Virginia Highway Safety Office News Releases

DMV Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
Customers Encouraged to Use Preferred Services Options

RICHMOND - All Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) customer service centers will close for the Thanksgiving holiday beginning at noon on Wednesday, November 26, 2008. The offices will remain closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Customer services centers (CSCs) will reopen on Saturday, November 29, from 8 a.m. to noon.

DMV customers can avoid service delays after the holiday closure by using DMV's preferred services options. Through DMV's website, www.dmvNOW.com, customers can complete 25 different transactions. DMV's automated telephone service (1-888-337-4782) and the mail are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"The days after the Thanksgiving holiday are traditionally very busy at our customer service centers," said DMV Commissioner D.B. Smit. "If you come in, you may experience long waits for service. To avoid having to wait, I encourage everyone to take care of routine transactions, such as vehicle registration renewals, using our self-service options."

Virginia law encourages customers to use the Internet, phone, mail or a DMV Select to renew their vehicle registrations. The law awards a $1 discount for those who renew decals online. A $5 per-transaction fee is added to vehicle renewals conducted in a full-service CSC, unless the renewal is in conjunction with another transaction.

"The new law encourages customers to use alternative service options for vehicle registration renewals. It is designed to reduce DMV's future operational costs and improve efficiency by allowing employees to focus on more complex transactions that must be handled in person," Smit added.

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