[Vortex]

Everyone seems to have had a slightly different experience, so all I can say is this is what happened to me.

Originally Posted by offshorebear

As I understand it I go to the local police and get a "check card" whatever that is.

The Sheriff's Department indicated that I should come IN PERSON to the County Court House in Norristown to get the application. A blank local Police "check card" was part of the application paperwork. I don't know if the "check card" was available locally or not, but I did drop off the card with the local PD on Friday with low expectations. Surprisingly, they (local PD) called over the weekend and I picked it up on Monday. The local PD did not offer to send it directly to the county and I did not ask if they would.

Originally Posted by offshorebear

Then I can take it to the sheriff in Noristown and apply for the LTCF. Is it an instant thing or do I have to wait a while?

They appear to be at the mercy of PICS just like everyone else, so your total wait will be highly influenced by how long they are on hold. If there are people in front of you being processed, multiply the PICS waiting time by the number of people that got there first.

Originally Posted by offshorebear

Has anyone on here gone through this recently and is there anything I should be aware of?

IMHO I would highly suggest that you get the laminated Photo ID option. They take a digital picture while you are there and the finished LTCF is the same dimensions (somewhat different layout) as your PA DL. Very convenient.

Originally Posted by 1blindref

They don't take credit cards. I think the total with them taking the picture is $37.00.

Give them a call to check their hours before you go.

I believe that the photo option is now up to $46.00. Don't go late in the day since they won't start your application if it will keep them working on it past closing time.

Originally Posted by offshorebear

Do you think I could get that done in 5 business days?

. . . . spring break will be my only lengthy time back home.

If your local PD "check card" is processed before you get back home it should only take a single trip to the County Court House. The Sheriff's office says that you have to pick up the application in person, but I don't see how they would know if someone picked it up and mailed it to you. Fill out the "check card" portion and mail it back to your friend and have your friend drop it off at the local PD.

Originally Posted by offshorebear

Do I need references?

I really sweated this out and finally decided on a WWII Navy vet and a NG Air Force retired friend. Although I'm sure they would have given me grief if I left the references blank, the pure deciding factor was the outcome of the PICS call. None of my references where contacted before or after the application process.

Originally Posted by MarcS

. . . . bring your completed application with you to the courthouse in norristown along with $46.

Don't bring cash. I'm not kidding. Bring a check (or Money Order). The first thing they do is send you next door to the finance department, finance takes your check and gives you a receipt, then you take the receipt back to the Sheriff's department. Seriously, if you want to do it in one trip, do not take cash. They are not set up for it.

Originally Posted by ItGoesBang

The motto around here isn't "Serve & Protect," but "Stop & Collect."

Admittedly off-topic, but this is usually referred to as "Cash Register" justice. Basically any situation where the "cash value" of your time and aggravation is more valuable to you than the fine imposed, so it's easier to pay just not to have to deal with it.

Good luck offshorebear with your LTCF application.

The only other words of wisdom that I can think of is, return silence with silence. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but near the beginning the guy processing me said something to the effect "So, you want to do this?," followed by silence and a frown. I said "Yes," followed by my silence and a smile.

I don't know if he was "fishing" or not, but after I remained silent for a while he then smiled and proceeded to process me and was actually quite friendly by the time the whole thing was finished. I don't think it would have went nearly so well if I took his initial frown as an invitation to argue with him over the merits of my application. Maybe it was purely in my imagination, so take it with a grain of salt. YMMV of course.