Anyone gotten their TWIC yet?

Question

Any troubles or delays? When will it be mandatory?

Answer 1

I got mine in Houston in about 2 weeks. preregister on line and get an appointment. Took 60 minutes the first time and 45 minutes when I picked it up. It will become mandatory when the USCG deems that 90% of people have them. So far, only the USCG will have the card readers and will do spot checks.

Answer 2

I applied for my TWIC two weeks ago in Seattle. Troubles: YES

Lockheed Martin implements the process and they are highly disorganized . I preregistered online which I am glad I did. Any walk in people are pushed back since preregistered people have appointments and go to the front of the line. They DO NOT accept personal checks or cash. They do take credit cards, but on the day I went the credit card machine was down, so I had to go to the post office and get a money order (highly recommended before you go) The actual screening process was fast (about 20 minutes)  When finished they told me it would take 6 to 8 weeks and I would have to return to Seattle to pick up and activate. It is a 3 hour one way trip for me, so thats another pain.

It will be mandatory by Sept. 2008