Whats the latest on the TWIC cards??

Hi,

Google is your friend.......

http://www.seafarers.org/log/2008/102008/twicreminder.xml

Get it mostly online- it took myself about 2 hours including the time at the sea school people that did not know how to operate a computer. Arrived in 3 weeks.

"My license is due to expire next July ..."

If that is a USCG license it will expire on April 15th. Your license is invalid without a TWIC after that date and you won't even be able to apply for a renewal without it.

Considering how long they have been taking to renew licenses lately you had better get started early, now is not too early.

They've opened more offices which makes it less inconvenient. I was told on the phone that if I brought my ticket the charge was $105 or without it $135 I think. It had to be paid for by check, no cash and no credit cards. When I got there I was told the $105 would be for 1 year (I went for the 5 yr. $135) and they insisted on only credit cards. The "office" looked like it could be packed up and gone in 15 minutes. I feel safe now . I also feel taxed.

Like the man said, Google is your friend:

"TWICs remain valid for five years, unless the expiration date was based on a comparable credential (Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card, Merchant Mariner Document/ License, or Hazmat Endorsement). The expiration date is displayed on the face of the TWIC. TWIC holders are responsible for knowing when to begin the renewal process. For individuals who pay the reduced fee, the expiration date of their TWIC will be five years from the date listed on the credential associated with the comparable security threat assessment."

"The fee for TWIC is $132.50 and is valid for five years. Workers with current, comparable background checks will pay a reduced fee of $105.25. If workers are eligible to pay the lower price, their TWIC will expire 5 years from the date of the comparable credential ..."

If your license was renewed in the 12 months preceding applying for the TWIC, the reduced price is based on having a current security check which is part of the renewal. Since your TWIC will have an expiration date the same as your license, if you renewed your license within the last 12 months then you got screwed as well as taxed.

What really bugs me about the TWIC is that few TSA screeners even know what the card is and many won't accept it as ID until I point out that it was issued by their masters. Even though it is supposed to be a 'security clearance" it isn't good enough to use as a "trusted traveler" card to get through the fast track screening at airports. For that you have to pay again but there is no security check involved according to TSA. Go figure. I think the whole thing was just a thank you to Lockheed for campaign contributions or something.

Capsam54,
I'll PM you the web site in a moment. You give info and set up the appointment on line (or by phone). Then you go in for the photo, etc. Then the contact you and you go back in to pick up the card. Typical streamlined government operstion .

Just about what I did. Do the stuff online and make an appointment online at the local TWIC "office" which in my case was a sea school type place on Long Island. Went in there, did the stuff and came back in about 2 1/2 weeks and got it.

I just went to the Fort Lauderdale office for my first visit. They only took credit cards Visa/mc it was $132.50. Make sure you bring the required credentials (passport etc.) I did my application online and booked my appointment. The first visit they do fingerprints, picture, and fill out a form. It takes 4-8 weeks for it to come in and you have to back for them to validate it or some nonsense. They're supposed to call me when it comes in. Make sure you have an appointment, for people without an appt. it was a 6hr wait the day I went.

BTW, be sure to check for a local office. Originally I was directed to Staten Island or New London. Later they opened a bunch of storefronts. Mine was the "Port of Coram" (Coram being 5 miles inland from water) which as it turned out to be in Lake Grove. However, on a more serious note the wait there was about 3 minutes.

Same place I went- a bit on the unpolished side was my thoughts.

Boy are you kind. They could be gone without a trace in 15 minutes.

Same in Fort Lauderdale: The only thing missing was the tent, the rest was cheap rent-a-tables and cardboard boxes..Expected more class for my $135.00.

The card wont even get me in to Port Everglades, but that will supposedly change this year.

It will also be required for aircrew according to the TSA goons, but right now they are swamped with Mariners and dock workers.

Inspires confidence to know that our legislators spent their time coming up with this instead of figuring out where $700B is going. Personally I'd be satisfied if I didn't all but get strip searched every time I fly because I have to fly one way, short notice. At least I can carry my lighter now although I quit smoking (and no the TSA doesn't get credit for that). If this card is good for 5 years and the FBI check we get is good for 5 years does somebody think these guys do a more thorough check than the FBI? This is nothing more than an employement tax and a way for Big Brother to track its citizens.

"... our legislators spent their time coming up with this ..."

No one spent any time coming up with this, at least not in daylight. The TSA was spawned by a kneejerk reaction shortly after 9/11. On 11/19 our brilliant leaders passed Public Law 107-71 for the purported purpose of ensuring aviation security.

Unfortunately that twitching body added the words "oversee the implementation, and ensure the adequacy of security measures at airports and other transportation facilities ..." That was all the jackboots needed.

Lockheed Martin announced July 8 that it had been awarded an eight-year, $1.2 billion contract to manage the TSA’s Integrated Hiring Operations and Personnel Program.

This makes the initial $70 million contract to issue the TWIC card look like peanuts which it probably will be by the time EDS and Lockheed's other partners in the information gathering business divide up our dossiers. If that amount seems small, remember it is supposed to be "self funding" and we all know what that means in government speak.

"Personally I'd be satisfied if I didn't all but get strip searched every time I fly ..."

Ahh, for that you have to go to Customs and Border Patrol and buy another card. The FBI check and the money you gave Lockheed doesn't count. You may have a TWIC and hold a federal license but you aren't a "Trusted Traveller."

Learn to click your heels kamerad.

........

I use my card when I fly at PBI and it gets me though nicely- the past three times they actually treated me with extra courtesy. But the truth is this- I've got it, and complaining about anything about it will not do anything but encourage more negative thinking.

It did nothing for my DH & I at Ft. Lauderdale although I always get courtesy because I give it.

Actually, with enough complaining our representatives may watch how they spend our money a little better. As Nixon and Bush showed, silence is considered endorsement.