Department of Motor Vehicles – Southwest Service Center

I’ve been living in DC for almost two years (not counting college years) and I finally decided it was time to get my DC identification card… well actually my CA ID had less than a week before it expired so I guess I was forced to make a trip here haha. Before I made my way down here I checked out the DMV website to get a list of all the documents I would need and to print out the application. Once I had everything done I walked over and the process was very simple. You have to first walk to the information center where they will make sure you have all the correct paperwork and then they will give you a ticket. I arrived at 10:20 and by 11:00 (40 minutes later) I was called up next. By 11:15 I was out the door and here I thought I would be stuck at the DMV for the whole day.

Went for an inspection and 12 noon on a Thursday. Took fifteen minutes and then headed over here to the DMV.
Customer service was fine. They’re strict about documentation for residency. My lease was hand written and they didn’t like that so I had to provide something else.
Doesn’t feel like there is any air-​bring a bottle of water. The Woman who helped me with everything was great and very kind. Even shared a few funny stories with me about working at a different DMV in years past.
I also came here in May of 2015 for a reciprocity permit. That also went well as long as you have the documentation on hand.
Love that this location is close to the inspection place and the post office.

Worst place ever. Never knew you had to look at the reviews before going into a dmv. Waited for three hours and told us a glitch in the system is making the process slow. Couldn’t someone mention before? With all of the wait, they said they cannot process my case! Have to go for a second time! Think twice before coming!

Worst. Hate to have say that all the stereotypes about dmv’s exist here, but they do (in excess). When I checked in I asked to confirm that I had the paperwork because I could do it another time if not. We went through it piece by piece and matched with the list from the website. 90 minutes later when my number (A73) was called, I didn’t have the right documentation. When I complained to the manager, she said that it wasn’t her fault because she didn’t check me in. Throwing fellow workers under the bus is always nice. She did say someone could fax it to the dmv, which would have great in 1985, but no email or text capacity in this century yet.
Of course there is nothing to be done, but 90 minutes wasted and major attitude. Arrrgh.

The worst DMV ever, rude people, nobody cares, huge lines, think twice before going there

Micheal Jordan gave me a new drivers license. My wait was short and he very graciously helped me through a couple mistakes I had made. (My passport is expired and I forgot to ask to vote).
Ask for Mike. He’s the greatest!

Incompetent and rude. No one has the right information. How do any of these pricks still have a job.

Of all of the things that I was thankful for this past holiday weekend, I was most thankful that becoming a D.C. resident officially (after only 18 months or so) did not suck. At least as much as I thought it would.
Thinking that this location, in D.C.‘s forgotten quadrant, would be the least crowded was a mistake. While I’m thankful they have Saturday hours, I did not expect the line to be out the door on the cold day in late November I visited. They moved the line quickly though and I was to the desk in about 30 minutes. They do not allow food or drink, however, which made the line seem longer than it was at 11:00 a.m. for sure.
After all of the times I forgot to bring something to the DMV equalivalent in Maryland, I should have brought the perfect documentation to get a driver’s license in D.C. The list of documents is right on their website. What I learned is that they are sticklers here. There is no leeway on documents that might serve the purpose (like notices of cable suspensions). They need valid, current bills.
They do have a policy of letting people skip the lines if they return later in the day. But when I returned at about 3:00 p.m., there was no line and my time in the waiting room was under 15 minutes. It was 15 minutes of heck since an irresponsible parent brought their babysitter with them and their baby was screaming. But, hey, that’s all part of D.C. I guess. Once at the counter, the only thing that slowed me down was the fact that I owed money on a parking ticket and didn’t realize that their payment kiosk was self-​service. I kept waiting for a staff person to cash me out but none appeared.
My own stupidity aside, the fact that this location is walkable from the Green Line and next to the emissions testing facility makes it a very convenient one. Maybe a little too convenient for too many people and I’m glad I can renew my license online.

UGH. I needed to get an excize tax estimate for my vehicle that I am bringing to DC. Online you can get an estimate but for some reason it wasn’t working for my car. I called the hotline to see if I was just entering the information incorrectly. They tried to do it in their office but it didnt work for them either. They then told me that I would need to GO to the DMV in person to get an estimate. Now why the DMV could give me the estimate and they could not made absolutely zero sense. But whatever, I went to the DMV.
I arrived at the DMV well before the place opened on Saturday morning and immediately saw a line wrapped around 3 sides of the building. But lets be honest, the DMV is known for long waits, so I can’t say I was terribly surprised. No, I was surprised, three sides of the building is a little wild. Anyway, I finally get into the DMV and speak to the lady at the front who hears your issue and then gives you the appropriate ticket slip. When your ticket is called, they tell you to go to a specific counter to address your issue.
UNFORTUNATELY, when it was my time to speak to the lady and tell her my issue, she told me that I needed to have the title to find out what the estimated tax would be. When I mentioned that online you can find the tax WITHOUT the title, she said «That’s online» and «we do it differently here». When I mentioned that the DMV phone folks told me to come TO the DMV and specifically said that I DIDN’T need the title she said «I don’t know what to tell you». When I reiterated my confusion that you didn’t need a title to find out the tax online but needed one to get the tax in the DMV she started yelling at me and telling me that I wasn’t listening and that I wasn’t going to find out the tax in the DMV. Needless to say, a scene was created. Finally, realizing that I wasn’t going to leave there without the estimate, she gave me a number and said that i could speak to a representative.
After a wait of maybe 20−25mins, my number was called and I made my way to the back to speak to a specialist. I had trouble finding the desk of the person I was assigned to and another specialist offered to help me. When I told her what I was trying to do, she ALSO told me that I needed my title and that there was nothing she could do. As I did before, I tried to explain to her my confusion. Mind you, she had her OWN customer that she was working with at this time and had decided to ignore that customer so that she could get involved in MY affairs. Finally, after arguing with her back and forth for a minute or so, I told her that I didn’t want to take any more of HER client’s time and asked her to help me find MY specialist.
And so she did.
God must have taken mercy on my soul because the moment I sat down with my specialist, I felt like I was in a totally different DMV. My specialist was kind and considerate and immediately worked on helping me with my issue. I am happy to say that I left the office with an estimate of the tax but will note that I had to claw my way to this happiness.

New facility. Friendly staff.

The wait is longer than in most other states, but the website is very clear as to what you need to bring. If you follow the website’s instructions, you’re fine. I went early (pre-​opening on a Saturday) and they even had employees checking in with everyone on the line to make sure our paperwork was acceptable and we all had the right forms.
Once I was inside, it only took about 10 minutes for my number to be called. It was around the same amount of time it took me to fill out my paperwork.
Ursula helped me get my actual title, registration, and driver’s license switched from out of state. If you end up in her hands, you are truly lucky. She let me email her my insurance from my phone since I forgot to print it, got me plates when I thought I would need temporary tags first, and on top of all of that, was so nice and hilarious that I enjoyed the entire process.
I only took away a star because there were SO MANY people lined up at 7:45 when I got there already, but the employees are clearly doing the best they can to be efficient and helpful. DC probably needs to look into how to make more service centers, but this one is doing a great job servicing such a huge number of people.

I was a tad apprehensive about having to go through the full workup (license conversion and registration and title). However, I went in at an off hour (a Thursday at 3 or so) and carefully read up on the many documents I had to bring. Given those preparations it didn’t go badly at all.
I was in and out in less than an hour; the wait wasn’t much longer than I needed to fill out the paperwork anyway. The people were decent enough; brusque, not no more than expected.
It’s a very central and accessible location, important given that there are no DMV facilities in the entirety of Northwest DC. Also, right next to the inspection station.
Watch out for the hours (closes at 4; not open on Monday), and definitely try to avoid peak times, but that’s true of most DMVs. As such facilities go, this one isn’t bad.

This was my first DMV visit in the D/​M/​V area. I came in early on a Saturday morning to trade in my NYS license for a DC license. I was in and out within 2 hours. If you go on a Saturday, I highly recommend you get there before 10am. The waiting room got so crowded after 10:00, it was standing room only.
Before you go, check the DMV site for the necessary forms, fill them out, print them out, and carry them with you. (For those of you who don’t have Adobe, print out the forms and then fill them out.)
If you’re thinking about making your 2 – 3 hour stay at the DMV slightly more comfortable with some snacks, think again. They don’t allow beverages and food inside.

I came here to convert an out of state license to a DC license and it took about 25 min max from start to finish. Their «New Residents» appointment system was a pilot program and it wasn’t up and running so I went in sans appointment expecting to wait 4 hours to get this done.
I checked the DMV waiting area webcam before I went and it wasn’t crowded at all for a Thursday at around 10:30am. I checked the website to see exactly what documents I needed to convert my license. When I arrived, I took a number and after about 5 min, my number was called. I went to the area specifically for licenses. The person that helped me was very pleasant and efficient. They shredded my old license in front of me which was sad but necessary. I took a picture and viola!
I was pleasantly surprised about my experience. So pleased that I’m taking the time to write this 5 star review for the Convert an out of state license department.
Do your homework and find out what you need on their website.
Check the DMV waiting area webcam.
Hope for the best.

Worst experience ever. Spent a total of 5 hours in the DMV, just to register my car. the first four were waiting, and then just doing the paperwork took another hour. The woman in front of me in line was there for the second day in a row after having waited the first time for 4 hours, and then being told she had to go home and come back with different paperwork. I was nearly told the same thing when I used my geico app on my iphone as proof of insurance, but when the woman saw the look on my face she decided to ‘make an exception’. What? If you can accept electronic version, then why don’t you just do it all the time?
Oh yeah, lets not forget that before I did any of this, I had to wait in line at the inspection station for an hour and a half (with the engine running) in my car. Total time: 6.5 hours. Total money: approximately $ 350. This is why crazy republicans think that DC is in the Soviet Union. Because it very nearly is.

Writing this in the hopes it helps others, as I was initially confused and unsure of how to go about this process.
I own my car free & clear, and the deed is in my name. It was registered in another state, where I also had my driver’s license from, and I wanted to get a DC license and register my car in DC (with appropriate zoned parking). Here’s what I did
1. Contacted my car insurer, told them my new address in DC, and got an updated DC insurance policy. You must have the insurance card in your hand before you go to the DMV. (NOTE: I had it as an attachment on my phone, and the nice lady at the DMV Information Center told me to email it to her, and she would print it for me. You can also call your insurance company and ask them to fax the information to the DMV [I didn’t do this because it was 8:30 a.m., and my insurance company wasn’t open yet.] +1 for awesome DMV employees who help you out.)
2. Scheduled an inspection for my car online. The spots fill up, so I scheduled one for about 3 weeks out. Do this early — maybe around the same time you get your insurance switched over. If you can, get an early appointment. I made one for 8 a.m., arrived at 7:15, and they took me right away. When you have an appointment, you basically get to cut in line in front of all the people who showed up without appointments.
DAY OF DMV TRIP. I brought with me:
Current valid (non-​expired) driver’s license
NEW DC insurance card
The deed to my car (again — I own it free & clear, if you are financing or leasing, you have to have your deed faxed to DMV AHEAD OF TIME.)
US passport
Social Security card
My lease to prove DC residence (you can also bring a utility bill, the deed to your house, whatever)
I also brought these two things, but didn’t seem to need them:
Current valid (non-​expired) registration card
Current valid (non-​expired) insurance card
NOTE: THEY DO NOT ACCEPT PHOTOCOPIES. BRING THE ORIGINAL DOCS.
3. I went to my inspection appointment first (on Half Street SW) and was done by 7:30 a.m. I drove around the corner to the DMV (on M Street SW) and stood in line outside until they let us in at 8:15. I got in line outside at approx. 7:40 a.m. and was at a counter inside the DMV at ~8:55 a.m. This was a Tuesday, the 4^th of the month.
4. The guy scanned all my docs and gave me my DC license first. For this, I needed my old license, my passport, my Social Security card, and my lease. Vision test, get your picture taken, done.
5. Then he registered my car. For this, I needed the deed to my car and my DC insurance card. You don’t really need your receipt from the inspection because they send that over electronically, and it shows up in their system. He gave me the sticker for my windshield, my registration card, and my two license plates. Done.
Fairly painless, considering how complicated they make it seem on the website! Just come prepared. I wrote this out in the hopes that it helps someone who is trying to figure this out, like I was last month.
Good luck out there, folks.

It’s not difficult. Go online. Find out what paperwork and documents you need to bring. Bring them in. Grab a number. Wait with all the other people in the same situation as you. Get your number called. Be nice to the person taking care of you. They’ll probably be friendly and help you out. Leave feeling that you’ve accomplished an amazing feat of leaving a DMV happy. It’s that simple.
Now, only if their hours were better…

So I just received notice that I’m «The Duke» of the DC DMV. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
It’s a DMV. What do you expect? I actually think this place is pretty organized. You get a number when you walk in. You sit down and wait for your number to come up on the screen. You then proceed to that counter and conduct business. I’ve never had to wait more than 15 – 20 minutes, and I’ve gone at peak times before (weekday lunch or weekend).
Staff can be a little irritable but to be clear we as customers are no peaches ourselves. Just triple check on the website that you have all of your documentation ahead of time. The DMV employees are trained to reject anyone that does not have every single piece of paperwork/​documentation exactly as stated on the website. Good luck!

Picked up my «new» car that my parents gave me went to the DMV the next day to get the inspection, change the registration, and get a residential parking permit.
Went on a Saturday at 10am and got out at around 2:30pm. 4.5 hours… damn!

Dear Unilocal,
Please add a ZERO star option, as I do NOT want to give the Department of Motor Vehicles an undue star as giving them one star is greatly overrating them.
Sincerely,
Terinee
[With that being said: Horrible customer service!!! I had to go back at least 4 different time because they did not fully inform me of the process & the items that I needed to bring. Long story… I even brought up to the guy working there on my 3^rd visit that the last time I went there, they did not tell me that I needed this additional document that he was asking me, and he replied… «Well, its an imperfect world!» REALLY… UGH!]