
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 46USC12103]

 
                           TITLE 46--SHIPPING
 
                     Subtitle II--Vessels and Seamen
 
                    Part H--Identification of Vessels
 
                  CHAPTER 121--DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS
 
Sec. 12103. Certificates of documentation

    (a) Except as provided in section 12123 of this title, on 
application by the owner of a vessel eligible for documentation, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue a certificate of documentation 
endorsed with one or more of the endorsements specified in sections 
12105-12109 of this title.
    (b)(1) The Secretary may prescribe the form of, the manner of 
filing, and the information to be contained in, applications for 
certificates of documentation.
    (2) The Secretary shall require each person applying to document a 
vessel to provide--
        (A) the person's social security number; or
        (B) for a person other than an individual--
            (i) the person's taxpayer identification number; or
            (ii) if the person does not have a taxpayer identification 
        number, the social security number of an individual who is a 
        corporate officer, general partner, or individual trustee of the 
        person and who signs the application for documentation for the 
        vessels.

    (c) Each certificate of documentation shall--
        (1) identify and describe the vessel;
        (2) identify the owner of the vessel; and
        (3) contain additional information prescribed by the Secretary.

    (d) The Secretary shall prescribe procedures to ensure the integrity 
of, and the accuracy of information contained in, certificates of 
documentation.
    (e) The owner and master of a documented vessel shall make the 
vessel's certificate of documentation available for examination as the 
law or Secretary may require.

(Pub. L. 98-89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 585; Pub. L. 100-710, title I, 
Sec. 104(a)(4), (6), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4750; Pub. L. 101-225, 
title III, Sec. 301(a)(3), Dec. 12, 1989, 103 Stat. 1920; Pub. L. 102-
388, title III, Sec. 348(c)(1), Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1554; Pub. L. 
102-587, title V, Sec. 5213(a)(1), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5077.)

                      Historical and Revision Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Revised section                Source section (U.S. Code)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12103.............................  46:65e
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 12103 provides that a certificate of documentation shall be 
issued upon application by the owner of any vessel eligible for 
documentation on the form and in the manner prescribed by the Secretary 
and that it shall be available for examination. This section also 
provides that each certificate of documentation shall contain the name, 
the home port, the description of the vessel, identity of its owner, and 
be in the form and contain the additional information that the Secretary 
prescribes. The Secretary shall, by regulation, prescribe procedures to 
ensure the integrity of, and the accuracy of, information contained in, 
certificates of documentation.


                               Amendments

    1992--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102-388 and Pub. L. 102-587 amended 
subsec. (a) identically, substituting ``Except as provided in section 
12123 of this title, on'' for ``On''.
    1989--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101-225, Sec. 301(a)(3)(A), substituted 
``endorsed with one or more of the endorsements'' for ``of one of the 
types''.
    Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101-225, Sec. 301(a)(3)(B), designated existing 
provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).
    1988--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100-710, Sec. 104(a)(4), inserted ``of 
Transportation'' after ``Secretary''.
    Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 100-710, Sec. 104(a)(6), in amending par. 
(1) generally, substituted ``identify and describe the vessel'' for 
``contain the name, the home port, and a description of the vessel''.


                    Effective Date of 1989 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 101-225 effective on the 180th day after Dec. 
12, 1989, see section 309(b)(2) of Pub. L. 101-225, set out as a note 
under section 12101 of this title.


                    Effective Date of 1988 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 100-710 effective Jan. 1, 1989, with certain 
exceptions and qualifications, see section 107 of Pub. L. 100-710, set 
out as an Effective Date note under section 30101 of this title.
