In keeping with the overall goal of providing the best customer service possible, the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles has made reducing customer wait times in the regional offices a priority in recent years.

Though new technology and processes have been continually “in the works,” the pandemic was a catalyst for us to use more online services and innovation to reach our customers without them having to visit a regional office. For example, customers may now take their driver’s license knowledge test from the comfort and convenience of home through a secure portal and process. Once they pass, they simply make an appointment and come to a regional office, but the time needed to fully process their transaction is drastically reduced. The same can be said for REAL ID HeadStart. REAL ID HeadStart is a web portal that allows customers to scan and upload all their documentation for a REAL ID driver’s license so that DMV personnel can review it and approve the documents before customers come to the offices. This, too, cuts down the amount of time a customer needs to spend in a DMV regional office, making the lines shorter for everyone.

Another way we are reducing wait times is by allowing dealers an emergency appointment if:

• They need a send-back completed for a pending sale;
• They need to convert a title to a dealer title for sale; or
• They need to convert a non-negotiable title to an actual title for customer trade credit.

In the very near future, we plan to update and upgrade our queuing system, allowing a more streamlined flow for our appointments and walk-ins. We will also be doing electronic titling, which again will make more processes online so customers can come into the regional offices less, cutting down the wait time for others.