All DL renewals go online, and other MVD updates
ALL LICENSE RENEWALS ONLINE: As New Mexico’s counties work to get to “yellow” and then “green” status in pandemic terms, the state Motor Vehicle Division is limiting in-person appointments.
And that means no more office visits to renew your driver’s license, and no more walk-ins for seniors on certain mornings.
MVD.newmexico.gov says, “Due to the tiered county restrictions, MVD is canceling appointments as required per the public health order. Affected customers will receive cancellation text messages or emails. Customers will need to make a new appointment online at In Line Online (or by calling 888 683-4636). Only limited appointment types will be available until further notice.” Those limited appointments include first-time driver’s licenses and Real ID license, vehicle title transfers and registration renewals.
Charlie Moore, spokesman for MVD’s parent agency, the Taxation and Revenue Department, says, “Cancellations are on a rolling a basis, as things can change based on county designations, etc. Not everything is canceled. For the most part, we’re still doing appointments for firsttime driver licenses and Real IDs at larger offices. Some smaller offices can actually honor some other appointments.”
DROP OFF YOUR VEHICLE TRANSFER/NEW REGISTRATION: Moore says MVD is “now taking appointments for people to drop off paperwork for New Mexico title transfers/new registrations. … We do still have capacity … so we are encouraging people to take advantage of that. The customers’ time in the office is brief, and the rest of the process is remote.”
Book your appointment at mvd. newmexio.gov, print and complete a form providing information needed to process the registrations, and bring it, a copy of the N.M. driver’s license or ID card for all listed vehicle buyers, proof of current insurance for the vehicle, original N.M. title, and if applicable the bill of sale; notarized affidavit of gift; lienholder’s name, address and maturity date; purchase order if purchased from a dealer; emissions certificate for vehicles four years or older if registering/ commuting in Bernalillo County.
More info is at mvd.newmexico.gov/ vehicle-registration.
TO RENEW YOUR LICENSE: As for New Mexicans who need to renew their driver’s licenses, they can go online to mvd.newmexico.gov — hover over “online services” and click “eservices” to get “renew/replace license or ID.” (You can also renew a handicapped parking placard here as well.) Moore says MVD “ended the senior walkups once we started the online renewals for them, which seem to be going well.”
For folks without computer access, remember that you can pay a bit extra at a commercial office (yes, many are open, along with emissions stations, but call before you go), or you can sit tight until state offices reopen for your transaction. The governor’s order from March 30 “waive(s) late fees and penalties on licenses that expire during MVD office closures and for a reasonable period of time after our offices reopen. The order also directs State Police not to issue citations for registrations or licenses that expire while MVD field offices are closed. Local law enforcement agencies have been encouraged to do the same.”
ONLINE RENEWAL WORKS! Jane emails that her license was “due to expire Feb. 1. I requested renewal from MVD online about Jan. 8, got my temporary online Jan. 11, received actual new license in mail Jan. 24. Also, just wanted to give a good review and appreciation to the MVD office at 11500 Menaul. I’ve had to go there annually for several years now and always received fairly rapid, efficient, courteous service! I found the best time to go is midmonth, midmorning, midweek. I’ve made it my job during the pandemic to express appreciation for good service and good people.”
SUBMIT EYE EXAM ONLINE: And Martin Nielsen emails “I thought I read that you can renew online without an eye test if one did so last time? When I try, it tells me I need a current eye exam. The MVD website is hard to navigate — I don’t know where to send the results. Medicare and insurance allow only one eye appointment a year if that! Is there a solution for us oldies?”
MVD said in an October news release: “Going forward, drivers 79 and older who need an eye exam or medical report to renew their licenses will be able to conduct their annual renewal online in a two-step process. First, the driver will submit their eye exam or medical report online at mvdonline.com. Once the report has been accepted by MVD staff, the driver will go to mvdonline.com to renew their license.”