DMV to expand appointment opportunities, now able to open additional windows

Here is an update from the Commissioner of the DMV:

• In line with Governor Northam’s announcement last Friday (May 14) to ease current COVID-19 restrictions, DMV will open more windows and testing stations in its customer service centers beginning June 1. As of Monday, customers can now schedule these new appointments. Additional windows and testing stations will open in stages June 15 and into July as DMV continues to hire and train new employees. In all, these changes will create 184,000 additional appointment opportunities across the Commonwealth and add to the more than 530,000 appointments Virginians have already scheduled over the next three months. DMV customer service centers and mobile operations teams will continue to operate by appointment only for specific services which generally necessitate an in-person visit. Appointment opportunities are currently available for a 90-day period. Customers can schedule an appointment by visiting dmvNOW.com/appt

• On September 15, 2020, DMV began offering customers the option to renew their identification card or driver’s license online or by mail for two years instead of coming to a customer service center in person to renew. As of May 17, 191,188 people have taken advantage of this option, including 36,707 customers 75 years of age or older using the authority granted DMV by the General Assembly during the 2020 Special Session I

• On November 11, 2020, DMV began offering online commercial driver’s license (CDL) renewals. As of May 17, 3,437 customers have renewed their CDL online, avoiding a trip into a DMV customer service center.

• On February 23, 2021, DMV began offering online replacement of certain credentials, including a CDL, a driver’s license learner’s permit, a driver privilege card, a limited duration driver’s license learner’s permit, and a limited duration driver’s license. As of May 17, 2,095 customers have requested a duplicate credential online.

• A transaction that does require an appointment for an in-person visit is REAL ID. As you may know, earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) once again extended the REAL ID enforcement deadline – this time to May 3, 2023. On this date, Virginians will need to present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, or another federally acceptable form of identification, in order to board a domestic flight or enter the most secure federal facilities.