As regulated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), all mariners sailing on MSC vessels are required to hold a Merchant Mariner’s Credential (MMC) with the appropriate endorsement or license for the position in which they are sailing. In order to obtain your MMC for the first time, there are several steps that you will need to take. Please follow these as outlined below.
MMC Renewals: http://www.uscg.mil/stcw/ldcr-renewal.htm
MMC Upgrades: http://www.uscg.mil/stcw/stcw-unlicguide.htm
One of the numbers you will need to submit with a completed application is your selective service number. You can obtain that number by visiting https://www4.sss.gov/regver/verification1.asp.
The Coast Guard launched a website to provide merchant mariners with real-time information on the status of pending mariner credential applications. Merchant mariners can check the status of application packages throughout the verification and approval process by logging onto http://homeport.uscg.mil/, clicking on the Merchant Mariners tab and then clicking on Merchant Mariner Application Status.