. § 10503 - Exhibiting merchant mariners’ documents

## Text

Before signing the agreement required by section 10502 of this title, a seaman required by section 8701 of this title to have a merchant mariner’s document shall exhibit to the master a document issued to the seaman and appropriately endorsed for the capacity in which the seaman is to serve.

(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 570.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes Revised sectionSource section (U.S. Code) 1050346:643 Under section 10503 seamen who are required to have a merchant mariner’s document must exhibit it before signing a shipping agreement on a coastwise voyage.