Travel Card & Work Permit Process
Everything you need to know to sign the books at a foreign local, stay compliant on dues, and make sure your benefits come home with you.
ERTS (Electronic Reciprocal Transfer System) ensures your pension and health & welfare contributions follow you home when you work outside your local's jurisdiction. It is a one-time lifetime registration. If you skip it, your benefit money stays in the foreign local's fund. Register at erts.ibew.com or stop in at any participating IBEW hall.
Call Ahead Before You Go
Contact the dispatcher or referral agent at the target local — not the Business Manager. Ask: How deep is Book 2? How long to get a call off the bottom? Any special requirements (state license, OSHA 30, TWIC, CDL)? What are the re-sign rules and window? Every local is different. Don't assume anything.
Get Your Travel Letter from Your Home Local
Request a letter of introduction from your Financial Secretary or Business Manager. This is sometimes called a "travel letter" or "letter of introduction." It must be signed, often needs a raised seal, and must be dated — most locals require it within 60–90 days. Some require it dated the same month you sign. Your home local can email or fax it directly to the foreign local.
Get Your Current Dues Receipt
Your dues receipt must show you are paid up and in good standing with the IBEW. Some locals want you paid at least two months in advance. This is non-negotiable — no receipt, no book signing.
Register on ERTS Before You Travel
ERTS (Electronic Reciprocal Transfer System) is how your pension and health & welfare contributions follow you home when you work outside your local's jurisdiction. It is a one-time lifetime registration done at any participating IBEW hall — takes about five minutes. You get a login and PIN. If you skip this step, your benefit money stays in the foreign local's fund and may be unrecoverable. Register at erts.ibew.com or stop in at your home local hall before you leave.
Show Up at the Hall with Your Documents
Bring your travel letter, dues receipt, and government-issued photo ID at minimum. Many locals also require an OSHA 10 card and CPR/First Aid certification. Outside line locals often require a CDL, pole top/bucket rescue cert, and DOT medical examiner's certificate. States with licensing requirements (California, Oregon, and others) will not allow you to work without a valid state journeyman electrician's license. See the Traveler's Checklist for a full breakdown by work type.
Sign Book 2
Travelers always go on Book 2. Book 1 is for home local members only. Some locals have Book 3 or 4 for specialized classifications. You go to the bottom of the book you sign. In a busy local this can mean a wait — that's why calling ahead matters. The date you sign is your date of referral priority.
Re-Sign Every Month — Don't Miss the Window
Most locals require re-signing during a specific window each month, often a narrow band like the 10th–16th or 1st–25th. Miss it and you fall off the list and lose your place entirely. Some locals allow re-signing by email, fax, or online. Others require in person. Know the rules before you leave town for a weekend. Set a calendar reminder.
Clear In When You Start Work
When you accept a call, you must check in with the foreign local's hall on your first day of work — typically by 4:00 PM that day. This is when you tell them you are registered on ERTS so they can notify the participating trust funds. This is also when you confirm your permit dues obligations.
Pay Permit Dues to the Foreign Local
While working in a foreign local's jurisdiction, you owe them working dues — and they are not deducted from your paycheck. You pay the hall directly, usually by the 15th of each month. Most locals charge full dues if you work 6 or more days in a month, and partial dues for 5 or fewer days. If you worked zero days in a month, you typically owe nothing to that local. Do not confuse this with your home local dues — those are separate.
Keep Your Home Local Dues Current
While traveling you still owe maintenance (non-working) dues to your home local. These keep your IBEW International membership active. Fall three months behind and you're no longer in good standing. Fall six months behind and the International drops your membership — at that point your home local cannot reinstate you. You must reapply. Staying current on home dues is the member's responsibility, not the foreign local's and not your employer's.
Clear Out When You Leave
When the job ends and you leave the jurisdiction, notify the foreign local's hall. Make sure your final month of permit dues is settled. Leaving without clearing out creates problems the next time you try to travel — and word travels in this trade.
What's the difference between a travel letter and a traveling card?
A travel letter (letter of introduction) lets you sign Book 2 at a foreign local as a traveler while keeping your home local membership intact. A traveling card under IBEW Constitution Article XXIII is an actual membership transfer — your card moves to the new local for up to 3 months, after which it must be deposited or renewed. Most traveling journeymen use a travel letter and never transfer their card. Depositing your card starts dues obligations to the new local and affects your voting rights there.
Will my employer deduct permit dues from my check?
Usually not at a foreign local. When you work in your home local's jurisdiction, dues are typically collected via payroll checkoff by your employer. At a foreign local there is often no checkoff agreement in place, so you pay permit dues directly to the hall. That said, if your contractor is signatory to the work local rather than your home local, deductions may flow differently. When in doubt, ask both your home local Financial Secretary and the foreign local dispatcher to confirm what's being sent where.
Can I sign Book 2 at multiple locals at the same time?
No. Double booking — signing the out-of-work list at more than one local simultaneously — is a serious violation of the rules of the road and will get you removed from both books. Sign one local at a time.
Do I need a state license to work as a traveler?
It depends on the state. Several states require a valid state journeyman electrician's license before you can work, including California. Others have no licensing requirement. Check with the foreign local before you travel — they will tell you what's required in their jurisdiction. DragUp's reciprocity page has a state-by-state breakdown.
How long does ERTS reciprocity take to reach my home fund?
Expect a 2–3 month lag. Hours worked in February typically arrive at your home fund sometime in April. To avoid gaps in health coverage during that window, some members pay into a reserve bank at their home fund. Check with your home fund administrator.