I am writing this mostly due to the horror stories I have been reading about applying for and receiving TWIC cards. My experience was completely the opposite. I went online and filled out the application two weeks before I was to rotate offshore for one month, and made the appointment to apply for the following week at the Tampa office. I arrived an hour early at the center, as traffic wasn’t as bad as expected, and my GPS worked perfectly (although I did drive by the building twice due to poor signage). There were no applicants in the center and they processed me right away, I was out of there in 15 minutes. I left for offshore six days later, and received an email on the ship two days after arrival that my card was ready for pick up. I received two more emails, and two voice mails during the month I was offshore that my card was ready. I arrived home on a Sunday night, went online Monday to make the pick up appointment, and got one for the next day. I arrived at the center 30 minutes early, waited 15 minutes to get called back, and it took 10 minutes to get it issued, I left the building at my scheduled appointment time. The staff at the center was professional, and courteous during both visits. I understand that my experience could be the exception to the rule, but the system does work at least sometimes.
Mark Martin
Tampa, Fl
