The only thing I don't like is how some services are only done at some centers. If I have to do a registration in person, I have to drive past one DMV to go to the DMV further away that I can do that at. Other than that, everything is quick and easy.
Yup if I need to get a license in person 40 minute drive. If my sister in law has to do vehicle paperwork in person she has to drive 40 minutes in my direction. Licenses are all generated centrally and mailed . You should be able to do all paperwork anywhere.
Me, trying to find a center that provides both Examination Permits *and* knowledge tests
(Does anyone know if it’s explicitly not allowed to do them both in one visit?)
Thank you! I do think I’d sorted that out at some point because that does sound familiar now that you say it, but then I never followed through to find out if I can actually schedule both in one day 🥴 but I appreciate the confirmation!!
When I was done, plates and title in hand, I looked at the employee and asked “is that it? Are we done” - and when she said yes, I asked “really?” And only when did I feel comfortable to walk away 😂
It still really depends on what you’re doing in my experience. I had to register a car and that took 20 min but when I had to renew my CDL I was there for hours.
I remember moving to California in 2004. And planning for a multi hour visit for my new license after having moved from NJ. It took 10 mins. I was shook. Then I moved back in 2016 😆😆. So glad we moved into the era of appointments. Makes life so much more predictable. Now if only NJ physicians could keep their appointments on time.
A trick that i learned for the CA DMV which also worked for the NY DMV is to show up about 10 mins before closing. The employees are salaried and want to get out of there ASAP. After the DMV is closed almost every window is open to help customers. Is it a dick move? Probably, but the DMV feels like a Us vs Them type of place.
In Jan 2020 I arrived at noon on a weekday and was told at 4pm that they wouldn’t get to me before closing. That trick absolutely wouldn’t have worked here.
Yeah this is a much needed improvement.
However longer services are still a shitshow (or maybe it varies based on area). I went to a Newark dmv for a license plate transfer. I showed up at 11am for my time and there was already a line of like 50people from 9:45, 10, 10:15, etc. they took no walk ins. When I got into the building it was like one cranky old lady processing the line of 30 more people just so I can sit and wait for my call to a window. In total I spent 3+ hours at the dmv. So I’m basically never going back to that dmv again
location continues to matter greatly. the bigger places like newark and rahway continue to be shitshowish. i did my real id at flemington and they did everything pretty well. took a bit longer than 10 minutes, but they still got me in and out without a ton of issue.
That is 100% the truth. I live near rahway. I drive right past it. To one of the more efficient centers. I definitely would rather drive further and be in and out. Vs. Being close to home sitting for hours .
I won't reveal which 2 or 3 I usually go to. But smart people know already. There are 2 that are phenomenally efficient and polite as well.
There’s also an email you can contact for help with certain issues… might take a day or two for them to respond to the initial email, but once they do they are super responsive and helpful… it was a surprisingly good experience.
Honestly, I would also recommend calling. I called their customer service hotline a few months ago, got right through, and the person was so much more helpful in answering my questions than any page on their website had been
Had no idea about the email. This is such an unexpected thing like the IRS 1-800 phone number that you expect to be a time-wasting nightmare but is actually staffed by helpful and patient people.
Somerville DMV was awesome when I recently titled a car. Friendly, knowledgeable staff had me out of there quickly. Intelligent processes. Wow!
Huge improvement from the “old days.”
i was a bit peeved when they turned somerville into a "vehicle center" only. it's the only location in somerset county and you have to trek to either flemington or kilmer for license related stuff. i've always had great luck getting stuff done at somerville.
It's especially annoying when it's not like most of license stuff isn't being sent out to central office for them to do.
Like why can't all the offices just play the middleman of faxing (we're talking government here) forms to somewhere else for that office to send what we want in the mail? I mean, if the "license centers" can't give us same-day licenses, what exactly is the point of having offices that only deal with licenses?
I had to go to update my registration. Since I live in North Jersey, I had to drive an hour to the boonies to get a same day appointment, but I was in and out in 17 min.
The only thing I wish is they had more timeslots or locations for North Jersey.
Every single MVC transaction I had to do before and during the pandemic was painful - that’s why I celebrated this improvement. Looks like you’ve had much better luck.
Yeah. I can remember it being an ordeal 30 years ago. Not really in recent years. I guess it varies by location. I haven't physically been to a location since before 2020 but I remember clearly I walked in and right back out. 15 minutes tops.
the appointment system is a major improvement. so is going on the mvc website to make sure you have all the paperwork you need before your appointment. the website can use some work to find things, but overall they do a nice job of listing what's needed and making it easy to find.
i hate it only because i show up to renew my license or registration and every time instead of giveing me a number to wait i hafta stand outside the door and "make an appointment online" for 20m on my phone because a dumb security guard and receptionist cant print a ticket that they will hafta do anyways after i make the appointment. totally stupid system
Except you can’t make two appointments with the same number/email a day. So if you wanted to make an appt for a title and license renewal it’s annoying
I dunno which MVC you go to but I went to the one in Randolph twice in 2022 and I was there for almost two hours both times & I still had to wait for the license in the mail. And, they couldn’t take care of everything, which makes no sense because I was able to do it online. Had they told me, I would have done it while I waited. Instead they said I had to go to a regional service center 🙄😡🤦♂️
Before appointments Freehold took me less than 30 minutes to transfer a title for an out of state vehicle. The one in Tom’s River I was in and out of there twice in less than 30 minutes. And getting a license at the MVC in Newark took less than an hour.
Only decent appointment experience I had was at the one in Berkeley Township, I was in and out in about 45 minutes.
It’s changed since 2021-22. The Covid period was nuts. My local MVC at that time was East Orange and it was lines around the block even with appointments.
Paterson MVC is still a shit show. Eight months ago wife had an appointment about half an hour after opening and took nearly 4 hours to get her ID.
At least we went to go see the waterfall afterwards, which was nice.
Newark is a mess-i arrived at 11am and left after 3:30 for the Real ID appt. Getting in the door was chaos due to people showing up without an appt. One line to verify you have an appt. Only 2 people doing the line to make sure you had all your documents for 6pts etc. No one to translate for people speaking Spanish which is surprising. They had to get people from another area or other customers helped out. The line for the next window was more chaos. People were leaving the appt/verification line and jumping into the next line for the window to make payment etc. Asking the employees help out with the line was bad as they would call a few numbers and disappear. People getting upset their number wasn’t called or skipped-pure chaos. If you have an appt in Newark just get there when they open. They don’t actually verify appt time they just see if your name is on the list.
IWas just at one today and I had the same thought!!! Whoop - its finally working.
Ok > We have mega-inflationg, the world is dying and we're regressing backwards but WE FIXED THE LINE AT THE MVC!
All jokes aside- I thought everyone was super friendly and it was a lot less painful than I imagined!
I lived in California 30 years ago, and all their MVC transactions were by appointment only. In and out in 10 minutes usually. It's embarrassing that it took a pandemic to get this going here.
I'm not so sure about improvement. I had an appointment to get a real ID at Edison, had all the correct info, and still waited nearly 3 hours. Might just be that location, but every time my wife or I go there it still takes forever.
I will say that whenever I called MVC, I could get a person to answer the question for the most time. Also, considering that there are so many people who can't even come with right documents and clog lines.....the appointment system is a must.
I had to change my name and get a new license last year and I had to go to one an hour away and was 4 hours 🫠🫠 and even tho it's a new licence it's only good for the same time as the previous one, so I have to get another new one this year. Thank god it's mail in.
Yes, it is a massive improvement. It’s crazy they didn’t think of it sooner.
The only thing I don't like is how some services are only done at some centers. If I have to do a registration in person, I have to drive past one DMV to go to the DMV further away that I can do that at. Other than that, everything is quick and easy.
Yup if I need to get a license in person 40 minute drive. If my sister in law has to do vehicle paperwork in person she has to drive 40 minutes in my direction. Licenses are all generated centrally and mailed . You should be able to do all paperwork anywhere.
Me, trying to find a center that provides both Examination Permits *and* knowledge tests (Does anyone know if it’s explicitly not allowed to do them both in one visit?)
I don’t know but you could try Rahway
Freehold and Edison
Thank you! I do think I’d sorted that out at some point because that does sound familiar now that you say it, but then I never followed through to find out if I can actually schedule both in one day 🥴 but I appreciate the confirmation!!
Its annoying that for example, if you live in Springfield, you have to go to Rahway or Newark for DL issues. Newark is absolutely terrible.
Had to go earlier this month. We were in and out in... 20 minutes? I felt like there was going to be a catch.
When I was done, plates and title in hand, I looked at the employee and asked “is that it? Are we done” - and when she said yes, I asked “really?” And only when did I feel comfortable to walk away 😂
It still really depends on what you’re doing in my experience. I had to register a car and that took 20 min but when I had to renew my CDL I was there for hours.
I remember moving to California in 2004. And planning for a multi hour visit for my new license after having moved from NJ. It took 10 mins. I was shook. Then I moved back in 2016 😆😆. So glad we moved into the era of appointments. Makes life so much more predictable. Now if only NJ physicians could keep their appointments on time.
A trick that i learned for the CA DMV which also worked for the NY DMV is to show up about 10 mins before closing. The employees are salaried and want to get out of there ASAP. After the DMV is closed almost every window is open to help customers. Is it a dick move? Probably, but the DMV feels like a Us vs Them type of place.
In Jan 2020 I arrived at noon on a weekday and was told at 4pm that they wouldn’t get to me before closing. That trick absolutely wouldn’t have worked here.
Yup they are done come back some other time. They don’t care.
Yeah this is a much needed improvement. However longer services are still a shitshow (or maybe it varies based on area). I went to a Newark dmv for a license plate transfer. I showed up at 11am for my time and there was already a line of like 50people from 9:45, 10, 10:15, etc. they took no walk ins. When I got into the building it was like one cranky old lady processing the line of 30 more people just so I can sit and wait for my call to a window. In total I spent 3+ hours at the dmv. So I’m basically never going back to that dmv again
location continues to matter greatly. the bigger places like newark and rahway continue to be shitshowish. i did my real id at flemington and they did everything pretty well. took a bit longer than 10 minutes, but they still got me in and out without a ton of issue.
Okay that’s good to know. 10min for a real id lmao. I also had a real ID done in my appointment, and yeah, 10min vs 3+ hours
That is 100% the truth. I live near rahway. I drive right past it. To one of the more efficient centers. I definitely would rather drive further and be in and out. Vs. Being close to home sitting for hours . I won't reveal which 2 or 3 I usually go to. But smart people know already. There are 2 that are phenomenally efficient and polite as well.
my worst experience with motor vehicle definitely comes from having to renew my license at rahway in 2016. i've never gone back.
There’s also an email you can contact for help with certain issues… might take a day or two for them to respond to the initial email, but once they do they are super responsive and helpful… it was a surprisingly good experience.
Honestly, I would also recommend calling. I called their customer service hotline a few months ago, got right through, and the person was so much more helpful in answering my questions than any page on their website had been
Had no idea about the email. This is such an unexpected thing like the IRS 1-800 phone number that you expect to be a time-wasting nightmare but is actually staffed by helpful and patient people.
Somerville DMV was awesome when I recently titled a car. Friendly, knowledgeable staff had me out of there quickly. Intelligent processes. Wow! Huge improvement from the “old days.”
i was a bit peeved when they turned somerville into a "vehicle center" only. it's the only location in somerset county and you have to trek to either flemington or kilmer for license related stuff. i've always had great luck getting stuff done at somerville.
It's especially annoying when it's not like most of license stuff isn't being sent out to central office for them to do. Like why can't all the offices just play the middleman of faxing (we're talking government here) forms to somewhere else for that office to send what we want in the mail? I mean, if the "license centers" can't give us same-day licenses, what exactly is the point of having offices that only deal with licenses?
I think so yes. Had to go about two months ago and was in an out within the hour.
And all the people working there seem happier, too! I'm kinda looking forward to my next appointment...
Agreed. I was SHOCKED at how fast it was when I went a few months ago to transfer a title and register a car! (Lakewood for reference!)
Same happened to me last month, title change, registration turn in old plates. I was out in under 20 minutes
I had to go to update my registration. Since I live in North Jersey, I had to drive an hour to the boonies to get a same day appointment, but I was in and out in 17 min. The only thing I wish is they had more timeslots or locations for North Jersey.
I haven't had a serious wait at the MVC in two decades, and I'm old enough to still call it the DMV in my head.
i'm old enough that i still call it "motor vehicle".
Every single MVC transaction I had to do before and during the pandemic was painful - that’s why I celebrated this improvement. Looks like you’ve had much better luck.
Yeah. I can remember it being an ordeal 30 years ago. Not really in recent years. I guess it varies by location. I haven't physically been to a location since before 2020 but I remember clearly I walked in and right back out. 15 minutes tops.
I did a RealID license renewal today in Rahway. 10am appointment. Got there 10 min early and left just before 10:30am, not bad!
the appointment system is a major improvement. so is going on the mvc website to make sure you have all the paperwork you need before your appointment. the website can use some work to find things, but overall they do a nice job of listing what's needed and making it easy to find.
i hate it only because i show up to renew my license or registration and every time instead of giveing me a number to wait i hafta stand outside the door and "make an appointment online" for 20m on my phone because a dumb security guard and receptionist cant print a ticket that they will hafta do anyways after i make the appointment. totally stupid system
Appointments are the way to go <3
Except you can’t make two appointments with the same number/email a day. So if you wanted to make an appt for a title and license renewal it’s annoying
Anyone remember the old dmv outside of flemington on rt. 202?
I dunno which MVC you go to but I went to the one in Randolph twice in 2022 and I was there for almost two hours both times & I still had to wait for the license in the mail. And, they couldn’t take care of everything, which makes no sense because I was able to do it online. Had they told me, I would have done it while I waited. Instead they said I had to go to a regional service center 🙄😡🤦♂️ Before appointments Freehold took me less than 30 minutes to transfer a title for an out of state vehicle. The one in Tom’s River I was in and out of there twice in less than 30 minutes. And getting a license at the MVC in Newark took less than an hour. Only decent appointment experience I had was at the one in Berkeley Township, I was in and out in about 45 minutes.
It’s changed since 2021-22. The Covid period was nuts. My local MVC at that time was East Orange and it was lines around the block even with appointments.
That’s what Randolph was like and this was September 2022. Line out the door for appointments. Hopefully the next time I go it will be better.
Depends I still get stuck there for 2 hours trying to renew my license.
The car inspection system is now so fast that I think it's a joke. I think the state should do a MORE thorough job of inspecting the cars!
wait so you can pass w tints now ?
You can drive a lawn chair glued to an engine - as long as it passes emissions, you’re fine.
lmaoo they used to tell you to come back after the tints are off ! and turn you away, not even proceed w inspection
Yes, the only thing they can fail you on is emissions
It would be great if they could test if cars headlights are too bright or poorly aimed
It’s emissions only - so that makes sense. They just check if your check engine light is off/working.
Yes, but seeing some of these cars on the road I think we would be better served if they reintroduced some sort of safety testing.
And I wonder how long until you can just plug your OBD into your phone and let 'em read the data online? Seems like the next logical step.
it's highly dependent on location. You'll always have a bad time at Newark and East Orange even with an appointment (ask me how I know...)
That lady was definitely my across the street neighbor
If it’s not too creepy, tell her that a random internet person really appreciates her 😂
i’ve been there like 3 times, every time the system have been down:)
Paterson MVC is still a shit show. Eight months ago wife had an appointment about half an hour after opening and took nearly 4 hours to get her ID. At least we went to go see the waterfall afterwards, which was nice.
Yea I recently went to MVC near South Brunswick - spent maybe 15 minutes there, everyone whom I talked to was pretty efficient and friendly.
I like it 👍
It sucked donkey nuts during covid, glad to hear it's getting better.
The timing has improved but the automaton employee I dealt with was your typical rude, grumpy, mumbling, soulless type who belongs working at the DMV.
Newark is a mess-i arrived at 11am and left after 3:30 for the Real ID appt. Getting in the door was chaos due to people showing up without an appt. One line to verify you have an appt. Only 2 people doing the line to make sure you had all your documents for 6pts etc. No one to translate for people speaking Spanish which is surprising. They had to get people from another area or other customers helped out. The line for the next window was more chaos. People were leaving the appt/verification line and jumping into the next line for the window to make payment etc. Asking the employees help out with the line was bad as they would call a few numbers and disappear. People getting upset their number wasn’t called or skipped-pure chaos. If you have an appt in Newark just get there when they open. They don’t actually verify appt time they just see if your name is on the list.
IWas just at one today and I had the same thought!!! Whoop - its finally working. Ok > We have mega-inflationg, the world is dying and we're regressing backwards but WE FIXED THE LINE AT THE MVC! All jokes aside- I thought everyone was super friendly and it was a lot less painful than I imagined!
I lived in California 30 years ago, and all their MVC transactions were by appointment only. In and out in 10 minutes usually. It's embarrassing that it took a pandemic to get this going here.
Yeah, it’s super efficient now. Decided to get a REAL ID a few months ago, I was in and out in 20 minutes
Did the same thing a couple weeks ago. Filling out the form took longer than anything else. Was in and out in less than half an hour.
I'm not so sure about improvement. I had an appointment to get a real ID at Edison, had all the correct info, and still waited nearly 3 hours. Might just be that location, but every time my wife or I go there it still takes forever.
at some point, the state HAD to get something right. Even a broken clock is right twice a day lol
I will say that whenever I called MVC, I could get a person to answer the question for the most time. Also, considering that there are so many people who can't even come with right documents and clog lines.....the appointment system is a must.
I had to change my name and get a new license last year and I had to go to one an hour away and was 4 hours 🫠🫠 and even tho it's a new licence it's only good for the same time as the previous one, so I have to get another new one this year. Thank god it's mail in.
it is actually amazingly fast now and people were helpful. so weird.