It is a lot more expensive than it needs to be. It took me almost 10 months to finally get mine issued here in NCC. I was getting stonewalled and then ignored by the person who was supposed to be responding to inquires. I got PO'd and made a phone call to someone I knew in the office and had it my hand in three days. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Apparently it still works that way. The politics in this state sure have changed since I was on the DSSA board in the 80's!