SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on Thursday announced it would temporarily close field offices statewide beginning March 27 and reopen, virtually, on April 2.
All in-office appointments have been canceled.
To continue processing critical transactions, the DMV said it was moving essential services online starting next week.
Customers are encouraged to check the dmv.ca.gov website for future appointment availability.
DMV online services will continue to be available at dmv.ca.gov.
Customers can also take care of many tasks at the hundreds of kiosks throughout the state or through available local business partners. DMV’s customer service centers will continue to operate during normal business hours at 1-800-777-0133 or connecting via the live chat feature on the DMV website.
According to the DMV, virtual field offices will give customers the capability to take care of transactions that previously required an in-person office visit by virtually interacting with DMV staff.
Beginning April 2, 2020, customers will be able to complete vehicle title transfers and complex vehicle registration renewals by visiting virtual.dmv.ca.gov.
Following deep cleaning of the offices, expansion of virtual services and development of new protocols, DMV will begin to once again offer in-person services in each region.
Californians who do not have an urgent need to go to a DMV field office should delay their visit, including those interested in applying for a REAL ID.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced that the REAL ID enforcement date is October 1, 2021, and customers who want a REAL ID will have an opportunity to apply at a later date.
The DMV will gradually add more transactions to continue to provide alternatives to an in-person office visit.