A TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) is the TSA-issued card that anyone needing unescorted access to secure areas of Coast Guard-regulated port facilities and vessels must hold, which includes truck drivers who go into container terminals and other secure port areas without an escort. As of September 2026, TSA’s fee is $124.00 for a new card, $93.00 for eligible applicants with a comparable background check such as a hazmat endorsement, $116.00 for an online renewal and $124.00 for an in-person renewal, and the card is valid for five years.
This page covers who needs the card, how to apply and renew, eligibility, what the card obliges you to do, and how it relates to the hazmat endorsement. TWIC enrollment centers are the same TSA centers used for the hazmat check, listed in the TSA enrollment directory.
Who needs a TWIC
The requirement is a Coast Guard rule, not a trucking rule. 33 CFR 101.514(a): all persons requiring unescorted access to secure areas of vessels, facilities and outer continental shelf facilities regulated under 33 CFR parts 104, 105 or 106 must possess a TWIC before access is granted, and the TWIC must be obtained under TSA’s procedures in 49 CFR part 1572.
For a truck driver that means:
- If you pick up or drop containers or cargo inside a secure area of a regulated port terminal and are not escorted, you need a TWIC.
- If you are not a TWIC holder, 33 CFR 101.515(a) requires you to show personal identification that meets set standards (tamper-resistant, full name, current photo, issuing authority) and to be under escort while inside a secure area. Many terminals do not offer escorts to truck drivers, so in practice a driver without a TWIC may be turned away; the facility decides how it manages access.
- No federal rule requires a TWIC for truck drivers who never enter secure port areas. It is not a CDL requirement.
TSA’s TWIC page (read 27 September 2026) directs questions about card use and facility access requirements to the U.S. Coast Guard. When a customer or terminal says you need one, ask which facility and which area, because the rule turns on "secure area" access.
Drivers licensed in Canada or Mexico
A driver licensed in Canada or Mexico may not haul placarded hazmat into or within the United States without a background check similar to the one for a U.S. hazmat endorsement (49 CFR 1572.201(c)). A current FAST card or a TWIC satisfies that requirement (1572.201(d) and (e)).
Eligibility
TSA denies a TWIC if the applicant poses a security threat under 1572.5(a), which covers four grounds:
- a disqualifying criminal offense in 1572.103 (the same list used for the hazmat endorsement; see the threat assessment guide);
- not meeting the immigration standards in 1572.105: U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, certain lawful nonimmigrants with unrestricted work authorization, listed restricted categories such as H-1B, L-1, E-1, E-2, E-3, O-1 and TN, and Canadian or Mexican commercial drivers admitted to conduct business. Anyone in removal proceedings or subject to a removal order may not apply (1572.105(e));
- TSA’s other analyses under 1572.107, which can include watchlist checks, extensive criminal convictions, a serious crime not on the list, or more than 365 consecutive days of imprisonment; and
- an adjudication of lacking mental capacity or an involuntary commitment (1572.109).
Waivers of certain standards can be requested under 49 CFR 1515.7 (1572.21(d)(6)).
How to apply
From TSA’s TWIC page, read 27 September 2026:
- Pre-enroll online, or do the whole process in person at an application center.
- Schedule an appointment online or by phone. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments take priority.
- At the center, provide documents (TSA lists a current U.S. passport, or a driver’s license and birth certificate, among acceptable documents), give fingerprints and have a photo taken.
- Pay the non-refundable fee by credit card, money order, company check, or certified or cashier’s check.
- Have the card mailed to your home or pick it up at the center. You can check status online.
The information TSA collects is set by 1572.17: legal name and prior names, addresses, date and place of birth, physical description, immigration status, the reason you need a TWIC and where you expect to need access, and your employer. Giving a Social Security number is voluntary, but not giving it will delay and may prevent completion (1572.17(a)(12)). You must also certify statements about disqualifying offenses and mental capacity, and acknowledge that a false statement is punishable under federal law (1572.17(b), (f)).
Timing: TSA recommends enrolling, including for renewals, at least 60 days before you need a valid TWIC, and says processing for some applicants may exceed 45 days.
Cost
| Application type | TSA fee (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| New applicant | $124.00 |
| New applicant, reduced rate | $93.00 |
| In-person renewal | $124.00 |
| Online renewal | $116.00 |
| Replacement card | $60.00 |
Source: TSA TWIC page, read 27 September 2026. The reduced rate exists because 1572.501(c) sets a lower fee for applicants who have already had a comparable threat assessment, such as for a hazmat endorsement or a FAST card, or who hold certain mariner credentials. TSA’s HME page confirms that applicants who use their HME clearance pay a reduced TWIC fee covering enrollment and card issuance. Fees are published by Federal Register notice and reviewed at least every two years (1572.501(g)), and TSA issues no refunds (1572.501(f)).
What happens after you apply
1572.21: TSA runs a fingerprint-based criminal history check through the FBI and an intelligence-related check, then issues one of:
- a Determination of No Security Threat, after which the card is produced (1572.21(d)(1));
- an Initial Determination of Threat Assessment, explaining the basis and how to appeal. If you neither appeal nor ask for more time within 60 days, it becomes final (1572.21(d)(2)); or
- an Initial Determination and Immediate Revocation where TSA believes there may be an imminent threat (1572.21(d)(3)).
Validity and renewal
1572.23(a): a TWIC expires five years after issue, at the end of the calendar day, with two exceptions. A card issued on the basis of a comparable threat assessment expires five years from the date on that other credential (1572.23(a)(1)). For applicants in the restricted nonimmigrant categories in 1572.105(a)(7), the card is treated as expired when the status expires or the job with the sponsoring employer ends (1572.23(a)(2)); TSA may also issue a card for less than five years to match a visa (1572.23(b)). Renewal means a new application, fingerprints and fee (1572.19(e)); TSA offers an online renewal at a lower fee.
Your duties as a card holder
- Show it on request. A TWIC holder must present the card to TSA, the Coast Guard, other authorized DHS representatives, the NTSB, or federal, state or local law enforcement on request, and pass an electronic check including a fingerprint or PIN if asked (33 CFR 101.515(d)).
- Report loss or damage immediately (1572.19(f)).
- Surrender it within 24 hours if you are convicted of, wanted for or charged with a disqualifying offense, found not guilty by reason of insanity of one, adjudicated as lacking mental capacity or committed, lose citizenship or permanent residence, or violate your immigration status (1572.19(d)). The card is TSA’s property (1572.19(c)).
TSA also publishes a canceled card list so facilities can check whether a presented card is still valid; TSA notes that appearing on it can simply mean the card was replaced.
TWIC vs hazmat endorsement
| TWIC | Hazmat endorsement (H) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it allows | Unescorted access to secure areas of regulated maritime facilities and vessels (33 CFR 101.514) | Driving a CMV transporting placarded hazmat (49 CFR 383.93(b)(4)) |
| Issued by | TSA, as a card | The state, as an endorsement on the CDL |
| Background check | TSA security threat assessment under Part 1572 | The same TSA assessment; TSA has found the two comparable (1572.5(e)(5)) |
| Other requirements | None related to driving | Hazmat theory training (first time) and the state knowledge test |
| TSA fee (Sept 2026) | $124.00 new; $93.00 reduced | $85.25; $41.00 reduced for eligible TWIC holders |
| Term | 5 years (1572.23) | 5 years or less (383.141(d)) |
Because the checks are comparable, a driver can use one to shorten the other. A hazmat holder can apply for a TWIC at the reduced fee. A TWIC holder can, under 383.141(b)(2), have the state issue the H endorsement on the strength of the valid TWIC, where the state offers it, with an expiry no later than the TWIC’s; the steps are on the hazmat endorsement page. TSA also says active TWIC holders can use the credential to obtain TSA PreCheck.
Worked example: which to get first
Example, using the September 2026 TSA fees. A driver hauls containers from a port terminal and wants to add hazmat. Route A: TWIC first at $124.00, then an H endorsement paying the reduced $41.00 TSA fee if his state is on TSA’s reciprocity list: $165.00 in TSA fees. Route B: HME first at $85.25, then a TWIC at the $93.00 reduced rate: $178.25. Route A is cheaper in this example, but TSA’s HME page warns that an HME issued on a TWIC assessment expires with the TWIC, so a driver whose TWIC has only two years left may pay again sooner. State license fees and training costs are the same either way.
Before your enrollment appointment: a checklist
Most delays come from missing information rather than the background check itself. Drawing on 1572.17 and TSA’s page:
- Identity and status documents. Bring what TSA lists as acceptable, for example a current U.S. passport, or a driver’s license with a birth certificate. A naturalized citizen should know the naturalization date, and a non-citizen the alien registration number or I-94 number (1572.17(a)(7) and (8)).
- Why you need the card. Be ready to name your job and the port, facility or vessel where you expect to need unescorted access, if known. A self-employed driver or one without a single employer gives the primary port locations instead (1572.17(a)(9) and (10)). This establishes eligibility; it does not limit where the card can be used.
- Criminal history answers. You will certify that you were not convicted of an interim disqualifying crime in the last seven years or released from prison for one in the last five, that you are not wanted or under indictment for one, and that you have no permanent disqualifying conviction, or that you are applying for a waiver (1572.17(b)). If anything is uncertain, get the court records first.
- Social Security number. Voluntary, but leaving it out will delay and may prevent completion (1572.17(a)(12)).
- Payment method TSA accepts, and a decision on mailing or pickup.
- An existing HME or FAST card, if you have one, so you are charged the reduced fee.
Common mistakes
- Applying the week a terminal first asks for it. TSA recommends 60 days.
- Assuming a CDL or hazmat endorsement gets you into a secure area. Only a TWIC or an escort does (33 CFR 101.514, 101.515).
- Paying the full fee when you already hold an HME. The reduced fee applies to comparable assessments (1572.501(c)).
- Keeping a lost card quiet. 1572.19(f) requires immediate notice to TSA.
- Forgetting the visa link. For restricted nonimmigrant categories, the card is deemed expired when the status or the job ends (1572.23(a)(2)).