TWIC card at Long Beach: do you need one to pick up your car?

TWIC card needed?

Yes to enter alone. No if an escort goes in for you.

Notice

24 hours for Long Beach and Wilmington

Wilmington

Closed every Wednesday

Escort price

$95 per vehicle ($80 military and PCS)

How a port pickup works

1. Check that your vehicle is actually cleared

   Every vehicle at the port is held by one of four things. A broker saying "it's cleared" isn't enough, because the port is the authority.

   • Steamship line: no unpaid balance owed to the shipping line.
   • Customs: inspection scheduled and completed, and the clearance stamp issued.
   • Bill of lading: the original has been submitted. Customs can't schedule an inspection without it.
   • Gate pass: once the terminal operator issues the gate pass, your vehicle is cleared for release.

2. Get the right paperwork

   You need your bill of lading number, the vessel name, your VIN and a delivery order. The delivery order has a field called "Local Delivery or Transfer By." The port won't release the vehicle unless that field names the party actually picking it up.

   The most common delay

   Many delivery orders arrive blank, or with a broker's name, the owner's name, or "Self Pickup." None of those work for an escorted release. When you hire Ship2Shore Booking, we correct the field to read Ship2Shore Booking, so there is no extra paperwork on your end.

3. Book your pickup with 24 hours' notice

   Long Beach and Wilmington both need 24 hours' advance notice. Same-day pickups are sometimes possible, so call to check. Wilmington is closed every Wednesday, so pickups there run Thursday through Tuesday. Long Beach and Matson stay open daily.

4. Get your vehicle out of the port

   Without a TWIC card you can't enter the secured area. A TWIC-credentialed escort goes in with your paperwork, locates the vehicle, gets the clerk's sign-off and brings it out to the gate. If it needs a jump start or a little gas, the escort can usually take care of that too.

5. Inspect it at the gate

   Outside the gate, with you there, we take photos of all four sides and a walkaround video. You look the vehicle over and sign off on the delivery order confirming its condition.

Should you get a TWIC card instead?

A TWIC card is issued by the Transportation Security Administration. It involves an in-person enrollment, a background check, a fee and a wait for the card to be issued, and the TSA decides who qualifies. You can read the requirements on the TSA's TWIC page. Even with a card, you still need the cleared vehicle, the correct delivery order and a port appointment.

If you work at the ports regularly, a TWIC card makes sense. For a single car or truck pickup, most people find it simpler to have an escort handle it.

Importing a JDM truck or sports car?

The process is the same: clearance, delivery order, appointment, escort. The most common delay we see is a missing original bill of lading or an unpaid shipping-line balance, so check those two things first.

Questions people ask