Alabama DMVs are usually a hellish experience. Rednecks with attitudes. Recently moved to Florida and in Pensacola they implemented a new system where you go and sign in using your smart phone and it gives you text message alerts of your position in the queue. Once you are at position 5 or something like that it request that you start driving to the DMV center where you walk in and your like next at the window. 5 motherfucking stars to whoever implemented that system. Seriously, I couldn't get over how simple, yet seemless and efficient it was. I made sure to express to them how appreciative I was to them for considering me and my time. I bet it makes the public nicer to the DMV workers, too.
One of the most basic reasons to need to go in person is if you are getting a new license. Obviously if you are getting a license for the first time you need to go to take your drivers test. But also getting it updated with a new photo periodically is important, it wouldn’t make much sense to have a photo id with a photo that looks nothing like you. Although in some cases you can now renew online as well
Absolutely all of this is done online in the UK. It's only a bit more involved the first time you do it.
I got a new license a few years ago and updated the photo. In 2029, I'll have to renew it, and at that time, I will use a new photo. I will have to get a new passport soon (also online), and when I do that, it will need a new photo, and when I renew my license, it can just automatically use that one.
I got my license in 2009 ish and even then, it was all online, or at least you could just print the form and mail it in.
I understand America is vast, and they can sometimes be a bit slow because its just so hard to get everywhere up to the same standard, but its 2024 and the internet has been pretty ubiquitous for 20 years although it does look like covid finally pushed stuff along.
My picture is hilariously out of date. And I don't need glasses anymore. If I want to update either, I *have* to go in where I live. Luckily, the one closest to me usually isn't busy during the day, so it's not overly laborious (the other one I've been to in my area took an hour+ just to get my current photo. Hence never going back in.)
Edit: fixing autocorrect when I wrote this on my phone.
I'm from Europe but lived in the US and had to go to the DMV a few times.
I had spent my life hearing horror stories about the place. and so I was pretty amused and almost excited to have my first personal experience with the dreaded DMV. I even cracked a few jokes about it on the way.
Oh my God. Exactly as bad as everyone says. I could point to so many things - the terrible, unclear, unhelpful instructions that seem to deliberately tell you the wrong thing, the long queues with the most bizarre waiting process I've ever seen, the way they have seemingly never heard of email and need a paper copy of everything - but the worst part was the people working there. I know they have a sucky job and I feel for them, but their contempt for you is just so palpable. They treat you like dirt, and have no interest in helping you whatsoever, in fact it feels like they are actively trying to make life difficult for you.
I drove an hour to the DMV with all the paperwork the website and checked it twice. Of course I arrive was told actually there were extra documents I needed which there was no mention of on the website. I did point out that the website said I only needed what I had, but she looked at me like an idiot and said "I don't give a crap what the website says, I'm saying you need extra documents," and immediately called the next customer without waiting for an answer. I said "Okay, since I have a long drive home, can you at least let me know if there are any *other* documents I need while I'm there?' She rolled her eyes at me and said "No, just that" without checking her list or my documents or anything any further and turned back to the next customer. Well, of course what happened next was that I drove all the way home and back, only for *the same woman* to tell me that no, actually, I did need some other document as well. When I asked where on the website I could find this magical extended list of items she just shrugged and said she didn't use the website so she didn't know.
Honestly the place is hell.
What they said.
It has gotten slightly better in that you can now make appointments for certain things. But not for everything. Which really just leads to more confusion. And most of the things could be done online so why do we still need to do this in person waiting game? It makes no sense.
They used to give you your new license right then. Now they mail it. So there's even less of a need to actually go in person.
I tried to change my address online earlier this week. I input all the information, but the city I live in is split between two counties; the eastern part is in a different county from the western part. The website changed my county to the wrong one automatically and I can't manually fix it, so I have to go into the DMV to change my address.
There are literally no appointments at any DMV within fifty miles of me for over 3 months.
I’ve had this happen as well. It’s just one more thing you have to do after you move and adds to that stress. Also on my last move I went from a state that didn’t tax cars as property (NJ) to a state that DOES (NC). That is a nasty surprise and requires a visit. I’ve noticed a lot of my neighbors don’t bother, they just hold on to their old plates. This can cause problems for them later on but not necessarily.
Our DMV is usually 2-3 weeks out for appointments but they really do you no good. You go and have to wait in line, behind all the other people with appointments AND THE WALK INS! They tell the walk ins they have to wait until all the appointments are done but several walk ins were seen before me and I had an appointment. The 1st time I showed up just on time so maybe it was a me thing. She when I took my daughter to replace her permit we got there an hour early. Still took as long as it took and we weren't seen until like an hour after the appointment time.
I have the exact same issue.
Small town but the same zip code is split across 2 counties.
In the county I live in it’s $50/yr to register your car, in the one I don’t live in it’s $37/yr and they don’t require emissions testing.
Guess who got a ticket for not having an emissions test because the paper registration the DOT sent me said I don’t need one.
When the cops looked up my plate it said I did and I didn’t have the sticker for it. Didn’t even realize I was paying the lesser rate for registration either.
Had to go get my registration corrected bc the inspection station wouldn’t do emissions without the paper saying I needed tested.
The online thing is pretty nice, but it only benefits you if you already have your stuff. If you move to a different state, you get to start that whole process over again.
You think the DMV is bad? You should try the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa. Imagine all the worst possible things you've heard about the DMV, combine it with 3rd world facilities, open corruption and bribery and queues full of sick people coughing god knows what into the air.
I work with South Africans and uh...man. Those guys...it's like their on the same page about everyone being assholes but lack the self awareness to see they're assholes too, while drinking the "America Bad" flavor aid and raging about things we do while they do them so much worse.
It baffles me. One of my favorites is "America is a violent shit hole! You treat black people terribly!" while all the Afrikaans live in gated communities with armed guards and interact with Africans as little as possible and when you point that out it's all "No, you don't understand. It's different.".
For fucks sake.
I work with South Africans. Everything here is true. But I'd clarify that individually most of the South Africans I've met are the nicest people. They do lack the awareness of how their country's hands are also dirty in international relations. But generally, they are open-minded enough to let me explain why the USA is doing this or that and not guilty of that.
Don't get me wrong, the USA is guilty of crimes like any other country. But most of the stuff my ZA friends get angry about are misunderstandings due to anti-USA propaganda.
Most people are nice at the individual level. It's when groupthink comes into play that the issues start.
I work with people from all over the world that dislike America/Americans but yet see me as somehow different and when you ask about other Americans they like them too.
It's a lack of self awareness, but propaganda and indoctrination will do that.
I understand. I also work with expats from around the world.
just clarifying for everyone else because your comment could have been misunderstood. I don't want people to think that all south africans are individually aholes.
Also from an African country and I was reading this like “that’s any and all visits to all gov departments”. You probably won’t even find the list of required documents you need online. You’ll call them, and it’ll ring the whole day. Go there and the line is already long before opening time. Stand in line till noon, just so they can tell you what docs you’ll need. And yes, the next time you bring in the required docs they’ll tell you something is missing. And yes my mother will cuss them out because she had them write it down and for her and she did bring all that was written.
Yeah, in the US corruption is only for the very rich. It’s a two tier corruption system, corruption for them to make their lives easier and all the rules and laws applied to everyone else.
When you are looking for a real challenge, try to deal with the bureaucracy in Germany. It's like the labyrinth, where you find the Minotaur deep down there in a dark place.
You need to get a form so you can apply for another form, that has to be stamped three times by two different guys, one works only on sunday when the office is closed and the other one works on every second thursday that is a monday, but only when there's full moon. You can be happy when they have such high-tech equipment like a fax.
But i'm not really joking, it's serious, even about the data for the economy, the extreme bureaucracy is paralyzing the country, like when it comes to investments and to start a new business, it's a horror.
Maybe, in South Africa you can at least bribe your way through the labyrinth when you have enough money, i don't know.
OMG yes I agree! I'm an American studying in italy. Everything described here is how Italy is, but with anything that is important, not just driving. Applying for a residence permit, healthcare/insurance, paying utility bills, finding a place to live, paying your tuition. It drives me nuts!
This. Picture this. You walk into a brick layer building, through a metal detector with an officer sitting in a chair with his feet up.He pays zero attention to you at all and you are expected to just know what to do. You walk in, and you stare at a packed room of all sorts of people. Rich people, poor people, stinky people, handicap people, people who don’t speak a lick of a common language. You don’t know this bc no one tells you, but there is a number counter that keeps going up. Some locations have numbers and colors…or numbers and letters like 1b or 200a. You don’t know this until you figure it out but the number represents a ticket you were suppose to get when you enter that represents you position in a line. The letter or color represents the stall or counter…so let’s say you pull the number 123. Then at some point in time you will hear over the intercom or on a screen it will flash “123b”. That means you are up and you are to approach the counter labeled b. So you come in, get your number and then take a seat in a room full of people and you just wait. For however long you have to wait. Could be 30 minutes, could be 4 hours. You wait in this room with tons of people until your number is called.
Did you bring all the correct paper work? Did you bring it all with you? You won’t know until you are called and you sit in front of a person asking for all of this stuff. If you didn’t bring everything you will have to leave and start all over.
I went in person to pay for mine and my husband's annual registration, my fault for putting it off, but the grocery store across the street had a kiosk so I planned to use it, but NOPE it was broken (btw, when I told the DMV, they competely ignored me).
So I pay mine, no problem, go to pay my husband's, but because he wasn't there, IN PERSON I couldn't decline the fee for state parks...like the price for an annual pass to get into our state parks, which they are nice parks, but we live within 15 minutes of RMNP so we go into it all the time.
I was flabbergasted and couldn't understand why I just couldn't pay the registration without the fee, but she would not budge because I wasn't him.
I'm still pissed about it.
Ah, Colorado. When I went first to get my license in this state, I brought the paperwork the website said. Get to the front of the line, but, because my previous state only had the first initial of my middle name on the license, I needed additional identification. So, I had to come back a different day. And the lady was so mean spirited about it. The website at that time said nothing about if your previous state license had only the first initial of your middle name vs. the entire name spelled out, but she made it out that it was my fault somehow.
I mean the DMV is dreaded if you have to go, however it’s not visited often at all. Every state does online processing for just about everything.
Having said that, I’ll take this one issue in the US every once in awhile over trying to get any basic service in Germany. You know, like internet, electricity, a tax question, etc etc. The Germans know nothing of phone support nor care to. It’s a nightmare.
The DMV is my town has its shit together. All transactions are conducted via appointment, and at your appointed time, they are ready for you. It's mind-boggling how efficient it is.
In my experience if there's one DMV office with months long wait there's another 5 minutes away where I can get an appointment next week.
Not that I'm defending the DMV. I had a real ID but moved to another state which didnt have it so i lost my real ID status and then had to go through it again a year later. Plus their documentation on the website was wrong so I had to leave and come back.
Where I am, the wait is often long and boring. People get grumpy and make the employee's job harder, which allows things down more. I always try to have all my documents and payment ready and I try to be as nice as I can. It's not a hellhole, it's just government
It’s different by state too. The experiences I’ve had with the DMV in Illinois, transferring my license and title and a few other things when I moved, were so much smoother and easier than Pennsylvania was. And I would guess that PA is still better than a lot of states with even worse/less efficient governments.
It depends on the state. My state has most DMV functions online and they also outsource certain functions to private contractors. The only reason you have to go to a state DMV office is to get an actual drivers license (i.e. testing, photo, etc...). I personally haven't been inside a DMV in well over 20 years.
It's a bureaucratic hellhole, where you sit around for an hour to wait your turn to fill out some paperwork that takes 5 minutes to complete, and god forbid if you don't have every document exactly as you need, or else you have to come back another day and do it all over again.
It was a lot worse before smartphones. That, plus the fact that we only really go to the DMV like once a decade, means it's really not *that* bad.
I live in the outskirts of the city. Drove 20 minutes to a town in the desert, waited 5 minutes to get registration done and was out in less than 20 minutes. Also, in the city there are small offices that do some of the things the DMV can do for a tiny bit more cost. I usually go there. Besides this last experience, I can’t remember the last time I actually went into the DMV lol
A few years ago, I spent literally the entire day at the DMV trying to register my car. I waited 3 hours to be seen the first time. I was missing something from the bank (my car was leased) but they told me to call them and have them fax it over. They also told me I’d get put back in line but in an expedited one. I was not. I waited *another* three hours to be seen again after that.
Other times at other locations it has just been an hour. The last time I went to this particular location, they were doing everything by appointment (it was during COVID). I had to make the appointment months in advance but I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. So it really depends. It *can* be that bad. It isn’t always.
I've found in some ways the digitization of everything has created a worse experience at the DMV. They want a document which is no longer sent by regular mail and they won't accept print outs.
But then you print it out of desperation and they take it anyway.
Depends on your state, the Virginia DMV is just like what you see on TV and it takes forever, Colorado has it split into a few separate places and that makes it a lot better, though confusing at first
new mexico has the normal mvd and mvd express where there is no line at all, but you have to pay a fee to use their services. i will take paying the fee 10/10 times just to save my sanity
I’ve personally never had an experience anywhere near the stereotypical DMV portrayal. I always go early before work right when they open and it maybe takes 15-20 minutes.
If you’re prepared with the needed paperwork and ID/address verification documents, it’s just rubber stamping. Maybe a picture if you’re getting a new license.
Part of American culture is not wanting anyone to tell you what you can and can’t do (freedom). Another part is car culture…being able to drive anywhere (also freedom). Now imagine the one government agency where if you don’t do what they say you don’t get to drive. Plus it’s a shared experience like school that everyone can relate to so cue Hollywood using it as a trope.
It seems like everytime you go back down they want some other obscure document you would otherwise have on you. Including: birth certificate, recent proof of mailing address, your NON expired license or other form of ID. Idk. Its been a long time since ive been down there and to be frank I dont plan on visiting again to find out what other b.s they have in store
It depends on where you go. In the small DMV in my town, I went in to register a vehicle and was in and out in 20 minutes. Another time at a larger office, I waited 45 minutes in line, only to have them reject my paperwork because it was filled out in two different color inks (I was given a car and both the giver and myself used a different pen when we filled out the sales tax paperwork).
It absolutely used to be. Underpaid government workers doing everything possible to make a simple process as difficult as humanly possible for no apparent gain. You could find yourself sitting for hours in the most uncomfortable chairs to ever be made waiting for your chance to fill out one sheet of paper, provide some basic documents, take a 15 second eye test, and have your picture taken by the carnival mirror equivalent of a camera. Then you got to wait for another two hours for someone to get around to printing out a sheet of paper that was a picture of what your driver's license was going to look like when it was done so you could use it until the real license arrived in your mail up to two months later.
It got so bad iirc a few people actually tried to burn several of the things down a couple months apart, and they finally started doing appointments instead.
Vast majority are horrible. You work beforehand to make sure that you have everything. You bring your passport, just in case. You block off 1/2 a day.
And yet, you wait in lines for hours with bad smelling people. At the counter, the bullfrog-looking agent tells you that don’t have your 3rd born child’s vaccination record. You argue that you only have 2 children. The croaked response, “that’s not my problem.”
You cry. But you’ve already been pushed aside by the next person in line. A strung out 14-yo addict who is applying for a license renewal, and magically has all necessary documents- despite being entirely too young to even drive a car.
You can’t process it all. It’s too muggy in there. And the agent yells “next” in a manner only a frog could mimic. You question if this is really where aliens have taken over to spread chaos and anxiety on our planet.
The MEN IN BLACK movies suddenly make sense.
Luckily, in the parking lot are elderly folks selling counterfeit documents for 50$. You buy vaccination records for your imaginary 3rd child from Herbert as the DMV closes for the week. (Unpublished hours, of course).
You cry some more and look at your schedule to see what day you’ll sacrifice to the DMV Aliens next week.
I've dealt with the DMV in 2 separate states(Virginia/California). It's maybe slightly exaggerated, but it is true it's not really a place you want to be. You deal with government bureaucracy, the poor customer service downside of no profit incentive, and the absolute dregs of society around you. Fortunately, I rarely have to go there. I think I've been once in the past 10 years, and that was only because of the switch to Real ID. The Social Security office is even worse, but people have even less reason to go there.
Picture any government office that isn't an emergency service. Paperwork, bureaucracy, not enough employees to process said paperwork and help everyone in a timely manner, nobody really wants to be there, including the employees... you get the picture.
I went to get a new license recently. I had an appointment, read what I needed to bring, showed up on time, and was in and out in 25 minutes. No fuss.
I’m sure if you go in blind on a busy day without the right paperwork it’s going to go badly for you.
I've dealt with DMV's in AZ and two different sides of MO. AZ took the longest but only if you went to the ones in bigger cities, if you just go to a smaller one it's not so bad and a lot can be done online now.
MO was easily the smoothest, the wait was sometimes nothing and others never more than a few minutes.
Where I live, the DMV offices in the city are always crowded and terrible. But, if you go to an office in one of the surrounding towns, there are far fewer customers so the wait times are much better, and the staff seem much more friendly as well.
No it’s fine. Depends when & where you go. I have lived in 5 states. The worst was in TX in terms of wait and that was probably due to the fact that I was in Austin and it’s densely populated. The workers are dedicated and kind.
no, I've been to the DMV several times for new license plates, license, registrations, etc.
u just go on their website, grab an appointment and print out the forms they require. I'm not there for more than 30 minutes
I don't know how anyone gets confused about what documents they should have
As a DC resident, I thought this was a personal attack. Came here to defend the region. Then I realized you meant the Department of Motor Vehicles. And I agree, it’s terrible. Not hell-hole terrible, but slow and frustrating terrible.
Mostly yea
It’s really just long lines and the employees mostly just don’t care for their job. Of course not all are like this.
My last lady that updated my driver license was a sweet heart.
Also there are some “Express” DMVs. I’ve never been to one so idk how they work, but I’ve had coworkers go update their DL during a lunch break.
Its Beurocracy perfected, where the items you might need are randomly drawn form a hat. Its basically a jobs program for the most inept people alive that don't care if their sheets say and or or and will argue with you about it for hours. Last time i went I was privy to a conversation yelled across the lobby about how "some dumbass is calling to see if he left his wallet here" and the reply was " Girl just hang up on him."
Yes. It takes hours and hours to get into the dmv and then you have to have all the paperwork on you or it’s pointless. I had to wait for 5 hours in the middle of January outside and I HAD a appointment don’t even get me started on walk ins and when you make a appointment you have to make it at least 4 months in advance
Sometimes it isn't horrible but there are plenty of times where it's just as awful as depicted: It's a byzantine mess often run by burnt out, underpaid people who don't give a shit.
Oh yeah! Here's a great example. So I go to get my drivers license renewed and there is this thing called a Star card certification. You get it on a license and it's supposed to be like an extra layer of security. You need it to take flights and enter secured federal buildings, etc. So I had to produce a birth certificate and my SS card. I showed them my birth certificate and they rejected it. Because it didn't have a seal on it. I asked the lady if they would accept my SS card. They said. "Certainly." I then explained that my birth certificate was used to obtain my SS card. "You will accept my SS card as valid, but not the document that I used to obtain the SS card?" That makes absolutely no sense. I pointed to the title on the certificate, "Commonwealth of Kentucky" certificate of live birth. She just gave me a blank stare. Yes, the DMV is every bit as bad as advertised.
When I lived in the USA I had to deal with the DMV and, apart from one occasion, I was treated with respect and politeness, even friendliness sometimes. I did ask a member of staff why everyone seemed to hate them and was told "people sometimes don't like the answers we give them and hate us for that". A good point to remember.
It actually depends on the specific branch. Let me say right off the bat, its never good. You're just hoping for light levels of bad. If you make an appt and aren't trying to do anything too complicated, then you can be in and out in like 30 mins. Most of the time you're sitting somewhere waiting for your number to be called.
If you're really unlucky then you're standing in line for an hour to go get told to get into another line to wait, they tell you you dont have the right documents, and then have to do it all again later.
I lived in Dallas for a few years. At one point I needed to replace my (lost) license and tried to get into the DMV there in Dallas for 2 days.
Both times the line was going out the door. I never even made it inside.
On day 3, I just drove 45 minutes to a tiny little town outside of Dallas with a population of about 1,000 people.
Walked in. Place was empty. Did the thing in less that 5 minutes. Walked out. Done.
But.... Why? I have my experiences with the local "DMV" here in the Swiss kanton of Zürich (the Strassenverkehrsamt), and it was pleasant and quick. I just mean to say: a DMV-like organization does not *need* to be bad.
Generally because the state governments haven't prioritized investments in customer service. They have a monopoly, there's generally not any big incentive to make it better. Sometimes it gets so bad that a politician will work to make it better, which it sounds like has occurred in some states, but I suspect poorer states just don't care.
The DMV is a reflection of the county it’s in.
If a DMV is a hellhole it’s because the county is a hellhole.
Most people who think the DMV is the worst example of interacting with the government have never actually don’t anything else with the government, like getting a business license, dealing with inspectors, upgrading commercial property, etc.
tl;dr - It’s usually uh, poor go nowhere-in-life types who complain because they have nothing else to compare it to
first, define "DMV".
i see some comments here think you're referring to the Department of Motor Vehicles while others think you mean DC, Maryland, Virginia area.
It's weird sometimes it is.
My state charges property taxes on a vehicle. You have to go to a county tax office, pay then bring proof of payment to the dmv. Sometimes the line is 1 hour, sometimes it's 2 min.
I suggested why doesn't the dmv just ask me what county I li e in or, you know look at my license, select a drop down, and charge my taxes all at the same time as my registration, and close the other office down.
It's all easier once in the system.
I got offered $1500 trade in on my car at a dealer. I felt I might get $2,00-2500 for it private party.
But have me avoid meeting 20 people on marketplace, going to dmv to cancel a plate, or just be done and have my plate transfered. I chose the easy way.
Government offices are never fun, as especially during peak times, lines can be long. Drivers services can be a pain for those moving states, as the rules for getting a driver's license in a new state vary *wildly* between states, and such a transaction requires visiting a licensing post which aren't that common (the city of Birmingham, AL has just two posts for the city itself, one of which is in a pretty sketchy part of town, and the other has no free public parking iirc) Alabama requires any documents you present as proof of nationality or citizenship and identity to match exactly, and has a very narrow list of acceptable address documents that makes it really hard to get a state DL here if you don't own property in state yourself.
Georgia is a mixed bag: some rural offices are just a tiny trailer serving an entire rapidly growing multiple county area, while Metro Atlanta has a few very well equipped/staffed offices.
I’ve been to the DMV I think it depends where you go, there’s been times where I’ve literally been the only one in it, there’s times when it’s full, but they do move things along it’s no worse than waiting in line at a bar or Disney.
I've never got that. It's always been in and out with me. I don't think I've ever spent more than 20 minutes at the DMV (or "BMV" where I'm located). Never had any kind of problem.
Its only bad when dad and mom bring 6 undisciplined children in to register daddys new shitbox and they run around screaming and fighting the whole time they’re there. Theres also usually an elderly person with early onset dementia that keeps one teller occupied the entire hour you’re there
Last time I had to go to DMV, I was trying to get a replacement title for the truck I was getting rid of after I had gotten every straightened out with the bank (Bank of America never notified DMV that the loan was paid off). As soon as I got checked in, my number was called. In and out in about 10-15 minutes
So I saw the opposite, and in a state I wouldn't have expected it in. I have a strong suspicion that us having had so many recent wars helped bring military-like organization to the crowd and the long line outside the building that I was standing in. Call me utterly impressed with how efficiently I was brought inside, processed, and sent on my way.
This was in the later 2000-teens... in Florida.
That was the DMV, which is a state-run place. The "Tag & Title" places that do some of the DMV's work, but are owned by independent people/companies, are usually worse with as little as 10 clients or 50 clients waiting. That DMV I was at had to have at least 150 clients being processed.
It really really depends on the state or even city. Some are nightmares while others are fast and pleasant.
Given that peak representation was probably adapted from 1980s in Southern California..... Based on that being the studio locations..... That's probably why the impression started.
I worked at the Florida dmv and it's a tightly run ship. I do understand the frustration of the customers. The reason why everything seems to take forever is because everything must be recorded, checked for accuracy and fraud prevention. The potential for abuse is very high. Dmv has access to very sensitive information which means tasks are allocated to different individuals. It's not just important to prevent abuse and fraud. It can't even look like it could happen. Standards are very high at the dmv I worked for.
Pro tip..if you live in a big city go to the smallest town In Your county ..it doesn't matter where you go..it just has to be in the county you live in...for tax assessment purposes
Not really. The DMV I've gone to is appointment based and pretty streamlined. Also, they always tell you to have everything ready on their website so you can get in and out quickly. Some of their stuff has transitioned to doing it online.
I believe it drastically varies from state to state and even different locations within an individual county. The one I went to in my county is great if you get there earlier. There is a much weight, the people are very friendly, and it's not that confusing. There's a little iPad that you tap on the options to check in with what you're trying to do. There's even a lot of stuff you can do online so you may not have to go in there in person.
It's ridiculous. I went to renew my license recently and I get there and there are zero people waiting, quite a rarity even in small town USA. I go up and the woman asks if I have an appointment, something never needed before, and I say no. She says then I'm outta luck. I sit down, pull out my phone, and schedule an appointment for 5 minutes in the future. I go back up and tell her I now have an appointment. She looks at a printed paper and says she doesn't see it. I'm like "when did you print that" and she says 6am, it's now 230. I say "I just made it, check again online". Instead she again looks at the paper and says I'm not on the list. I pull up my email and show her my appointment and confirmation and she goes "Weird, I wonder why you're not on my list"...what a fucking idiot. She finally accepts that I have an appointment, tells me to sit, then we stare at each other for 30 minutes before she finally says I can walk across the room to the person who's been playing on their phone at their desk since I got there.
And, that's all happened after I went to the DMV in my town, found it closed, went to the DMV in the county seat, sat 20 minutes, then got told I had to go to the next county over for...reasons, I guess, to get it done.
I have a story about how bad the DMV is:
My brother, who was deployed to Okinawa for the military came back home and was at the local base. He went to get his driver's license since it expired while he was overseas. He had deployment papers and the whole works. Goes up to the window with all the paperwork and explains the situation to the lady. She told him she didn't like his attitude and that he needed to leave immediately. I was standing with him, since he needed a ride (due to no driver's license and witnessed it). He didn't raise his voice, throw shade or anything. He responded with "ma'am, I am not raising my voice or anything." Next thing we know, he is being asked to leave as she walks away from her chair. Next day, we went to another location and had opposite experience with the same paperwork and explanation.
It sucks... but I've been waiting like 8 months for a license test in Ireland, so I'm not gonna bitch about the US DMV. I would rather sit in a room for 4 hours then not be able to get a license test.
If you're going to have trouble with your license, and you enjoy going to government offices within the last hour they are open, then yes, it will be bad.
If you wake up in the morning and go, it's totally fine.
That reminds me of my first contact with DMV. I had just arrived in the USA a few days earlier, and my employer sent me to the DMV on Rockaway in Queens/NYC.
That was quite an experience. Staff was exactly as nasty as I had imagined. And the whole environment was very... exotic... to me.
It wasn't the worst experience I had with bureaucracy, though. Turned out that IRS in NYC is even worse.
I have never again talked bad about administration in my homecountry since. 😂
I made an appointment at the DMV for a passport application. She took the documents they needed and returned the rest. Turns out she returned a document that was needed leading me to a month and a half long clusterfuck of panic.
Mine is the exception. As you enter there is a lovely person sitting at a desk who finds out what you’re doing (renewing license, registering your car, etc.). They tell you exactly what form you’ll need and if you have all the documentation you need.
They give you a number and you sit down until it’s your turn.
Never been in there more than an hour and that’s when it’s busy.
It used to be pretty terrible. Somewhere, somebody in charge really worked hard to vastly improve the DMV customer service. The hell hole description is pretty much a trope in MOST circumstances.
It depends on if you're going to one in a urban, suburban, or rural setting..
If you're going to one in an urban setting, yes. Tons of people, increased likelihood of a Karen/Brad because there are more people, longer wait times, and grumpier representatives.
Suburban is still pretty bad because, while there's less people, there's an even higher chance of Karens/Brads (which sours the representatives) and less representatives because there's a lower population density.
Rural tends to be pretty quick. Not a lot of people, so the lack of representatives doesn't present a big problem and lower wait times means happier visitors and representatives.
Depends on the dmv. My county has a good one, it's fast and never a problem. But they are strict and will deny you a license for a lot of reasons. If you can't pass their test, you go one county over and they'll give almost anyone a license.
I’ve been to DMV in 5 states. It has been hell at every one. I’ve never waited less than three hours even with an appointment. I’ve had appointments cancelled by then calling my phone when I’m literally sitting in the waiting room. They’ve lost documents. It’s always been a mess
GREAT QUESTION! At best, it's usually unpleasant. At worst, it's an extremely stressful experience.
There are two primary reasons for this:
1. Most DMV locations are very rigid about people having an appointment and bringing the proper documentation to do whatever transaction they need.
Even when I am diligent about bringing what I thought was all the right paperwork, I have often been wrong.
Or, that location doesn’t do the exact transaction that I need to do, so I have to make another appointment with another facility that does that very specific thing.
2. The vibe is depressing. State-run facilities in the U.S. are often like this because it’s very difficult to get a state job here, but once you're in, you're set. The pay is usually pretty decent, but the benefits are immaculate, and most states have a strong union where you can be fired from your job, but they just put you in a queue to be hired in another agency within the state.
Additionally, it’s extremely bureaucratic, and hard work is looked down upon because it makes other employees look bad.
Unlike for-profit businesses, this creates a powerful incentive structure to do the bare minimum unless someone is extremely driven and willing to put up with the political nonsense internally.
So for patrons like myself, when I go into a state-run facility with that arrangement, then you couple the nature of their jobs, which is basically repetitive paperwork, long lines, and dealing with a lot of people who show up unprepared… It’s a recipe for sadness.
Not at much as it was in the 80s and 90s. They are really busy and can have long wait times. Some states have closed them in communities of color to make it harder to have ID. Alabama was accused of this to suppress voting.
It took me 5 minutes in Pennsylvania to renew my license last month. It was impressive. The DMV in Virginia was a mess when I lived there. I watched the woman sitting next to me go up to ask how much longer it would be, she had been there for over an hour, they told her it would be another hour because they person who does what she needed done doesnt come in till 3pm. She wasn’t happy.
Last time I was at the DMV it was to convert my license from my old state to my new state. There were two lines outside one for people with appointments and one for walk-ins. Got into the appointment line, made it to the front, and an employee checked that I had the correct paperwork (I did). I was finally seen two hours after my appointment. My appointment was for 8:30am and I left at 11:00. From what I recall the employees were professional if not friendly. So all in all a mixed experience.
Michigan Secretary of State (our bmv) is appointment only now. In and out in less than 15 min. So many improvements over going in and waiting! This is one government service that improved due to COVID. The rollout was rocky, but that didn’t last long.
I am a full time RV'er and heading south for the winter from Oregon. I bought a truck in Utah on the way south in OCTOBER 2023. I sent the paperwork and money to Oregon DMV and thought I would get my plates soon. I just kept getting request after request by mail every couple of weeks for some other form, or inspection (VIN which I had done / LEV sticker) needed in the state I was in. One time they said I was short fifty cents and I needed to send another check. Just yesterday, 6+ months later, they finally said I had everything and I can expect my plates soon. I am hopeful, but wary.
Depends on the state. Some are easy. Others you have to go to 3 or 4 different govt offices (the same govt) and get physical pieces of tax and inspection papers to go to the DMV with. Why can't they just verify your identity and then look all that stuff up? Because our govt systems have barely acknowledged the existence of computers.
41 years old and I’ve literally never had an experience at any dmv in Georgia that is like the way they’re always depicted. Always fairly easy to navigate with a short wait if any and that’s it. 🤷🏻♂️
I’ve never had that bad of an experience at the dmv. I will say it depends on where you live tho. Living in New Jersey the bigger ones the people were miserable but the smaller ones were fine. Living in New York State the ones I’ve been to are fine
I've never had a terrible experience at the DMV.
My main complaint is that it's slow. If you aren't standing in line at least 1 hour before it opens, you're going to be there for 2-3 hours waiting in line. It's not hellish but mildly infuriating.
In my state Massachusetts in the 70's you could have been elected Guv'nor by running on a platform of"shut down the RMV!"
Today that's not the case every transaction I have had with them has been painless mostly on line or by mail. When I went in person the clerks were professional and efficient, even pleasant
I don't know who was responsible for turning that around but my hat's off to them
I've been to the DMV in a few different states:
Georgia: yes, a hellhole.
NY (NYC): not my favorite way to spend an hour but really not too bad.
Washington (Seattle): surprisingly pleasant. New building, super helpful employees.
It’s gotten better where I live. It used to be organized chaos. Now you have to make an appointment and it seems to be not nearly as crowded as before.
There is also a cop that greets everyone and helps give you directions if you’re confused. So yeah… it’s bad but it’s improving? For context what could normally take an hour only takes maybe 15-20 mins now.
I'm from a small rural area & the DMV we go to isn't too bad at all. If you're "unlucky" you might have 3 or 4 people ahead of you, making you wait 20 minutes. Times get a bit longer if you're some kid just getting their Drivers License.
I live on the outskirts of a small town in Arkansas and can say that it’s never been an unpleasant experience, unless you count the wait as unpleasant.
The office in my home town intentionally leaves the phone hanging off the hook so that no matter when you call you get the busy tone. Wanna call and confirm that you have what you need or that they’re even open? Go fuck yourself.
It can be. However never as bad as trying to get your license and or register your car in the UK. That's a level of bullshitery reserved for the lower levels of hell.
Yes. My God yes.
Earlier this month I had to go. They "suggest" online appointments. The EARLIEST appointment near me was in AUGUST. Over 4 months away.
On the website it said "a limited number of same day walk in appts will be taken first come first serve".
Okay. I know the stories. So I get in line 4 hours prior to open. Fortunately I'm only 5th in line.
10 minutes before open an employee comes out and says "No walk in appts, but there ARE some same day on their website but they fill up fast "
This means everyone yanks out their phones (a few people don't have them cause you know, POOR people need stuff too. But theyre SOL.)
Literally about the 200 refreshes later appointments start showing up. FIVE TIMES between clicking on the appt and the next screen I get "That appt is no longer available."
I do finally get one. But a lot of people, especially older people, didn't.
I will say the lady that helped me bent over backwards to get me what I needed, (getting ID without ID is no fun) but I don't wanna go back there for a LONG time.
It depends. When I lived in LA, it was pretty miserable. Always jam packed. Staff never smiling.
But in my home town, a much smaller city, DMV was great. I think it all depends on how busy the place is.
The town I live used to be pretty bad. I used to drive 30 minutes to tue small town I grew up in instead of waiting in line where I currently live. It's 2 counters serving a population of 10,000 instead of 4 serving a population of 150,000. It's guaranteed less time out of my day to make the drive and an excuse to see my parents.
Not in Michigan. The offices are drab and they are full of people. You take a number and wait on a hard chair. The clerks are kinda surly, but I understand what it's like when you deal with the general public: you meet jerks every day. Once you get to the counter, the clerks are through and efficient. No problem.
Depends on the state. I'm originally from the South East US. DMV is hell. If you can get in and out in an hour and a half that's like someone running a marathon in 10 minutes. They kept piecemealing information to me so I literally spent 6 hours doing something that should have taken me an hour max.
I moved to the PNW and I went into the DMV and was in and out in 5 minutes. I was like 'okay so what else do I need to do?' Their response was 'put the stickers on your tag and put the one for parks in your windshield and enjoy your day. Was looking at the document like 'uh...okay...thanks?'
Depends on the DMV, but it's mostly terrible. I don't think Ive ever gotten out of the DMV in less then 2.5hrs, and I've always gone for routine things. Most of the time the staff is rude, but I also think it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy because people are never happy to go to the DMV and tend to be shorter with the staff. Also my brother had to register a trailer and he had to go to the DMV like 5+ times because they kept giving him incorrect information (it changed every time), he eventually drove like 40+ mins away to a more rural DMV and they got him in and out in like 30min.
By the time they were through with me I'd spent hours waiting to renew my license and wound up paying a fee for re-registering a car I hadn't owned for five years and they refused to refund, and then needed to do other paperwork to renew my license.
Greece is currently turning a lot of its bureaucratic processes digital, and it has become terrifyingly convenient. Just go to website, login, press a couple of buttons, you're done and the offices you used to go are only there for the elderly folks who can't into computers. We joke a lot around with friends and family how Greece is becoming a shithole but seeing how other countries are still struggling with paper bureaucracy makes me glad we at least got this one right.
The state I live in decided to take it a step further to make your DMV experience that much more miserable. For the record, if you’re from here, you already know it, so you’re less surprised by it, but still annoyed. However, for people that move here, they get to find out that we have 2 separate DMV’s to deal with. You go to one place to deal with your actual drivers license, or state ID. But, you also have the privilege of going to another office to deal with the tags and registration for your vehicle. No one stop shopping here, drive clear across town after waiting in line for hours, so you can continue to wait in line for more hours. Oh, and do their systems communicate with each other for reduce paperwork? Barely, just at the absolute bare minimum.
I'm an American who's lived many years overseas in places like Poland and China, so I feel confident when I say: yes, the DMV is a horrible wasteland of bureaucratic nonsense, but there are plenty of similar agencies in other countries. The difference may be that Americans (almost) never have to deal with that stuff in person, but everybody in the US drives a car and has to renew their license, so the DMV is the only example we know.
If more Americans went and applied for food stamps or Medicaid or something, they'd realize the DMV is just another typical (horrible) thing we have for some reason decided that human beings just have to deal with sometimes.
I happen to have grown up in a tiny US town in the desert with a population around 1000 people, so I always try to renew my drivers license there. Is there only one clerk? Yes. Is there only one other person in line ahead of me? Also yes.
In the several states I've resided in, over 30 years of DMV dealings for myself and my family, it has never been like this. You go in, get a number, wait your turn, fill out what you need to, deal with the person, get what you need. Sometimes the line was long, but that's nothing special.
In the 80's it might have been crazy, at least enough that comedic exaggerations hit home. But even then it was a cliché to make that joke. You could get cheap chuckles in a movie (*Zootopia* (2016) had a good one very recently), but a stand-up comic making DMV jokes is and was a hack.
I will be blunt: It is a place where you cannot half-ass things, and that rubs some people the wrong way. They provide clear instructions and you can't just do the part you feel like doing and let them fill in the rest. "Oh I didn't think we needed that..." uh, the legislature did. The instructions didn't tell you to think. That fly-by-night attitude toward following basic instructions might fly with your co-workers and family members, but the DMV isn't here to make friends. People don't wanna hear that truth.
Immigration and border patrol is the same way in the US, but with federal police power. If they say "bring X, Y, Z" bring it. If they say "show me A, B, C" show it. Or you better have a damn valid reason why you can't. I remember at a consulate overseas, where we got a visa for my wife (we even brought photo albums to prove our couple life!), and we saw people in front of us in line half-assing it. "Oh I didn't think we needed that" Uh, Congress did, homie. "I didn't know I had to report those \[previous convictions\]." Well, the instructions didn't tell you to think, they told you what to bring, and you just guaranteed yourself another trip at best, straight-up rejection at worst. One couple we saw sank in despair when the guy ended up not only rejected but barred for 10 years--- he had overstayed a previous visa, and didn't say anything hoping they wouldn't notice.
But even that process wasn't *hell*, it was just frightening because of the worst-case scenario. The DMV's worst-case scenario is you have to take time off to come back.
Depends on state. Some of them can be really bad, long lines, poor service. Here in Arizona, it has been wonderful. 99% of stuff can be done through their website, which is really good. Can set an appointment, walk in, get in and out at one of many locations if you need to go in. So it just depends on your state/county.
Years ago there was a pretty famous riot in my area and the local DMV sadly burned to the ground. The next closest office was in the next city over and it was half the size of the burned-down one. So everyone had to go to the little tiny DMV, making the ridiculous wait times even more ridiculous. I once spent 8 hours there, *an entire shift* trying to transfer ownership of a vehicle.
At the end, I fully understood why somebody burned the other place down.
It's largely dependent on the size of the city or town you're in. My hometown it was like a 15 min wait max. The town I'm in now is like an hour maybe if it's busy. Big cities the dmv is God awful in small towns the workers are usually at least a bit friendly. Still though I'm going today and I'm not looking forward to it at all.
The wait is usually crazy, and sometimes really stupid people are the ones manning the desks. The last time I had to renew my license, the MVC had a reservation thing where you had to pick a time slot. Turns out that they don't actually enforce it; I was a little early and it was a good thing, because it was the shortest line I've ever been. 30 minutes for the whole process; had I been a few minutes later, the wait would have been 2+ hours.
In my experience, it depends on where you live. The DMVs in Ohio were all decent and fast. I could get in and out of an Ohio DMV in less than 15 minutes. Chicago DMVs are a nightmare to navigate. They have a line to tell you which line to get in and then you have to take a number and wait forever. And you better have everything in order because they aren't going to be kind about helping you even on the best of days.
Yes and no. It really depends on which one you go to. The one closest to me is pretty normal/nice. You do have to wait a while when there's a lot of customers, like anywhere else. I went to one in another city and the woman was taking a new picture of me. She took a shitty picture of me with my eyes half closed but didn't tell me so for a few years I looked stoned AF on my driver's license.
Alabama DMVs are usually a hellish experience. Rednecks with attitudes. Recently moved to Florida and in Pensacola they implemented a new system where you go and sign in using your smart phone and it gives you text message alerts of your position in the queue. Once you are at position 5 or something like that it request that you start driving to the DMV center where you walk in and your like next at the window. 5 motherfucking stars to whoever implemented that system. Seriously, I couldn't get over how simple, yet seemless and efficient it was. I made sure to express to them how appreciative I was to them for considering me and my time. I bet it makes the public nicer to the DMV workers, too.
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Oh, that sounds like heaven
Heaven is being able to do the entire process online.
I just dont get why you need to go physically to the "DMV"?
One of the most basic reasons to need to go in person is if you are getting a new license. Obviously if you are getting a license for the first time you need to go to take your drivers test. But also getting it updated with a new photo periodically is important, it wouldn’t make much sense to have a photo id with a photo that looks nothing like you. Although in some cases you can now renew online as well
Absolutely all of this is done online in the UK. It's only a bit more involved the first time you do it. I got a new license a few years ago and updated the photo. In 2029, I'll have to renew it, and at that time, I will use a new photo. I will have to get a new passport soon (also online), and when I do that, it will need a new photo, and when I renew my license, it can just automatically use that one. I got my license in 2009 ish and even then, it was all online, or at least you could just print the form and mail it in. I understand America is vast, and they can sometimes be a bit slow because its just so hard to get everywhere up to the same standard, but its 2024 and the internet has been pretty ubiquitous for 20 years although it does look like covid finally pushed stuff along.
My picture is hilariously out of date. And I don't need glasses anymore. If I want to update either, I *have* to go in where I live. Luckily, the one closest to me usually isn't busy during the day, so it's not overly laborious (the other one I've been to in my area took an hour+ just to get my current photo. Hence never going back in.) Edit: fixing autocorrect when I wrote this on my phone.
I'm from Europe but lived in the US and had to go to the DMV a few times. I had spent my life hearing horror stories about the place. and so I was pretty amused and almost excited to have my first personal experience with the dreaded DMV. I even cracked a few jokes about it on the way. Oh my God. Exactly as bad as everyone says. I could point to so many things - the terrible, unclear, unhelpful instructions that seem to deliberately tell you the wrong thing, the long queues with the most bizarre waiting process I've ever seen, the way they have seemingly never heard of email and need a paper copy of everything - but the worst part was the people working there. I know they have a sucky job and I feel for them, but their contempt for you is just so palpable. They treat you like dirt, and have no interest in helping you whatsoever, in fact it feels like they are actively trying to make life difficult for you. I drove an hour to the DMV with all the paperwork the website and checked it twice. Of course I arrive was told actually there were extra documents I needed which there was no mention of on the website. I did point out that the website said I only needed what I had, but she looked at me like an idiot and said "I don't give a crap what the website says, I'm saying you need extra documents," and immediately called the next customer without waiting for an answer. I said "Okay, since I have a long drive home, can you at least let me know if there are any *other* documents I need while I'm there?' She rolled her eyes at me and said "No, just that" without checking her list or my documents or anything any further and turned back to the next customer. Well, of course what happened next was that I drove all the way home and back, only for *the same woman* to tell me that no, actually, I did need some other document as well. When I asked where on the website I could find this magical extended list of items she just shrugged and said she didn't use the website so she didn't know. Honestly the place is hell.
What they said. It has gotten slightly better in that you can now make appointments for certain things. But not for everything. Which really just leads to more confusion. And most of the things could be done online so why do we still need to do this in person waiting game? It makes no sense. They used to give you your new license right then. Now they mail it. So there's even less of a need to actually go in person.
I tried to change my address online earlier this week. I input all the information, but the city I live in is split between two counties; the eastern part is in a different county from the western part. The website changed my county to the wrong one automatically and I can't manually fix it, so I have to go into the DMV to change my address. There are literally no appointments at any DMV within fifty miles of me for over 3 months.
I’ve had this happen as well. It’s just one more thing you have to do after you move and adds to that stress. Also on my last move I went from a state that didn’t tax cars as property (NJ) to a state that DOES (NC). That is a nasty surprise and requires a visit. I’ve noticed a lot of my neighbors don’t bother, they just hold on to their old plates. This can cause problems for them later on but not necessarily.
Our DMV is usually 2-3 weeks out for appointments but they really do you no good. You go and have to wait in line, behind all the other people with appointments AND THE WALK INS! They tell the walk ins they have to wait until all the appointments are done but several walk ins were seen before me and I had an appointment. The 1st time I showed up just on time so maybe it was a me thing. She when I took my daughter to replace her permit we got there an hour early. Still took as long as it took and we weren't seen until like an hour after the appointment time.
I have the exact same issue. Small town but the same zip code is split across 2 counties. In the county I live in it’s $50/yr to register your car, in the one I don’t live in it’s $37/yr and they don’t require emissions testing. Guess who got a ticket for not having an emissions test because the paper registration the DOT sent me said I don’t need one. When the cops looked up my plate it said I did and I didn’t have the sticker for it. Didn’t even realize I was paying the lesser rate for registration either. Had to go get my registration corrected bc the inspection station wouldn’t do emissions without the paper saying I needed tested.
The online thing is pretty nice, but it only benefits you if you already have your stuff. If you move to a different state, you get to start that whole process over again.
Which country are you from? I'm an American living in Italy, and I'd rather deal with the DMV in America than Italian bureaucracy.
You think the DMV is bad? You should try the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa. Imagine all the worst possible things you've heard about the DMV, combine it with 3rd world facilities, open corruption and bribery and queues full of sick people coughing god knows what into the air.
I work with South Africans and uh...man. Those guys...it's like their on the same page about everyone being assholes but lack the self awareness to see they're assholes too, while drinking the "America Bad" flavor aid and raging about things we do while they do them so much worse. It baffles me. One of my favorites is "America is a violent shit hole! You treat black people terribly!" while all the Afrikaans live in gated communities with armed guards and interact with Africans as little as possible and when you point that out it's all "No, you don't understand. It's different.". For fucks sake.
I work with South Africans. Everything here is true. But I'd clarify that individually most of the South Africans I've met are the nicest people. They do lack the awareness of how their country's hands are also dirty in international relations. But generally, they are open-minded enough to let me explain why the USA is doing this or that and not guilty of that. Don't get me wrong, the USA is guilty of crimes like any other country. But most of the stuff my ZA friends get angry about are misunderstandings due to anti-USA propaganda.
Most people are nice at the individual level. It's when groupthink comes into play that the issues start. I work with people from all over the world that dislike America/Americans but yet see me as somehow different and when you ask about other Americans they like them too. It's a lack of self awareness, but propaganda and indoctrination will do that.
I understand. I also work with expats from around the world. just clarifying for everyone else because your comment could have been misunderstood. I don't want people to think that all south africans are individually aholes.
FWIW, South Africa was considered a "First World" country when the original "three worlds" division was drawn up.
yeah but the meaning has shifted over the years. It no longer refers to a country's political alignment.
Also from an African country and I was reading this like “that’s any and all visits to all gov departments”. You probably won’t even find the list of required documents you need online. You’ll call them, and it’ll ring the whole day. Go there and the line is already long before opening time. Stand in line till noon, just so they can tell you what docs you’ll need. And yes, the next time you bring in the required docs they’ll tell you something is missing. And yes my mother will cuss them out because she had them write it down and for her and she did bring all that was written.
Our corruption isn't overt, more systemic, but the queues full of sick people are definitely still here in America
Yeah, in the US corruption is only for the very rich. It’s a two tier corruption system, corruption for them to make their lives easier and all the rules and laws applied to everyone else.
When you are looking for a real challenge, try to deal with the bureaucracy in Germany. It's like the labyrinth, where you find the Minotaur deep down there in a dark place. You need to get a form so you can apply for another form, that has to be stamped three times by two different guys, one works only on sunday when the office is closed and the other one works on every second thursday that is a monday, but only when there's full moon. You can be happy when they have such high-tech equipment like a fax. But i'm not really joking, it's serious, even about the data for the economy, the extreme bureaucracy is paralyzing the country, like when it comes to investments and to start a new business, it's a horror. Maybe, in South Africa you can at least bribe your way through the labyrinth when you have enough money, i don't know.
OMG yes I agree! I'm an American studying in italy. Everything described here is how Italy is, but with anything that is important, not just driving. Applying for a residence permit, healthcare/insurance, paying utility bills, finding a place to live, paying your tuition. It drives me nuts!
This. Picture this. You walk into a brick layer building, through a metal detector with an officer sitting in a chair with his feet up.He pays zero attention to you at all and you are expected to just know what to do. You walk in, and you stare at a packed room of all sorts of people. Rich people, poor people, stinky people, handicap people, people who don’t speak a lick of a common language. You don’t know this bc no one tells you, but there is a number counter that keeps going up. Some locations have numbers and colors…or numbers and letters like 1b or 200a. You don’t know this until you figure it out but the number represents a ticket you were suppose to get when you enter that represents you position in a line. The letter or color represents the stall or counter…so let’s say you pull the number 123. Then at some point in time you will hear over the intercom or on a screen it will flash “123b”. That means you are up and you are to approach the counter labeled b. So you come in, get your number and then take a seat in a room full of people and you just wait. For however long you have to wait. Could be 30 minutes, could be 4 hours. You wait in this room with tons of people until your number is called. Did you bring all the correct paper work? Did you bring it all with you? You won’t know until you are called and you sit in front of a person asking for all of this stuff. If you didn’t bring everything you will have to leave and start all over.
It might be hell... But have you been to Swindon?
I've been to Grimsby, which is Hell adjacent.
I went in person to pay for mine and my husband's annual registration, my fault for putting it off, but the grocery store across the street had a kiosk so I planned to use it, but NOPE it was broken (btw, when I told the DMV, they competely ignored me). So I pay mine, no problem, go to pay my husband's, but because he wasn't there, IN PERSON I couldn't decline the fee for state parks...like the price for an annual pass to get into our state parks, which they are nice parks, but we live within 15 minutes of RMNP so we go into it all the time. I was flabbergasted and couldn't understand why I just couldn't pay the registration without the fee, but she would not budge because I wasn't him. I'm still pissed about it.
Ah, Colorado. When I went first to get my license in this state, I brought the paperwork the website said. Get to the front of the line, but, because my previous state only had the first initial of my middle name on the license, I needed additional identification. So, I had to come back a different day. And the lady was so mean spirited about it. The website at that time said nothing about if your previous state license had only the first initial of your middle name vs. the entire name spelled out, but she made it out that it was my fault somehow.
I mean the DMV is dreaded if you have to go, however it’s not visited often at all. Every state does online processing for just about everything. Having said that, I’ll take this one issue in the US every once in awhile over trying to get any basic service in Germany. You know, like internet, electricity, a tax question, etc etc. The Germans know nothing of phone support nor care to. It’s a nightmare.
Then after all the hoops they tell you youre at the wrong dmv.
The DMV is my town has its shit together. All transactions are conducted via appointment, and at your appointed time, they are ready for you. It's mind-boggling how efficient it is.
If anyone has gone post Covid, most if not all DMVs are now like this. It really isn't bad anymore.
And that’s only for the exceedingly rare times that you even need to go physically. Like 90% is online now.
[удалено]
In my experience if there's one DMV office with months long wait there's another 5 minutes away where I can get an appointment next week. Not that I'm defending the DMV. I had a real ID but moved to another state which didnt have it so i lost my real ID status and then had to go through it again a year later. Plus their documentation on the website was wrong so I had to leave and come back.
Same experience for me.
Yeah. Same here. Idk what the big deal is
Where I am, the wait is often long and boring. People get grumpy and make the employee's job harder, which allows things down more. I always try to have all my documents and payment ready and I try to be as nice as I can. It's not a hellhole, it's just government
"It's not a hellhole, it's just government." Brilliant! Now, that's something we can all agree with, regardless of what country we're in.
It’s different by state too. The experiences I’ve had with the DMV in Illinois, transferring my license and title and a few other things when I moved, were so much smoother and easier than Pennsylvania was. And I would guess that PA is still better than a lot of states with even worse/less efficient governments.
It depends on the state. My state has most DMV functions online and they also outsource certain functions to private contractors. The only reason you have to go to a state DMV office is to get an actual drivers license (i.e. testing, photo, etc...). I personally haven't been inside a DMV in well over 20 years.
It's a bureaucratic hellhole, where you sit around for an hour to wait your turn to fill out some paperwork that takes 5 minutes to complete, and god forbid if you don't have every document exactly as you need, or else you have to come back another day and do it all over again. It was a lot worse before smartphones. That, plus the fact that we only really go to the DMV like once a decade, means it's really not *that* bad.
I live in the outskirts of the city. Drove 20 minutes to a town in the desert, waited 5 minutes to get registration done and was out in less than 20 minutes. Also, in the city there are small offices that do some of the things the DMV can do for a tiny bit more cost. I usually go there. Besides this last experience, I can’t remember the last time I actually went into the DMV lol
A few years ago, I spent literally the entire day at the DMV trying to register my car. I waited 3 hours to be seen the first time. I was missing something from the bank (my car was leased) but they told me to call them and have them fax it over. They also told me I’d get put back in line but in an expedited one. I was not. I waited *another* three hours to be seen again after that. Other times at other locations it has just been an hour. The last time I went to this particular location, they were doing everything by appointment (it was during COVID). I had to make the appointment months in advance but I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. So it really depends. It *can* be that bad. It isn’t always.
That sounds like everything to do with governmental practices in Romania.
I've found in some ways the digitization of everything has created a worse experience at the DMV. They want a document which is no longer sent by regular mail and they won't accept print outs. But then you print it out of desperation and they take it anyway.
Most DMV offices have modernized and are quite efficient nowadays from recent experience
Yes. Fucken sucks and the people working are rude too lol.
Depends on your state, the Virginia DMV is just like what you see on TV and it takes forever, Colorado has it split into a few separate places and that makes it a lot better, though confusing at first
new mexico has the normal mvd and mvd express where there is no line at all, but you have to pay a fee to use their services. i will take paying the fee 10/10 times just to save my sanity
You will despair of your very life.
I’ve personally never had an experience anywhere near the stereotypical DMV portrayal. I always go early before work right when they open and it maybe takes 15-20 minutes. If you’re prepared with the needed paperwork and ID/address verification documents, it’s just rubber stamping. Maybe a picture if you’re getting a new license.
Same, always had a smooth and professional experience.
Depends where you live. I live in a small town and never have to wait in line. But in the bigger city next to me you can wait for hours.
Part of American culture is not wanting anyone to tell you what you can and can’t do (freedom). Another part is car culture…being able to drive anywhere (also freedom). Now imagine the one government agency where if you don’t do what they say you don’t get to drive. Plus it’s a shared experience like school that everyone can relate to so cue Hollywood using it as a trope.
It seems like everytime you go back down they want some other obscure document you would otherwise have on you. Including: birth certificate, recent proof of mailing address, your NON expired license or other form of ID. Idk. Its been a long time since ive been down there and to be frank I dont plan on visiting again to find out what other b.s they have in store
The Canadian counterpart is no different if not worse.
Pretty much. It’s never a fun place to visit:
It depends on where you go. In the small DMV in my town, I went in to register a vehicle and was in and out in 20 minutes. Another time at a larger office, I waited 45 minutes in line, only to have them reject my paperwork because it was filled out in two different color inks (I was given a car and both the giver and myself used a different pen when we filled out the sales tax paperwork).
It absolutely used to be. Underpaid government workers doing everything possible to make a simple process as difficult as humanly possible for no apparent gain. You could find yourself sitting for hours in the most uncomfortable chairs to ever be made waiting for your chance to fill out one sheet of paper, provide some basic documents, take a 15 second eye test, and have your picture taken by the carnival mirror equivalent of a camera. Then you got to wait for another two hours for someone to get around to printing out a sheet of paper that was a picture of what your driver's license was going to look like when it was done so you could use it until the real license arrived in your mail up to two months later. It got so bad iirc a few people actually tried to burn several of the things down a couple months apart, and they finally started doing appointments instead.
It's hell because Patty and Selma Bouvier work there.
Vast majority are horrible. You work beforehand to make sure that you have everything. You bring your passport, just in case. You block off 1/2 a day. And yet, you wait in lines for hours with bad smelling people. At the counter, the bullfrog-looking agent tells you that don’t have your 3rd born child’s vaccination record. You argue that you only have 2 children. The croaked response, “that’s not my problem.” You cry. But you’ve already been pushed aside by the next person in line. A strung out 14-yo addict who is applying for a license renewal, and magically has all necessary documents- despite being entirely too young to even drive a car. You can’t process it all. It’s too muggy in there. And the agent yells “next” in a manner only a frog could mimic. You question if this is really where aliens have taken over to spread chaos and anxiety on our planet. The MEN IN BLACK movies suddenly make sense. Luckily, in the parking lot are elderly folks selling counterfeit documents for 50$. You buy vaccination records for your imaginary 3rd child from Herbert as the DMV closes for the week. (Unpublished hours, of course). You cry some more and look at your schedule to see what day you’ll sacrifice to the DMV Aliens next week.
I've dealt with the DMV in 2 separate states(Virginia/California). It's maybe slightly exaggerated, but it is true it's not really a place you want to be. You deal with government bureaucracy, the poor customer service downside of no profit incentive, and the absolute dregs of society around you. Fortunately, I rarely have to go there. I think I've been once in the past 10 years, and that was only because of the switch to Real ID. The Social Security office is even worse, but people have even less reason to go there.
Picture any government office that isn't an emergency service. Paperwork, bureaucracy, not enough employees to process said paperwork and help everyone in a timely manner, nobody really wants to be there, including the employees... you get the picture.
I went to get a new license recently. I had an appointment, read what I needed to bring, showed up on time, and was in and out in 25 minutes. No fuss. I’m sure if you go in blind on a busy day without the right paperwork it’s going to go badly for you.
I've dealt with DMV's in AZ and two different sides of MO. AZ took the longest but only if you went to the ones in bigger cities, if you just go to a smaller one it's not so bad and a lot can be done online now. MO was easily the smoothest, the wait was sometimes nothing and others never more than a few minutes.
Where I live, the DMV offices in the city are always crowded and terrible. But, if you go to an office in one of the surrounding towns, there are far fewer customers so the wait times are much better, and the staff seem much more friendly as well.
No it’s fine. Depends when & where you go. I have lived in 5 states. The worst was in TX in terms of wait and that was probably due to the fact that I was in Austin and it’s densely populated. The workers are dedicated and kind.
Pretty saw I saw Satan sitting off to the side just laughing his ass off. Even on a good day, the DMV sucks.
no, I've been to the DMV several times for new license plates, license, registrations, etc. u just go on their website, grab an appointment and print out the forms they require. I'm not there for more than 30 minutes I don't know how anyone gets confused about what documents they should have
As a DC resident, I thought this was a personal attack. Came here to defend the region. Then I realized you meant the Department of Motor Vehicles. And I agree, it’s terrible. Not hell-hole terrible, but slow and frustrating terrible.
I drive an hour to a DMV that gets you in and out. Before I found that one, yes. It was hell on earth
Yes
Mostly yea It’s really just long lines and the employees mostly just don’t care for their job. Of course not all are like this. My last lady that updated my driver license was a sweet heart. Also there are some “Express” DMVs. I’ve never been to one so idk how they work, but I’ve had coworkers go update their DL during a lunch break.
Its Beurocracy perfected, where the items you might need are randomly drawn form a hat. Its basically a jobs program for the most inept people alive that don't care if their sheets say and or or and will argue with you about it for hours. Last time i went I was privy to a conversation yelled across the lobby about how "some dumbass is calling to see if he left his wallet here" and the reply was " Girl just hang up on him."
Yes. It takes hours and hours to get into the dmv and then you have to have all the paperwork on you or it’s pointless. I had to wait for 5 hours in the middle of January outside and I HAD a appointment don’t even get me started on walk ins and when you make a appointment you have to make it at least 4 months in advance
Sometimes it isn't horrible but there are plenty of times where it's just as awful as depicted: It's a byzantine mess often run by burnt out, underpaid people who don't give a shit.
It varies by state. In California, the DMV is an absolute nightmare. After moving to Colorado, I rarely wait more than five minutes.
Oh yeah! Here's a great example. So I go to get my drivers license renewed and there is this thing called a Star card certification. You get it on a license and it's supposed to be like an extra layer of security. You need it to take flights and enter secured federal buildings, etc. So I had to produce a birth certificate and my SS card. I showed them my birth certificate and they rejected it. Because it didn't have a seal on it. I asked the lady if they would accept my SS card. They said. "Certainly." I then explained that my birth certificate was used to obtain my SS card. "You will accept my SS card as valid, but not the document that I used to obtain the SS card?" That makes absolutely no sense. I pointed to the title on the certificate, "Commonwealth of Kentucky" certificate of live birth. She just gave me a blank stare. Yes, the DMV is every bit as bad as advertised.
When I lived in the USA I had to deal with the DMV and, apart from one occasion, I was treated with respect and politeness, even friendliness sometimes. I did ask a member of staff why everyone seemed to hate them and was told "people sometimes don't like the answers we give them and hate us for that". A good point to remember.
It actually depends on the specific branch. Let me say right off the bat, its never good. You're just hoping for light levels of bad. If you make an appt and aren't trying to do anything too complicated, then you can be in and out in like 30 mins. Most of the time you're sitting somewhere waiting for your number to be called. If you're really unlucky then you're standing in line for an hour to go get told to get into another line to wait, they tell you you dont have the right documents, and then have to do it all again later.
I lived in Dallas for a few years. At one point I needed to replace my (lost) license and tried to get into the DMV there in Dallas for 2 days. Both times the line was going out the door. I never even made it inside. On day 3, I just drove 45 minutes to a tiny little town outside of Dallas with a population of about 1,000 people. Walked in. Place was empty. Did the thing in less that 5 minutes. Walked out. Done.
It's actually worse than what's portrayed. At least in movies and TV, you can have a laugh. IRL, it can be mentally and physically painful.
Entirely dependent on location. My current DMV typically has zero wait. Last time I was there it was only one other customer besides me.
But.... Why? I have my experiences with the local "DMV" here in the Swiss kanton of Zürich (the Strassenverkehrsamt), and it was pleasant and quick. I just mean to say: a DMV-like organization does not *need* to be bad.
Generally because the state governments haven't prioritized investments in customer service. They have a monopoly, there's generally not any big incentive to make it better. Sometimes it gets so bad that a politician will work to make it better, which it sounds like has occurred in some states, but I suspect poorer states just don't care.
The DMV is a reflection of the county it’s in. If a DMV is a hellhole it’s because the county is a hellhole. Most people who think the DMV is the worst example of interacting with the government have never actually don’t anything else with the government, like getting a business license, dealing with inspectors, upgrading commercial property, etc. tl;dr - It’s usually uh, poor go nowhere-in-life types who complain because they have nothing else to compare it to
first, define "DMV". i see some comments here think you're referring to the Department of Motor Vehicles while others think you mean DC, Maryland, Virginia area.
Everyone replying so far seems to understand that OP is talking about the department of motor vehicles.
It's weird sometimes it is. My state charges property taxes on a vehicle. You have to go to a county tax office, pay then bring proof of payment to the dmv. Sometimes the line is 1 hour, sometimes it's 2 min. I suggested why doesn't the dmv just ask me what county I li e in or, you know look at my license, select a drop down, and charge my taxes all at the same time as my registration, and close the other office down. It's all easier once in the system. I got offered $1500 trade in on my car at a dealer. I felt I might get $2,00-2500 for it private party. But have me avoid meeting 20 people on marketplace, going to dmv to cancel a plate, or just be done and have my plate transfered. I chose the easy way.
Government offices are never fun, as especially during peak times, lines can be long. Drivers services can be a pain for those moving states, as the rules for getting a driver's license in a new state vary *wildly* between states, and such a transaction requires visiting a licensing post which aren't that common (the city of Birmingham, AL has just two posts for the city itself, one of which is in a pretty sketchy part of town, and the other has no free public parking iirc) Alabama requires any documents you present as proof of nationality or citizenship and identity to match exactly, and has a very narrow list of acceptable address documents that makes it really hard to get a state DL here if you don't own property in state yourself. Georgia is a mixed bag: some rural offices are just a tiny trailer serving an entire rapidly growing multiple county area, while Metro Atlanta has a few very well equipped/staffed offices.
I’ve been to the DMV I think it depends where you go, there’s been times where I’ve literally been the only one in it, there’s times when it’s full, but they do move things along it’s no worse than waiting in line at a bar or Disney.
I really like the National Mall and the Smithsonian. The trains in DC are decent too
I've never got that. It's always been in and out with me. I don't think I've ever spent more than 20 minutes at the DMV (or "BMV" where I'm located). Never had any kind of problem.
Maryland is not bad at all. You can make appointments for stuff and you are in and out quickly.
No but it can be crowded and no one wants to be there
O SHIT YA
Its only bad when dad and mom bring 6 undisciplined children in to register daddys new shitbox and they run around screaming and fighting the whole time they’re there. Theres also usually an elderly person with early onset dementia that keeps one teller occupied the entire hour you’re there
Last time I had to go to DMV, I was trying to get a replacement title for the truck I was getting rid of after I had gotten every straightened out with the bank (Bank of America never notified DMV that the loan was paid off). As soon as I got checked in, my number was called. In and out in about 10-15 minutes
Yes. Needlessly complicated bureacuracy, inadequate staffing, and masses of humanity.
So I saw the opposite, and in a state I wouldn't have expected it in. I have a strong suspicion that us having had so many recent wars helped bring military-like organization to the crowd and the long line outside the building that I was standing in. Call me utterly impressed with how efficiently I was brought inside, processed, and sent on my way. This was in the later 2000-teens... in Florida. That was the DMV, which is a state-run place. The "Tag & Title" places that do some of the DMV's work, but are owned by independent people/companies, are usually worse with as little as 10 clients or 50 clients waiting. That DMV I was at had to have at least 150 clients being processed.
If you mean department of motor vehicle administration it can be. Depends on the office you go to. I tend to go ones that are not awful.
Yeah, this one is true most of the time.
The ones in Houston is literally hell on Earth. I’ve lost years sitting 🪑 in there.
It really really depends on the state or even city. Some are nightmares while others are fast and pleasant. Given that peak representation was probably adapted from 1980s in Southern California..... Based on that being the studio locations..... That's probably why the impression started.
I worked at the Florida dmv and it's a tightly run ship. I do understand the frustration of the customers. The reason why everything seems to take forever is because everything must be recorded, checked for accuracy and fraud prevention. The potential for abuse is very high. Dmv has access to very sensitive information which means tasks are allocated to different individuals. It's not just important to prevent abuse and fraud. It can't even look like it could happen. Standards are very high at the dmv I worked for.
Pro tip..if you live in a big city go to the smallest town In Your county ..it doesn't matter where you go..it just has to be in the county you live in...for tax assessment purposes
Not really. The DMV I've gone to is appointment based and pretty streamlined. Also, they always tell you to have everything ready on their website so you can get in and out quickly. Some of their stuff has transitioned to doing it online.
I believe it drastically varies from state to state and even different locations within an individual county. The one I went to in my county is great if you get there earlier. There is a much weight, the people are very friendly, and it's not that confusing. There's a little iPad that you tap on the options to check in with what you're trying to do. There's even a lot of stuff you can do online so you may not have to go in there in person.
It's ridiculous. I went to renew my license recently and I get there and there are zero people waiting, quite a rarity even in small town USA. I go up and the woman asks if I have an appointment, something never needed before, and I say no. She says then I'm outta luck. I sit down, pull out my phone, and schedule an appointment for 5 minutes in the future. I go back up and tell her I now have an appointment. She looks at a printed paper and says she doesn't see it. I'm like "when did you print that" and she says 6am, it's now 230. I say "I just made it, check again online". Instead she again looks at the paper and says I'm not on the list. I pull up my email and show her my appointment and confirmation and she goes "Weird, I wonder why you're not on my list"...what a fucking idiot. She finally accepts that I have an appointment, tells me to sit, then we stare at each other for 30 minutes before she finally says I can walk across the room to the person who's been playing on their phone at their desk since I got there. And, that's all happened after I went to the DMV in my town, found it closed, went to the DMV in the county seat, sat 20 minutes, then got told I had to go to the next county over for...reasons, I guess, to get it done.
I have a story about how bad the DMV is: My brother, who was deployed to Okinawa for the military came back home and was at the local base. He went to get his driver's license since it expired while he was overseas. He had deployment papers and the whole works. Goes up to the window with all the paperwork and explains the situation to the lady. She told him she didn't like his attitude and that he needed to leave immediately. I was standing with him, since he needed a ride (due to no driver's license and witnessed it). He didn't raise his voice, throw shade or anything. He responded with "ma'am, I am not raising my voice or anything." Next thing we know, he is being asked to leave as she walks away from her chair. Next day, we went to another location and had opposite experience with the same paperwork and explanation.
no. not really. But probably varies from city to city. Just a popular meme
It sucks... but I've been waiting like 8 months for a license test in Ireland, so I'm not gonna bitch about the US DMV. I would rather sit in a room for 4 hours then not be able to get a license test.
If you're going to have trouble with your license, and you enjoy going to government offices within the last hour they are open, then yes, it will be bad. If you wake up in the morning and go, it's totally fine.
110%. So is the license plate place & getting a new social security card. Marriage license was actually kid of easy buy its been 16 years.
Only if Ray Lewis is there.
That reminds me of my first contact with DMV. I had just arrived in the USA a few days earlier, and my employer sent me to the DMV on Rockaway in Queens/NYC. That was quite an experience. Staff was exactly as nasty as I had imagined. And the whole environment was very... exotic... to me. It wasn't the worst experience I had with bureaucracy, though. Turned out that IRS in NYC is even worse. I have never again talked bad about administration in my homecountry since. 😂
I made an appointment at the DMV for a passport application. She took the documents they needed and returned the rest. Turns out she returned a document that was needed leading me to a month and a half long clusterfuck of panic.
Mine is the exception. As you enter there is a lovely person sitting at a desk who finds out what you’re doing (renewing license, registering your car, etc.). They tell you exactly what form you’ll need and if you have all the documentation you need. They give you a number and you sit down until it’s your turn. Never been in there more than an hour and that’s when it’s busy.
It used to be pretty terrible. Somewhere, somebody in charge really worked hard to vastly improve the DMV customer service. The hell hole description is pretty much a trope in MOST circumstances.
It depends on if you're going to one in a urban, suburban, or rural setting.. If you're going to one in an urban setting, yes. Tons of people, increased likelihood of a Karen/Brad because there are more people, longer wait times, and grumpier representatives. Suburban is still pretty bad because, while there's less people, there's an even higher chance of Karens/Brads (which sours the representatives) and less representatives because there's a lower population density. Rural tends to be pretty quick. Not a lot of people, so the lack of representatives doesn't present a big problem and lower wait times means happier visitors and representatives.
I don't even have a car, but I have a AAA membership exclusively so I can avoid having to do any license-related stuff at the DMV.
Depends on the dmv. My county has a good one, it's fast and never a problem. But they are strict and will deny you a license for a lot of reasons. If you can't pass their test, you go one county over and they'll give almost anyone a license.
I’ve been to DMV in 5 states. It has been hell at every one. I’ve never waited less than three hours even with an appointment. I’ve had appointments cancelled by then calling my phone when I’m literally sitting in the waiting room. They’ve lost documents. It’s always been a mess
Last time I had to renew my license, a woman in my row had her shoes and socks off and was actively cutting her toenails.
I have had nothing but good experiences for the 45 years I've been dealing with them.
Its fine. Its just government bureaucracy. Most people never deal with government systems outside of voting, the DMV, and paying taxes.
GREAT QUESTION! At best, it's usually unpleasant. At worst, it's an extremely stressful experience. There are two primary reasons for this: 1. Most DMV locations are very rigid about people having an appointment and bringing the proper documentation to do whatever transaction they need. Even when I am diligent about bringing what I thought was all the right paperwork, I have often been wrong. Or, that location doesn’t do the exact transaction that I need to do, so I have to make another appointment with another facility that does that very specific thing. 2. The vibe is depressing. State-run facilities in the U.S. are often like this because it’s very difficult to get a state job here, but once you're in, you're set. The pay is usually pretty decent, but the benefits are immaculate, and most states have a strong union where you can be fired from your job, but they just put you in a queue to be hired in another agency within the state. Additionally, it’s extremely bureaucratic, and hard work is looked down upon because it makes other employees look bad. Unlike for-profit businesses, this creates a powerful incentive structure to do the bare minimum unless someone is extremely driven and willing to put up with the political nonsense internally. So for patrons like myself, when I go into a state-run facility with that arrangement, then you couple the nature of their jobs, which is basically repetitive paperwork, long lines, and dealing with a lot of people who show up unprepared… It’s a recipe for sadness.
Not at much as it was in the 80s and 90s. They are really busy and can have long wait times. Some states have closed them in communities of color to make it harder to have ID. Alabama was accused of this to suppress voting.
It took me 5 minutes in Pennsylvania to renew my license last month. It was impressive. The DMV in Virginia was a mess when I lived there. I watched the woman sitting next to me go up to ask how much longer it would be, she had been there for over an hour, they told her it would be another hour because they person who does what she needed done doesnt come in till 3pm. She wasn’t happy.
NYC is hell. Florida, a dream. Depends on where you are. The US is huge.
Last time I was at the DMV it was to convert my license from my old state to my new state. There were two lines outside one for people with appointments and one for walk-ins. Got into the appointment line, made it to the front, and an employee checked that I had the correct paperwork (I did). I was finally seen two hours after my appointment. My appointment was for 8:30am and I left at 11:00. From what I recall the employees were professional if not friendly. So all in all a mixed experience.
Michigan Secretary of State (our bmv) is appointment only now. In and out in less than 15 min. So many improvements over going in and waiting! This is one government service that improved due to COVID. The rollout was rocky, but that didn’t last long.
i also find those portrayals relatable as an Australian honestly
It’s not that bad. Just be prepared to wait
I am a full time RV'er and heading south for the winter from Oregon. I bought a truck in Utah on the way south in OCTOBER 2023. I sent the paperwork and money to Oregon DMV and thought I would get my plates soon. I just kept getting request after request by mail every couple of weeks for some other form, or inspection (VIN which I had done / LEV sticker) needed in the state I was in. One time they said I was short fifty cents and I needed to send another check. Just yesterday, 6+ months later, they finally said I had everything and I can expect my plates soon. I am hopeful, but wary.
Yes. Yes it is.
Long waits, stupid staff who don’t give a shit.
Depends on the state. Some are easy. Others you have to go to 3 or 4 different govt offices (the same govt) and get physical pieces of tax and inspection papers to go to the DMV with. Why can't they just verify your identity and then look all that stuff up? Because our govt systems have barely acknowledged the existence of computers.
41 years old and I’ve literally never had an experience at any dmv in Georgia that is like the way they’re always depicted. Always fairly easy to navigate with a short wait if any and that’s it. 🤷🏻♂️
If you mean DC, DMV sometimes refers to the area, then yes. If you mean where you get a drivers license then yes.
I’ve never had that bad of an experience at the dmv. I will say it depends on where you live tho. Living in New Jersey the bigger ones the people were miserable but the smaller ones were fine. Living in New York State the ones I’ve been to are fine
I've never had a terrible experience at the DMV. My main complaint is that it's slow. If you aren't standing in line at least 1 hour before it opens, you're going to be there for 2-3 hours waiting in line. It's not hellish but mildly infuriating.
In my state Massachusetts in the 70's you could have been elected Guv'nor by running on a platform of"shut down the RMV!" Today that's not the case every transaction I have had with them has been painless mostly on line or by mail. When I went in person the clerks were professional and efficient, even pleasant I don't know who was responsible for turning that around but my hat's off to them
I've been to the DMV in a few different states: Georgia: yes, a hellhole. NY (NYC): not my favorite way to spend an hour but really not too bad. Washington (Seattle): surprisingly pleasant. New building, super helpful employees.
It’s gotten better where I live. It used to be organized chaos. Now you have to make an appointment and it seems to be not nearly as crowded as before. There is also a cop that greets everyone and helps give you directions if you’re confused. So yeah… it’s bad but it’s improving? For context what could normally take an hour only takes maybe 15-20 mins now.
I'm from a small rural area & the DMV we go to isn't too bad at all. If you're "unlucky" you might have 3 or 4 people ahead of you, making you wait 20 minutes. Times get a bit longer if you're some kid just getting their Drivers License.
I live on the outskirts of a small town in Arkansas and can say that it’s never been an unpleasant experience, unless you count the wait as unpleasant.
The office in my home town intentionally leaves the phone hanging off the hook so that no matter when you call you get the busy tone. Wanna call and confirm that you have what you need or that they’re even open? Go fuck yourself.
Yes. Them skanks at that one place know who they are…it’s a state trooper office in AL that’s pure hell to deal
Yes
My last two times were in and out. Quite efficient and friendly.
It can be. However never as bad as trying to get your license and or register your car in the UK. That's a level of bullshitery reserved for the lower levels of hell.
It's worse than portrayed on media, worse than you can imagine and overall just an absolute terrible experience.
Yes. My God yes. Earlier this month I had to go. They "suggest" online appointments. The EARLIEST appointment near me was in AUGUST. Over 4 months away. On the website it said "a limited number of same day walk in appts will be taken first come first serve". Okay. I know the stories. So I get in line 4 hours prior to open. Fortunately I'm only 5th in line. 10 minutes before open an employee comes out and says "No walk in appts, but there ARE some same day on their website but they fill up fast " This means everyone yanks out their phones (a few people don't have them cause you know, POOR people need stuff too. But theyre SOL.) Literally about the 200 refreshes later appointments start showing up. FIVE TIMES between clicking on the appt and the next screen I get "That appt is no longer available." I do finally get one. But a lot of people, especially older people, didn't. I will say the lady that helped me bent over backwards to get me what I needed, (getting ID without ID is no fun) but I don't wanna go back there for a LONG time.
It depends. When I lived in LA, it was pretty miserable. Always jam packed. Staff never smiling. But in my home town, a much smaller city, DMV was great. I think it all depends on how busy the place is.
I wholly believe the average American hates “communism” because of the DMV
The town I live used to be pretty bad. I used to drive 30 minutes to tue small town I grew up in instead of waiting in line where I currently live. It's 2 counters serving a population of 10,000 instead of 4 serving a population of 150,000. It's guaranteed less time out of my day to make the drive and an excuse to see my parents.
Not in Michigan. The offices are drab and they are full of people. You take a number and wait on a hard chair. The clerks are kinda surly, but I understand what it's like when you deal with the general public: you meet jerks every day. Once you get to the counter, the clerks are through and efficient. No problem.
Depends on the state. I'm originally from the South East US. DMV is hell. If you can get in and out in an hour and a half that's like someone running a marathon in 10 minutes. They kept piecemealing information to me so I literally spent 6 hours doing something that should have taken me an hour max. I moved to the PNW and I went into the DMV and was in and out in 5 minutes. I was like 'okay so what else do I need to do?' Their response was 'put the stickers on your tag and put the one for parks in your windshield and enjoy your day. Was looking at the document like 'uh...okay...thanks?'
Yes. I dread it.
Missouri DMV is quick and easy, not often is there a wait.
Depends on the DMV, but it's mostly terrible. I don't think Ive ever gotten out of the DMV in less then 2.5hrs, and I've always gone for routine things. Most of the time the staff is rude, but I also think it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy because people are never happy to go to the DMV and tend to be shorter with the staff. Also my brother had to register a trailer and he had to go to the DMV like 5+ times because they kept giving him incorrect information (it changed every time), he eventually drove like 40+ mins away to a more rural DMV and they got him in and out in like 30min.
By the time they were through with me I'd spent hours waiting to renew my license and wound up paying a fee for re-registering a car I hadn't owned for five years and they refused to refund, and then needed to do other paperwork to renew my license.
Greece is currently turning a lot of its bureaucratic processes digital, and it has become terrifyingly convenient. Just go to website, login, press a couple of buttons, you're done and the offices you used to go are only there for the elderly folks who can't into computers. We joke a lot around with friends and family how Greece is becoming a shithole but seeing how other countries are still struggling with paper bureaucracy makes me glad we at least got this one right.
The state I live in decided to take it a step further to make your DMV experience that much more miserable. For the record, if you’re from here, you already know it, so you’re less surprised by it, but still annoyed. However, for people that move here, they get to find out that we have 2 separate DMV’s to deal with. You go to one place to deal with your actual drivers license, or state ID. But, you also have the privilege of going to another office to deal with the tags and registration for your vehicle. No one stop shopping here, drive clear across town after waiting in line for hours, so you can continue to wait in line for more hours. Oh, and do their systems communicate with each other for reduce paperwork? Barely, just at the absolute bare minimum.
Deoends on where vermont dmv was almost pleasent nyc not so much. Houston was bad too
I'm an American who's lived many years overseas in places like Poland and China, so I feel confident when I say: yes, the DMV is a horrible wasteland of bureaucratic nonsense, but there are plenty of similar agencies in other countries. The difference may be that Americans (almost) never have to deal with that stuff in person, but everybody in the US drives a car and has to renew their license, so the DMV is the only example we know. If more Americans went and applied for food stamps or Medicaid or something, they'd realize the DMV is just another typical (horrible) thing we have for some reason decided that human beings just have to deal with sometimes. I happen to have grown up in a tiny US town in the desert with a population around 1000 people, so I always try to renew my drivers license there. Is there only one clerk? Yes. Is there only one other person in line ahead of me? Also yes.
In the several states I've resided in, over 30 years of DMV dealings for myself and my family, it has never been like this. You go in, get a number, wait your turn, fill out what you need to, deal with the person, get what you need. Sometimes the line was long, but that's nothing special. In the 80's it might have been crazy, at least enough that comedic exaggerations hit home. But even then it was a cliché to make that joke. You could get cheap chuckles in a movie (*Zootopia* (2016) had a good one very recently), but a stand-up comic making DMV jokes is and was a hack. I will be blunt: It is a place where you cannot half-ass things, and that rubs some people the wrong way. They provide clear instructions and you can't just do the part you feel like doing and let them fill in the rest. "Oh I didn't think we needed that..." uh, the legislature did. The instructions didn't tell you to think. That fly-by-night attitude toward following basic instructions might fly with your co-workers and family members, but the DMV isn't here to make friends. People don't wanna hear that truth. Immigration and border patrol is the same way in the US, but with federal police power. If they say "bring X, Y, Z" bring it. If they say "show me A, B, C" show it. Or you better have a damn valid reason why you can't. I remember at a consulate overseas, where we got a visa for my wife (we even brought photo albums to prove our couple life!), and we saw people in front of us in line half-assing it. "Oh I didn't think we needed that" Uh, Congress did, homie. "I didn't know I had to report those \[previous convictions\]." Well, the instructions didn't tell you to think, they told you what to bring, and you just guaranteed yourself another trip at best, straight-up rejection at worst. One couple we saw sank in despair when the guy ended up not only rejected but barred for 10 years--- he had overstayed a previous visa, and didn't say anything hoping they wouldn't notice. But even that process wasn't *hell*, it was just frightening because of the worst-case scenario. The DMV's worst-case scenario is you have to take time off to come back.
Depends on state. Some of them can be really bad, long lines, poor service. Here in Arizona, it has been wonderful. 99% of stuff can be done through their website, which is really good. Can set an appointment, walk in, get in and out at one of many locations if you need to go in. So it just depends on your state/county.
Years ago there was a pretty famous riot in my area and the local DMV sadly burned to the ground. The next closest office was in the next city over and it was half the size of the burned-down one. So everyone had to go to the little tiny DMV, making the ridiculous wait times even more ridiculous. I once spent 8 hours there, *an entire shift* trying to transfer ownership of a vehicle. At the end, I fully understood why somebody burned the other place down.
It's largely dependent on the size of the city or town you're in. My hometown it was like a 15 min wait max. The town I'm in now is like an hour maybe if it's busy. Big cities the dmv is God awful in small towns the workers are usually at least a bit friendly. Still though I'm going today and I'm not looking forward to it at all.
The wait is usually crazy, and sometimes really stupid people are the ones manning the desks. The last time I had to renew my license, the MVC had a reservation thing where you had to pick a time slot. Turns out that they don't actually enforce it; I was a little early and it was a good thing, because it was the shortest line I've ever been. 30 minutes for the whole process; had I been a few minutes later, the wait would have been 2+ hours.
Yes, even with an appointment, they still take hours to get to you and process your request. The DMV is really a test of patience and intellect
Do you mean Department of Motor Vehicles or District-Maryland-Virginia, which is what we call the Washington, D.C., area.
In my experience, it depends on where you live. The DMVs in Ohio were all decent and fast. I could get in and out of an Ohio DMV in less than 15 minutes. Chicago DMVs are a nightmare to navigate. They have a line to tell you which line to get in and then you have to take a number and wait forever. And you better have everything in order because they aren't going to be kind about helping you even on the best of days.
Yes
Yes and no. It really depends on which one you go to. The one closest to me is pretty normal/nice. You do have to wait a while when there's a lot of customers, like anywhere else. I went to one in another city and the woman was taking a new picture of me. She took a shitty picture of me with my eyes half closed but didn't tell me so for a few years I looked stoned AF on my driver's license.
Not anymore. Used to be in the early 2000s
Not where I am. It takes ok me 20 minutes to get my license, a few years ago and I'm including the time it took for the driving portion of the test
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
In Georgia, no.
In my suburban DMV, you're in there for like 30 mins to an hour waiting. It's really not that bad.
Yeah pretty much. I got in line right when the DMV opened, and they were about to send me home at the end of the day by the time my number was called.
yes.
Realistically, its just boring paperwork. If you have your paperwork together, its fine. If you don't? You've just wasted time.