(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard began issuing merchant mariner credentials (MMCs) with an embedded credential verification scan quick-response (QR) code.
The QR code, located in the upper-right corner of each MMC photograph/personnel page, can be scanned using a smartphone camera. The unique code, when scanned, will open the Coast Guard’s Homeport credential verification page of the mariner associated with the MMC. This new feature will allow users to quickly and easily determine the validity of the credential in hand without the need for any data entry beyond the initial code scan.
To validate an MMC without a smartphone, use the Coast Guard’s credential verification tool. For a document search, select “MMC” as the document type and enter the document number. On the new MMC, the document number can be found on the cover beneath the corresponding barcode and will have the prefix Z.
If you have any questions, contact the NMC Customer Service Center by emailing IASKNMC@uscg.mil or calling 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662).
– National Maritime Center
