The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) announced a number of changes in the Transportation Worker identification Credential (TWIC) at the beginning of this year. Changes include enhanced proof-of-citizenship documentation requirements, a slight drop in the TWIC fee, and new card features.
Starting on July 1, TWIC applicants who were born in the United States, and who claim US citizenship, must provide documents to prove their citizenship. Applicants need to bring one document from List A, or two documents from List B as shown below.
Until July 1, 2015 TWIC applicants who were born in the U.S. may continue to certify that they are US citizens by checking the box on the electronically signed TWIC application and bring documents as listed on the UES website here.
TSA is making this change to align TWIC proof-of-citizenship requirements with those of other TSA programs such as the Hazardous Material Endorsement and TSA Pre✓ programs. Requiring proof of citizenship at the time of enrollment will ensure that all TWIC applicants meet eligibility requirements for the credential.
Acceptable documentation providing proof of US citizenship includes the following:
--List A: Bring one of the following:
• Unexpired US Passport (book or card) that demonstrates US Citizenship.
• Unexpired US enhanced driver’s license (EDL) that will demonstrate US citizenship if indicated on card.
• Unexpired enhanced tribal card (ETC) demonstrating US citizenship.
• Unexpired Free and Secure Trade (FAST) Card that demonstrates US citizenship if indicated on the card.
• Unexpired NEXUS Card that demonstrates US citizenship if indicated on the card.
• Unexpired Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) Card that demonstrates US citizenship if indicated on the card.
• Unexpired Global Entry Card that demonstrates US citizenship if indicated on the card.
--List B: Or, bring one of the following plus a government-issued photo ID:
• Original or certified copy of birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority, or outlying possession of the United States bearing an official seal.
• US Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or 561).
• US Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or 570).
• US Citizen Identification Card (I-179 or I-197).
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240).
• Certification of Report of Birth (DS-1350).
• Certification of Birth Abroad (FS-545).
• Expired US passport within 12 months of expiration.*
*An expired US passport may not be presented by itself. It must be presented with at least one other document (and a name change document if needed).
On February 1 the TWIC fee will be reduced to $128. This is a $1.75 reduction due to lowered Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint processing charges.
TSA will soon make a system change to extend the last name as printed on the TWIC. Following the change TWICs will carry a maximum of 19 characters, followed immediately by a comma. Last names containing fewer than 19 characters will continue to be followed immediately by a comma. TSA is looking into ways to include full last names, regardless of the number of characters, given the limited space available on the card for printing.
Since TSA began issuing the new version 2.03 TWIC cards in May 2014, only the first 14 characters (including spaces, hyphens, and apostrophes) of the applicant’s last name are printed on the card. The last name is always followed by a comma. If a person’s last name exceeds 14 characters, all after the 14th character are not printed, and a comma follows immediately after the 14th character. This has caused some Transportation Workers to have their credentials questioned at facilities because the name on the card does not match the person’s full name.
UES enrollment centers are receiving and issuing TWIC cards produced by the Government Printing Office (GPO). The general appearance and security features of the new cards are similar to previous versions, but contain several changes.
Card front:
• Expiration date format is now YEAR MONTH DAY (YYYYMMMDD) example: 2016APR22
• Card front: A period “.” follows the middle initial, example: W.
Card Back:
• Version moved to above the magnetic stripe (“TWIC v2.3 MM.YY”).
• The smaller 1D bar code above the magnetic stripe has been replaced by a card stock identifier sequence.
• The label “ID One PIV (1107253)” has been added above the magnetic stripe.
• The printing below the larger 1D barcode now includes the System Code (7099), example: 70991234
As a result of the transition to the new system, the TWIC Certificate Authority (CA) changed. TWIC readers programed to check the TWIC Certificate Revocation List (CRL) must be redirected to the new CA. The technical advisory for this change was also previously posted to the TWIC website. The direct link to the advisory is here.
Recently a number of TWIC cards were produced without fingerprint template files. These cards have expiration dates from 2019MAY22 through 2019MAY30. Not all cards within this expiration date range are affected. The affected cards are otherwise functional with readers and are valid. Replacement cards are available at no cost to individuals who received these cards.
Extended Expiration Date (EED) TWIC initiative ended on December 31, 2014. To renew an expiring TWIC all workers must complete a full enrollment.
TSA is aware that some transportation workers are experiencing delays obtaining their TWIC card. TSA recently conducted a major system upgrade, which resulted in some application processing delays. TSA is committed to working diligently to ensure that delays are minimized and that efficient processing of applications and card production is achieved.