TL;DR
- A TWIC is the TSA card you need for unescorted access to secure areas of regulated ports and vessels. A new card costs $127.00 and lasts five years (TSA, November 2026).
- The reduced rate is $93.00 if you hold a hazmat-endorsed commercial driver’s license or a FAST card. Online renewal is $119.00 and a replacement card is $60.00.
- TSA says to enroll at least 60 days before you need the card. Processing for some applicants now runs past 45 days.
- You can renew online from one year before to one year after the expiration date if you are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or lawful permanent resident.
- Fishing vessels and small charter boats are not on the Coast Guard list of vessels that need a security plan. Passenger vessels land on it when certificated for more than 150 passengers.
TWIC stands for Transportation Worker Identification Credential. It is a federal ID card with a background check behind it. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issues it, and the Coast Guard decides where you have to carry it.
If you want to work on a tanker, a tug that pushes tank barges, a large passenger vessel or a cargo dock, expect to need one. For a fishing boat or a small charter boat, you may not. Every fee and rule below was checked on November 9, 2026.
What is a TWIC card?
A TWIC card is a federal ID that shows you passed a TSA security threat assessment, which is a background check. The Maritime Transportation Security Act requires it for workers who need access to secure areas of maritime facilities and vessels.
The Coast Guard rule is short. Anyone who needs unescorted access to a secure area of a regulated vessel, port facility or offshore facility must hold a TWIC before that access is granted (33 CFR 101.514).
A secure area is the part of a vessel or facility where the operator controls access under a Coast Guard approved security plan. Passenger areas, employee access areas and public areas do not count. Without a TWIC, you can enter one only with a TWIC holder escorting you.
The card is also tied to Coast Guard mariner credentials. Under 46 CFR 10.203, failing to get or hold a valid TWIC is grounds to deny a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). A valid TWIC also serves as the mariner’s primary ID.
The card stores your full name, an expiration date, a digital photo and two fingerprints. It is TSA property, so an employer cannot take it from you unless your work visa has expired. TSA first issued the card in 2007.
How much does a TWIC card cost?
A new TWIC card costs $127.00 as of November 2026, and that fee covers five years. TSA posts five prices on its TWIC page.
| Card type | Fee (TSA, November 2026) | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| New applicant | $127.00 | First card, or a card that expired more than one year ago |
| New applicant, reduced rate | $93.00 | Holders of a hazmat-endorsed commercial driver’s license or a FAST card |
| In-person renewal | $127.00 | Anyone renewing at an enrollment center |
| Online renewal | $119.00 | U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents inside the online renewal window |
| Replacement card | $60.00 | Lost, stolen or damaged card |
You pay with a credit card, money order, company check, or certified or cashier’s check. The fee is non-refundable, and the federal rule says TSA will not issue refunds. Read the eligibility and disqualifying offense sections below before you pay.
The reduced rate has a catch. Your new TWIC will expire on the same date as the hazmat endorsement or FAST card you used to qualify. The card may not last the full five years.
These prices move. TSA publishes TWIC fees as Federal Register notices and reviews them at least once every two years. Confirm the number on the TSA page the week you apply.
What do you need to apply for a TWIC card?
You need lawful status in an eligible category, a work reason, and original identity documents. TSA takes applications from U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, naturalized citizens, and nonimmigrants, asylees and refugees who are in lawful status.
For nonimmigrants the list is narrower than it sounds. The rule in 49 CFR 1572.105 covers unrestricted work authorization plus a set of restricted work visas, including C-1/D, H-1B, E-1, E-2, E-3, L-1, O-1 and TN. Anyone in removal proceedings is not eligible.
You also have to need the card for work. On the application you certify that your job requires unescorted access to secure areas, or that you are, or are applying to be, a credentialed merchant mariner.
| Your situation | What to bring (TSA document list) |
|---|---|
| You have one List A document | Unexpired U.S. passport book or card, Permanent Resident Card, enhanced driver’s license, or Enhanced Tribal Card |
| You do not (List B, at least two documents) | A valid photo ID such as an unexpired driver’s license or military ID, plus proof of citizenship such as a U.S. birth certificate or Certificate of Naturalization |
| You legally changed your name | Add an original or certified name change document, such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree |
Bring originals or certified copies, and make sure the names match your application exactly. Birth certificates must be long-form, certified or sealed copies issued by a state or territory. TSA does not accept hospital-issued certificates, notarized copies or digital IDs.
The simplest set, in TSA’s own words, is a current U.S. passport, or a driver’s license and birth certificate. A U.S. passport that expired within the last 12 months can count as proof of citizenship, but not by itself.
How do you apply for a TWIC card, and how long does it take?
You apply in two parts: an online pre-enrollment, then one visit to an enrollment center. First-time applicants cannot finish the whole application online. TSA says to enroll at least 60 days before you need the card.
- Pre-enroll on the TSA enrollment site, or skip this step and do the whole application at the center.
- Book an appointment online or call (855) 347-8371 on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments take priority.
- At the center, hand over your documents, get fingerprinted and have a facial photo taken.
- Pay the fee.
- Choose delivery by mail to your home address or pickup at the center. You can check your status online at any time.
You will not leave the center with a card. TSA prints every card at a central facility. Applicants with no disqualifying factors generally get theirs in about 7 to 10 business days.
Plan for longer. TSA’s stated goal is a response within 60 days of enrollment, and it can take more if your fingerprints were hard to capture. A notice on the TSA page in November 2026 says some applications may exceed 45 days because demand is up.
Once you are approved, TSA notifies you by phone or email, and the card should arrive within 10 days. If it does not, you have 60 days to report it. Miss that window and you pay the $60 replacement fee.
Applying because you want a mariner credential? The Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center says to list your occupation as Merchant Mariner when you enroll. That lets the center run its safety and suitability evaluation for your MMC.
How do you renew a TWIC card?
You renew online or in person. Online renewal costs $119.00 and is open from one year before the expiration date printed on your card until one year after it.
Online renewal is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents. If you changed your name since you enrolled, call the TSA Help Center at 855-347-8371 to update it before you renew online.
Everyone else renews in person for $127.00, following the same steps as a new applicant. Most enrollment centers accept walk-ins, though TSA recommends an appointment. The 60-day lead time applies to renewals too.
Do not let it lapse for long. More than one year after expiration, TSA treats you as a new enrollee. That means the full in-person process again.
A replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged card costs $60.00. Report a lost card at 1-855-347-8371 or through the online replacement page. Coast Guard policy lets some workers keep facility access while they wait, if they have a receipt for the replacement order.
When the new card arrives, you are responsible for turning in the old one. Mail it to the TSA address on the back of the card or return it to an enrollment center.
What disqualifies you from getting a TWIC card?
Certain felony convictions disqualify you, some permanently and some for a set number of years. TSA can also turn you down for incomplete or false application information, and for other factors such as immigration status or a mental capacity finding.
Permanent disqualifying felonies count no matter how old the conviction is. They include espionage, sedition, treason, a federal crime of terrorism, murder, explosives offenses and improper transportation of a hazardous material.
Interim disqualifying felonies count only for a while. They block you if you were convicted within seven years of the application date, or released from incarceration for the crime within five years of it. The interim list includes:
- Firearms and other weapons offenses
- Distribution of, possession with intent to distribute, or importation of a controlled substance
- Dishonesty, fraud or misrepresentation, including identity fraud (welfare fraud and passing bad checks are excepted)
- Robbery, extortion, bribery, smuggling and arson
- Kidnapping, rape or aggravated sexual abuse, and assault with intent to kill
- Immigration violations
Being wanted or under indictment for a listed felony also disqualifies you. That lasts until the warrant is released or the indictment is dismissed.
A record on the list is not always the end. TSA sends a Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility letter, and you have 60 days from receipt to respond or ask for more time. You can request an appeal, a waiver, or both.
An appeal is for a record that is wrong. A waiver asks TSA to approve you anyway, and TSA weighs the circumstances of the offense, restitution, completed court-ordered treatment and evidence of rehabilitation. Waivers are not offered for espionage, sedition, treason or federal terrorism crimes.
Which jobs need a TWIC card?
A job needs a TWIC when it puts you alone in a secure area of a vessel or port facility that has a Coast Guard security plan. Under 33 CFR 104.105 and 105.105, the plan requirement includes:
- Tankships, and barges regulated under 46 CFR subchapters D or O
- Towing vessels longer than eight meters that tow those barges
- Passenger vessels certificated to carry more than 150 passengers
- Self-propelled U.S. cargo vessels over 100 gross register tons
- Port facilities that receive those vessels, or foreign cargo vessels over 100 gross register tons
If a deckhand job is on one of those vessels, plan on needing the card before you can work unescorted. See how deckhand jobs work and what deckhands earn.
Fishing is different. The vessel list does not name fishing vessels or fish tenders, and its cargo vessel line excepts commercial fishing vessels inspected under 46 CFR part 105. Federal law also exempts fishing and fish tender vessels from the merchant mariner document requirement.
So neither rule, as written, requires a TWIC for a commercial fishing crew job. The same law exempts people on fish processing vessels who are primarily employed preparing fish, which matters for seafood processing jobs afloat.
Small charter boats sit outside the rule too. Coast Guard Policy Letter 11-15 excludes mariners who serve only on uninspected passenger vessels under 100 gross register tons. It also excludes those on subchapter T small passenger vessels, except on international voyages.
Subchapter T covers vessels under 100 gross tons that carry 150 or fewer passengers. If you are looking at charter deckhand jobs, ask which class the boat is. Mariners on excluded boats can renew an MMC without a valid TWIC by filing an exemption statement.
One more carve-out helps working crews. Mariners on a vessel moored at a regulated U.S. facility are exempt from that facility’s TWIC rule while they work immediately next to their own vessel (33 CFR 105.105).
These are the federal rules as written. Whether one boat or dock needs the card depends on its security plan, so ask the employer before you pay the fee. Then browse open deckhand jobs and fishing crew jobs.
Frequently asked questions
Can you apply for a TWIC card online?
Only partly. You can pre-enroll and book an appointment online, but new enrollments must be finished in person, where you show your documents and give fingerprints. Current cardholders who are U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals or lawful permanent residents can renew fully online.
How long is a TWIC card good for?
Five years from the date it is issued. A reduced-rate card expires with the hazmat endorsement or FAST card behind it, and TSA may issue a shorter card to match the end date of a visa.
Do you need a TWIC card to get a Merchant Mariner Credential?
Usually yes. MMC applications need proof that you hold a valid TWIC or have applied for one. Mariners who work only on vessels without a security plan can file an exemption statement, but a 2011 Coast Guard notice said first-time MMC applicants still had to complete TWIC enrollment and pay the fee.
Can you get a TWIC card with a felony?
Often yes. It depends on the offense and how old it is. Interim offenses stop counting once the conviction is more than seven years old and your release from incarceration is more than five years old, and most listed offenses are open to a waiver request.
Can you use a TWIC card as ID at the airport?
Yes. TSA says a valid, unexpired TWIC can be used to board planes. Many cardholders also qualify for TSA PreCheck by entering the CIN on the back of the card in the known traveler number field of an airline reservation.
Sources
- Transportation Security Administration, “TWIC”, fees, payment methods, enrollment steps, eligibility and the 60-day and 45-day processing notice, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Transportation Security Administration, “TWIC Frequently Asked Questions”, five-year validity, online renewal window, response and delivery times, replacement cards, appeals and waivers, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- TSA Enrollment by IDEMIA, “Apply for TWIC”, who qualifies for the $93.00 reduced rate and how it changes the expiration date, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Transportation Security Administration, “Disqualifying Offenses and Other Factors”, permanent and interim offenses and other factors, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Transportation Security Administration, “TWIC and HAZMAT Endorsement Threat Assessment Program: Required Identification Documentation”, List A and List B documents and birth certificate rules, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 33: 33 CFR 101.514 (TWIC requirement), 33 CFR 101.105 (secure area and escorting), 33 CFR 104.105 (vessels) and 33 CFR 105.105 (facilities), accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49: 49 CFR 1572.17 (application), 1572.23 (expiration), 1572.103 (criminal offenses), 1572.105 (immigration status), 1572.501 (fees), 1515.5 (appeals) and 1515.7 (waivers), accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 46: 46 CFR 10.203 and 46 CFR part 10 (TWIC and the Merchant Mariner Credential) and 46 CFR 175.110 (subchapter T vessels), accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, “Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)”, the Merchant Mariner occupation note, Policy Letter 11-15 and the exemption statement, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- Federal Register, U.S. Coast Guard, “Processing of Merchant Mariner Credentials for Those Mariners Not Requiring a Transportation Worker Identification Credential,” Dec. 22, 2011, list of excluded mariners, accessed Nov 9, 2026.
- U.S. Government Publishing Office, 46 U.S.C. 8701, “Merchant mariners’ documents required”, exemptions for fishing, fish tender and fish processing vessels, accessed Nov 9, 2026.