REC New York Visitors Instructions

If you have a morning appointment scheduled, you should arrive at 201 Varick Street by 0700. You will be entering the building at the Houston Street Entrance. The entrance is approximately 50’ west of the Houston and Varick Street corner. The signage above the doors says “201 VARICK –HOUSTON STREET ENTRANCE”. A Regional Exam Center (REC) New York staff member will meet you at the building’s front door at 0710 and escort you up to the REC. You will have already cleared the GSA background check for entering the building, but you will still need to show proper identification (Federal/State ID), pass through a metal detector, and anything you carry into the building will have to be x-rayed. Please note that no weapons of any kind are permitted in the facility. This includes any type of knife (pen knife, tools with knife blade, pocket knife, credit card sized tools with knife blade). Security will not hold any object for you, nor will you be allowed to discard it on the property. Instead, you will have to go outside and discard in trash or bring to your vehicle.

Because the building doors are not open to the public until 0800, the only means for accessing the REC will be when the REC staff member accompanies you into the building at 0710. Mariners must be escorted throughout the building until officially opens to the public at 0800. Exams consist of two sessions the first at 0730-1100. The second at 1130-1500. Pilots who are completing a chart sketch or local knowledge exams will be asked to stop testing at 1100 as well.

It is strongly suggested that if you are taking multiple examinations in a day you bring a light snack. While you are permitted to leave the building after your first module of the day, there usually is a long line to get back into the building to go through security again. If you leave the building it is on you to be back in time for the second testing session at 1130.

Please note that there are no public restrooms on the 9th floor, the floor the REC is located. Therefore, the REC will strictly follow the Rules of the Examination Room and not allow any restroom breaks during an examination module. (Public Restrooms are located at the Federal Building Cafeteria on the 12th floor)

Public transportation remains your best option for visiting the REC. The 1 train stops at Houston and Varick Street. If you choose to drive, there is a parking garage a few blocks from the building. Street parking immediately surrounding the building is reserved for Federal vehicles.

REC New York exam services will be by appointment only.  Appointments for counter services are highly recommended as we cannot guarantee that walk-ins will be accommodated.  Late arrivals for examination appointments may not be permitted, and could require rescheduling to another appointment date; if allowed to test after arriving late, an applicant will only receive the amount of time remaining within the exam session.

For an examination appointment: applicants shall bring a photo ID. Applicants are encouraged to bring their own #2 pencils, a non-programmable calculator and plotting equipment, if applicable, as we cannot guarantee that these items will be available at the REC. No other personal belongings are allowed in the examination room. Examinations will not be administered unless an applicant has paid all applicable user fees and has an approved-to-test (ATT) letter.

Applicants may submit an application via email, which is the preferred method, to RECNY@uscg.mil, or by fax or mail.

Applicants are encouraged to pay their user fees prior to arrival at the REC using Pay.gov.

Awaiting Information (AI) Documentation – To ensure fastest processing please send AI documentation to MMC-Awaiting-Info@uscg.mil.

Current letters from the NMC requesting Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) AI documentation instruct mariners to send the information to IASKNMC@uscg.mil. Please use the MMC-Awaiting-Info@uscg.mil address instead. These letters are in the process of being changed to instruct mariners to send AI documentation to the new MMC Awaiting Info e-mail address. 

If submitting AI documentation via e-mail, please ensure all attachments are in Adobe PDF format. Submitting documentation in formats other than Adobe PDF will cause processing delays.

Medical applications and supporting medical documentation should be sent via e-mail to MEDAIP@uscg.mil . Please include your full name in the subject line and ensure attachments are in PDF format.

Exam Room Hours:  7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (Excluding all Federal Holidays).

Counter Service Hours are from 07:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 to 3:30 p.m. Monday/Wednesday/Friday and 11:00am – 2:30pm, Tuesday/Thursday (Excluding all Federal Holidays).

SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT:

1. Call the NMC contact center at 1-888-IASKNMC (427-5662); or
2. Email REC New York at RECNY@uscg.mil;
3. When scheduling an appointment, applicants MUST include the following information:

1. Full name;
2. Mariner Reference Number (MRN);
3. Date(s) requesting exam or come in person counter service;
4. Cell phone number (For confirmation purposes).

General Building Access Requirements:  The REAL ID Act of 2005 prohibits Federal agencies from accepting, for official purposes, driver's licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act's minimum standards. On May 7, 2025, Federal agencies will be prohibited from accepting driver's licenses and identification cards from the listed states for accessing federal facilities and military installations. In order to gain access to an REC, you will be required to provide a valid driver's license or identification card from a state that meets the Act's minimum standards OR by providing some form of currently valid federal identification (passport, TWIC, MMC, etc.). Failure to provide proof of acceptable identification will prevent you from entering the REC to conduct business which may affect your credential and/or application. 

REC New York Building Access Requirements: You will be entering the building at the Houston Street Entrance. The entrance is approximately 50’ west of the Houston and Varick Street corner. The signage above the doors says “201 VARICK –HOUSTON STREET ENTRANCE”. A Regional Exam Center (REC) New York staff member will meet you at the building’s front door at 0710 and escort you up to the REC. You will have already cleared the GSA background check for entering the building, but you will still need to show proper identification (Federal/State ID), pass through a metal detector, and anything you carry into the building will have to be x-rayed. Please note that no weapons of any kind are permitted in the facility. This includes any type of knife (pen knife, tools with knife blade, pocketknife, credit card sized tools with knife blade). Security will not hold any object for you, nor will you be allowed to discard it on the property. Instead, you will have to go outside and discard in trash or bring to your vehicle.

Parking: Parking is available at your own expense