TWIC was established by Congress through the Maritime Transportation Act of 2002 (MTSA) and is administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). TWICs are tamper-resistant biometric credentials that will be issued to ALL USCG CREDENTIALED MERCHANT MARINERS, as well as workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports, vessels, and outer continental shelf facilities.

By April 15, 2009, all USCG credentialed mariners will be required to hold a TWIC in order for their license, Merchant Mariner Document (MMD), Certificate of Registry (COR), or Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) endorsement to remain valid. Failure to obtain a TWIC may result in suspension or revocation of a mariner’s credential under 46 U.S.C. 7702 and 7703.

To obtain a TWIC, an individual must visit an enrollment center where they will pay the enrollment fee, provide biographic information and a complete set of fingerprints, and sit for a digital photograph. Pre-enrollment is highly encouraged as it is designed to save the applicant time and provides the ability to make an appointment. You will need to pick up your TWIC, after being notified it is ready, at the same enrollment center where you applied. The cost for TWIC is $132.50 and it is valid for five years. Mariners who already hold a USCG credential may pay a reduced fee of $105.25, however, their TWIC will then expire when their USCG credential expires.

For more information on the TWIC program including enrollment locations please visit TSA’s websites at http://www.twicinformation.com/twicinfo/index.jsp or http://www.tsa.gov/twic.

Additional information can be found on the Coast Guard’s HOMEPORT website at http://homeport.uscg.mil/twic.