How to Apply for a Twix Card

Sometimes mistakenly referred to as a TWIX card, but accurately called a TWIC card, the correct acronym stands for Transportation Worker Identification Credential. This card is an identification credential mandated by the 2004 Maritime Transportation Security Act to boost security protocol for the U.S. maritime industry and commerce. Upon receipt of a TWIC card, the holder is granted full, unescorted access to otherwise secure and restricted MTSA-regulated facilities and vessels. Card applicants must schedule an in-person interview, but completing the application may be done online or in person at the interview.

As a managed initiative of the Transportation Security Administration, TWIC cards contain a tamper-resistant feature that’s linked to the cardholder’s fingerprint template. TWIC-eligible individuals include personnel such as longshoremen, merchant mariners, truck drivers and contractors. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent U.S. residents or nonimmigrant aliens, asylum seekers or refugees who have lawful status.

Disqualifying criteria include permanent criminal offenses such as felonies ranging from treason, espionage, murder and federal terrorism. Other disqualifying criteria include interim offenses, which occur within seven years of the date of application, such as arson, bribery, fraud, immigration violations, rape, robbery and voluntary manslaughter. The TSA may also deny the issuance of a TWIC card to applicants who have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility or who have been adjudicated as lacking mental capacity.

Read More: What is a TWIC Card?

Applicants have the option of applying online or applying in person at a TWIC application center. Even if applicants complete an online application, they must still schedule an in-person interview. At TSA.gov, applicants enter Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) in the search box, and follow the prompts to find the application.

The TSA encourages TWIC applicants to schedule an appointment for their interview, even though walk-in appointments are welcome. The advantage of scheduling an appointment is that it takes priority over walk-in applicants. To schedule an appointment, applicants can call toll free 555-347-8371 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

At the appointment, the applicant is photographed and fingerprinted. Proof of identity, such as a driver’s license, current U.S. passport or a birth certificate, is also required at the interview

Although the appointment scheduler will notify applicants of their nearest TWIC office, applicants can also find this information online by visiting UniversalEnroll.dhs.gov and clicking the TWIC button or acronym. After the page loads, applicants click Find an Enrollment Center to enter their ZIP code or airport code in the locator search tool to find the closest TWIC enrollment center.

Applicants may want to bookmark this page in order to return to this same page to check their TWIC status, activate their TWIC card, replace their card or reset the card’s PIN.

New TWIC card applicants pay a nonrefundable $125.25 fee, which keeps their credential active for five years. Applicants are eligible to receive a $20 discount by paying $105.25 for their TWIC card if they have a valid driver’s license and a Hazardous Materials Endorsement or a Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card. Current TWIC cardholders who apply for a replacement card owe a fee of $60. Reduced-rate TWIC cards expire five years from the issuing date of a FAST card or on the expiration date of a current, unexpired HME.

Accepted payment methods are credit card, company check, money order or certified/cashier's check. Applicants may choose to have their TWIC cards mailed to them or held for pickup at the application center.