Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)

Scope

The final rule lays out the enrollment process, disqualifying crimes, usage procedures, fees, and other requirements for workers, port owners, and operators. Port employees, longshoreman, mariners, truckers, and others who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports and vessels would be required to be vetted under the TWIC program.

Regulatory citations

• None

Key definitions

• None

Summary of requirements

Security threat assessment. TWIC applicants will undergo a comprehensive background check that looks at criminal history records, terrorist watch lists, immigration status, and outstanding wants and warrants.

• Individuals lacking lawful presence and certain immigration status in the United States, connected to terrorist activity, or convicted of certain crimes will be ineligible.
• As a part of this background investigation, applicants will provide a complete set of fingerprints and sit for a digital photograph. Fingerprint templates extracted from the biometric data will be stored on the credential (Smart card).
• If no disqualifying information is discovered, TSA typically completes a security threat assessment in less than ten days.

Many parties are concerned with the privacy of the information collected from and obtained on TWIC applicants. According to TSA, the entire enrollment record (including all fingerprints collected) will be stored in the TSA system, which is protected through role-based entry, encryption, and segmentation to prevent unauthorized use. Employees of a vendor under contract to TSA known as “Trusted Agents” will undergo a TSA security threat assessment prior to collecting biometric and biographic data of TWIC enrollees. All enrollee personal data is deleted from the enrollment center work stations once the applicant completes the process.

Smart card. The credential is a Smart card containing the applicant’s photograph and name, an expiration date, and a serial number.

• An integrated circuit chip stores the holder’s fingerprint template, a PIN chosen by the individual, and a card holder unique identifier.
• Workers present their cards to authorized personnel, who will compare the holder to the photo, inspect security features on the TWIC, and evaluate the card for signs of tampering.
  • USCG will verify TWIC cards when conducting vessel and facility inspections and through spot checks using hand-held readers to ensure credentials are valid.

The reader technology has not been implemented at this time. When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires the installation of readers, it will be issued as a separate TWIC rule on access control.