DC city services: DMV

[Anonymous]

It is 2020 (internet has been around for a while) and it is COVID era, why do I have to have an in person appointment to register a newly purchased used vehicle?

I purchased a used car in Virginia a week before pandemic. Once the emissions testing site opened back up I took it to emissions and passed. By the way, great COVID setup there. Those workers have really done a great job making things work safely. Anyway, I got my sticker and emissions paperwork and now it takes five months to make a registration appointment at the DMV? Why can't we do it online in DC like most other states. I am not trying to make an easy "we are not ready to be a state joke". But this should be easy stuff.

I should be able to submit scanned copy of my title, proof or DC insurance, the sales paperwork with odometer reading and a credit card and receive my plates and registration in a week. Instead the DMV tells me that it all must be done in person but don't worry because police will not enforce the expired temp tags issue until sixty days after the Mayor's state of emergency.

That is great and I appreciate the coordination within the city but will police except my expired tags if I drive to NY to pick my kid up from school in a few weeks?

This seems to me like it should be an easy efficiency pick up for the city. Automobile registration online.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why any DMV service requires an in-person visit. It would be one thing if they were actually inspecting the car in person during the visit, but you're just submitting paperwork. I was going to say that the one thing that should be done in person is getting a new DL (smile for the camera). But then I remembered that you can get a passport by mail, complete with a picture you took against a white backdrop in your own house. So no, not even drivers' licenses should require a personal visit.

I will elect anybody from any party who runs on a platform of reforming the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Check Tuesday at noon for an appointment. Also refresh/clear? your browser settings. The site has major glitches, like all dc govt websites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check Tuesday at noon for an appointment. Also refresh/clear? your browser settings. The site has major glitches, like all dc govt websites.

I will check this out. Thank you.

Also you are spot on about DC govt websites. Why are they formatted like it is 1999? Data is buried three and four layers deep. It seems like they missed the entire coherent web design trend ten years ago.

I did talk to another DMV employee (maybe 311) but their comment was that people needed to go in as a Federal Govt requirement under True ID. I mentioned that I was not looking to get a drives license and that I simply needed to turn in electronic data from a car dealer and insurance company. They did not really understand. When I mentioned that most other states allowed electronic registration of cars they simply said that DC was not a state. Ughhh....

[Anonymous]

OP. I have the same issue except my car was purchased in MD. I did actually get to a human on the call line and while they were a unified command post operator they claimed they had left the DMV last year. She reported that the DC requirement to show up in person for used car registration is an attempt to stem forged titles which thieves hav used for years and simply bad luck buyer have been tricked into buying stolen vehicles.

I asked why DC did not use the e-title system other states use and she said that it was a cost driven decision. It costs nothing for the city to have you come in person to register. It costs a lot to maintain a compliant system with a national title registry.

Anyway, I have a May appointment set up now.

[Anonymous]

I get that it’s a hassle, but it seems you waited a long time to try to navigate this.

We bought a used car in Virginia at the end of May. In mid-June I figured we’d better make an appointment with the dmv even though the emissions testing sites weren’t opened yet. We could always cancel or change it. At that time our appt was for September. I think the emissions testing opened up in early July and soon after they expanded the dmv services. Because we already had an appointment, we were able change to an earlier appt. By the end of July, we had our new plates and registration.