Illinois Secretary of State Driver Services Facility

Every time I’ve gone in here to renew my plates the employees have been incredibly friendly and helpful. In true slacker fashion I went on the last day of the month at 3pm, preparing to wait forever but I was only in line for 5 minutes. Everyone had smiles on their faces, they were very organized and got us all in and out quickly. Not a normal thing to experience at a DMV but they are great at this location!

I tried to use an official letter sent to me by the department of homeland security as a proof of residency and was told that «we cannot accept a letter from a federal department because we are a state department of the state of Chicago.»
Did Chicago suceed from the State of IL and from the USA? Is Chicago an independent country now?
And she was very arrogant about her ignorance too.

I would give 0 stars if I could. This dmv is insulting, disgrace, fake and below horrible. Staff is rude and not helpful, sometimes I think they work there only to give people hard time. Too many bad stories to tell about this place, my bad luck that that’s the closest location to my place and college, so unfortunately I have to go exactly there. Last time I was trying to get my TDVL renewal and after 30 min in line I was told that they will not process TVDL for the next 4 hours, of course nothing was announced in advance, no information on their website, they just decided that last minute. I have more stories to tell, but its going to take too much time.
The saddest part is that you will not find any dmv where person will be treated with respect and that what americans pay their taxes for?

How the heck did they get things so right? Everyone was polite, professional and seemed to like their job, an oxymoron in most DMV’s. Elston wasn’t always this nice, so I avoided it for years. This time I decided to go close to home and I could not believe it! Needed to get my license updated for a new address. Process was excellent and nicely planned out. Employees were a well-​trained mix of Chicago’s melting pot community, every gender, race, religion and persuasion were represented. Love when things just work, def recommend!

I hate the DMV. Who doesn’t? Next to going to the dentist for a root canal or the IRS for an audit, the DMV has got to be one of the most hated places to spend the day. This one… is almost not that bad.
The good news: I came here on a Thursday afternoon. After about 10 minutes in line, I talked with someone about my needs. I waited again, for about 2 minutes, and was seen by an attendant. A total of about 40 more minutes in other lines checking boxes, signing forms, and waiting and I was done. Grand total, about an hour. Not bad!
The bad: about 50% of the employees don’t give clear direction, or simply don’t know what they’re doing. This makes things a lot more frustrating and protracted. They also send you to about 10 different stations, most of which ask for the same information you gave the last guys. Can’t that be consolidated, requiring less workers (or giving more throughput)?
Ok, so this isn’t the worst DMV I’ve been to. But it is not the best by a long shot! Still, a necessary evil, I suppose.

No!!! I went there before my birthday to renew my license. I was told that there were TWO outstanding tickets on my record from Chicago. I went to the Daley Center, and I was told that it would take two weeks to pull the file.
I waited two weeks to find out that these tickets had cleared
I then went to 17 North State to get the matter resolved.
I was then told that it was an issue with Skokie courthouse, which occurred in 2010.
I had had that paperwork sitting in my file a few months after my wife died in 2011.
I presented this paperwork today to 17 North State, and I was cleared.
And as a reward I was not charged any fee.
And to top it off, I was told by 17 North State that this sort of craziness happens a lot in the system and is NOT indigenous to Elston.

The professionalism of the staff and quick moving lines made a stressful even a little better — kudos to you all!

Ehhhh it’s that time of year again when I have to buy my license plate sticker. $ 101.00 for the right to drive in Illinois. What other choice do you have?

Surprise! Nice clerks, reasonable waits. I took my son here for his driver’s test. This facility is much organized than decades ago when I took my test. I’m glad we tried this Elston facility.

Bob Laha at the dmv made what could have been a terrible day — great! Yesterday, my son and I drove 30 minutes to the Elston DMV for him to take his driving test. We arrived early and were looking forward to the big event. When the doors opened and he went to check in and learned that his driving training had not been registered. He was frustrated and confused. He went back to the car. I stayed to renew our license plates.
At that time, I asked DMV employee Bob Laha a question– I explained that my son was frustrated that he could not take his drivers test because his training course completion had not been registered with the state. He looked into it and then gave me a phone number to call, the information line. I went to our car and called the info line. I spoke with Octavia. She was very sympathetic. She transferred me to Donna. Donna also wanted to help and explained she wasn’t the right person but knew who was. She transferred me to Tom. Tom called my son’s driving school and got his course completion registered. My son was delighted. He walked back into the DMV and checked in and was able to take the test. He passed and it was a great day. Thanks everyone that helped. I am impressed with the volume of people you are able to serve and how well you it. Kudos to you!

The visit started out great, but then the computerized display started showing duplicate «now serving» numbers and the waiting room was getting packed. I went up to a man, standing /​overseeing clerks and told him to look at the screen because something was wrong. Either he didn’t understand, didn’t care, or was out of his job description. 1.5 hours

Not to bad of a place to do one of those must-​do-​but-​sucks-​to-​do tasks. I am always in and out here. Though the idea of pergatory is always better than getting a new license picture taken.

I had a very good experience here today and I was surprised. I moved here from a different state and needed to get a new drivers license. I made sure to call the day before and find out what I needed to bring with me. I was under the impression that I would need to take a written exam so I did some ‘studying’ last night through the manual you can download online.
I arrived today around 8:15am and there was already a lengthy line outside but workers came down the line to make sure you had all your proper documents and handed you a ticket. Once entered at 8:30, I sat for no more than 10 minutes. The areas of cashier, written exam and photos were also organized and clearly marked, from my experience. The written exam was really easy, but there were other drivers who appeared to be struggling to get through.
I came pretty prepared and walked out with my new Illinois drivers license in less than an hour.

The WORST! I’ve lived in several states and have visited my share of DMVs. This is hands down the worst DMV ever!
The b****es working as the gate keepers in the front of the driver’s licensing side are rude, incompetent, and unknowledgeable — a fatal combination. On my THIRD trip to try and get my license and registration done, they were still saying my documentation (proof of address) wasn’t adequate. Even though the documents I had were on their list of requirements! My lease wasn’t ok because it was month-​to-​month, my renter’s insurance wasn’t ok because they need a declaration not a bill, blah blah blah.
All total BS! How do I know? Because I put my foot down on this third trip and argued back. I mean, I had like 10 proofs of address and the b**** was still saying no. So I went to the supervisor. And guess what? All my documentation was fine. Are you f-​ing kidding me?
But then I get to the window, and the stupid dance started again. Are you for real?
Get your act together!
I’d like to say the registration side is better — they are kinder — but the revenue guy got my title registration wrong, which meant problems for me getting my city sticker, which meant a trip back to this pit of despair. So now I’m out $ 200+ dollars indefinitely (update — took nearly 3 months for a refund because they continually made errors there too) while I wait for their system to correct itself.
All-​in-​all, this place is the absolute worst DMV on the planet. It makes me miss Italian and Eastern European bureaucracy *combined*!!!

I like this DMV
fast service, helpful staff. 0 issues with them, it’s been 6 years.
:)

I was in and out in 20 minutes, didn’t have to wait a single minute and I arrived around noon! Had to get a ton done there. Helpful, friendly, informative staff and clean, newer building.

Surprisingly efficient — friendly staff. I recently had to renew my drivers license and must say it was quick and easy.

Can’t believe I’m giving such a strong review to anything DMV related but this was such an easy experience. I planned on being here for hours, especially since I arrived during the peak lunch time frame.
I had filled out the form online prior to arrival, good call I’d say but there was an easy area to fill out onsite as well. They have the layout and flow down, had to stand in a few different lines through the process but none more than 5 minutes.
I was hoping to get some reading in while I waited but never had the time. Which I much prefer.
This rating is mostly for the facilities and ease of process, the staff were friendly enough but who can blame them. Overall the whole IL Sec of State thing is new to me and their website is awful so my overall experience can’t bring in that last star.

To my surprise, I’m giving this facility 4 stars.
Even though I’ve lived in the city for over 30 years, I still have a suburban mentality and so previously have chosen to use the facility in Niles. However, since that’s no longer open, I decided to give this one a try.
When I first walked in, I was pleasantly surprised by the interior look of the place. No lines, smiling workers waiting to help you, comfy looking chairs. Sadly, this was the Vehicle Service area… the license area was a couple of doors down (although in the same complex). This is my one complaint… that this is not made more clear. Yes, the Vehicle Service door has a big sign to this point, but who knows how the DMV chooses to name their services?
Once I was in the correct building, the interior lived up to my preconceptions. rows of plastic chairs, harsh lighting, Disneyland style rope lines. Frankly, I feel badly for the people who work here every day as it is not a pleasant looking place. However, as far as customer service, it was great.
The first line is the Greeter line, and they are there to direct you where to go (and to filter you out if you don’t have the necessary documents for what you need to do). Stood in this line for only 5 minutes or so. Was sent on my way to the next area, which was Drivers License info verification and eye test. No waiting. On to the cashier. Short wait, 2 people in front of me. Payment made, on to Updates (since some data had changed (ok, my weight went up, let’s move beyond that, OK?). If I hadn’t been cut off by someone REALLY eager to get in line, there would have been no wait. As it was, maybe 2 minute wait. On to photo. Really friendly guy taking pictures. 1 person ahead of me. Photo taken, waited maybe 3 minutes and I was done.
Oh, and I forgot to mention there is easy, free parking. Always worth a mention in my book!

When you think about fun things to do on your day off, going to the State Drivers License Facility does not come in at the top of the list. It typically follows «trim the cat’s claws,» «talk to Mom,» and «root canal without painkiller.» All of the former seem less painful than dealing with the State of Illinois.
Unless you’re living under Wacker Drive, you will probably have to deal with the State of Illinois for driver’s license or state i.d., or registration for your car. Since I live in an apartment and own an automobile, every once in a while, websites don’t suffice, and I need to make a personal appearance.
I recently visited this facility twice. Each time, my experience was better than I had anticipated. Although the lines are long, they move quickly. The employees are not buddy-​buddy friendly — I’ve not gotten «friend» requests from any of them on Facebook, for example — but nobody is outright rude. They are in the business of moving people through quickly. If you really want to get through the lines quickly, be sure you have all relevant paperwork you need when you get there. Check the Sec. of State website to see what’s required, if you’re not sure.
There is lots of parking available. Both my visits were on weekday mornings, so maybe it is tougher to park on a Saturday. God forbid I should ever have to find out. Signs clearly mark which entrance is for driver’s licenses and which is for vehicle issues.
For some reason, the United States Post Awful lost my automobile registration paperwork. I realized this when I noticed a neighbor putting his new registration sticker on the car and said to my self, hey, I should have gotten mine. I checked the Sec. of State website, and I sent an email saying, hey, I paid for my registration, why didn’t I get it? The next day, I got a response that said, your registration documentation was returned by the Post Awful as undeliverable. BTW, I’ve lived here for 8 years. Anyway, I printed this email from the Sec. of State and took it with me to Elston. I had my new registration and sticker in less than an hour.
I had to return to Elston to renew my driver’s license this month. Couldn’t just get a safe driver renewal anymore thanks to my age. I received the renewal notice and called. I was told I needed a vision test. Boo, but okay. I took the notice letter and my current driver’s license. I had the new license in less than an hour.
One thing to note before you go in: for some reason, you can’t pay with a Visa card. I paid cash, so that wasn’t an issue, but some woman behind me in line ended up leaving, because all she had with her was a Visa.
Got my registration, got my license, and got it all done in a timely manner. I’m a happy driver.