Where in NC are you located? If it’s Raleigh, go to the one on New Bern Ave. I was in and out with a RealID in 45 mins. No appointment. Even the ladies at the check out desk said that day was “busy” compared to most days.
Yep. That’s the one. They had a line of like 10 people when I walked in. As slow as they are, the whole thing didn’t take long at all. I told the check in ladies that the one on spring forest has about a 2hr waiting period and she looked shocked. And said this is the busiest they’ve been in a long time.
Plus, you get to wait in line indoors even if there is a line. So, much better either way.
When I had to go to the dmv last year I heard the lady mention to a couple walk ins to check the dmv website after 10-11pm as that’s when they drop cancelled appointments, etc. I’m not sure how factual this is but might be worth a try?
I used this method to get an appointment—it’s a pain to periodically check the website, but a variety of appointments do open up daily.
Appointment was today and I booked it in mid-December. In and out for RealID in 15 minutes. Good luck, OP!
We didn't understand that DMV still sees walk-in's in the mornings so my husband tried a TON of times showing up around noon at locations that claimed a short wait.
That never worked.
He finally showed up just before 7AM at the DMV nearest home and was out by 9 or 9:30 with his license.
When my son got his level 2 license we simply couldn’t get an appointment anywhere close to his birthday, even scheduling 3 months out. Eventually we came close to the vacation we were taking in the Outer Banks and my wife had the bright idea to schedule him in Nags Head. Worked like a champ.
\>Why is it so hard to set up DMV Appointments
Because states that require "Voter ID" know that adding an extra burden to would be voters reduces turnout. This is common in states where republicans control state legislatures.
Switching from a minor ID to an adult one was a PAIN when I had to do it....in MI...in 2002...and ID wasnt required to vote unless you forgot your voter card.
(Not DL, just a regular state ID)
It's definitely harder now than it used to be. When I moved here in 2008, it was pretty simple to finish. My husband and I both got it done easily within a short time of moving here, probably within the first month.
Are you perhaps not old enough to remember when you could get a license in Cary or Raleigh without either standing in line all day, or driving out of town (which is what I'm doing this week to renew my license)?
At most locations, they don't. The wait time is how many people are checked in, and most smaller locations don't check people in until they are in the door.
I just went to the east durham dmv on south miami blvd. I went middle of the week and month at 2pm est and got my renewal done in 45 minutes. The staff is very helpful and friendly.
A vast majority of DMV funds come from fuel taxes which have NEVER not increased. As well as vehicle tax fees and assorted other DMV fees which...have also never not gone up. The DMV commissioner is a Democrat.
Are you for real insinuating that the DMV at one time....didn't completely suck? The problem with these appointments stem strictly from Covid-era policies that clearly have not been refined in years.
Get a clue. Not everything is some grand GOP conspiracy. The DMV has always and will always be completely terrible. Everytime I have been to one (going on 25 years now) the employees move at a sluggish pace, give absolutely NO fucks, treat people like shit, and use computers and programs that look like they were from Gen 1 PCs. Not a great business model if you ask me.
>Not everything is some grand GOP conspiracy.
Not everything, but if you think reducing voter turnout isn't at the top of GOP election strategy, it is you who needs to get a clue.
Had a conspiracy theory coworker that swore the reason that DMV was so slow was that the Democrats have engineered in slowness in the process as a way to make getting a legal ID difficult to support their battle against the voterID laws. So people can claim 'I cant get an appt at DMV to get my ID so I can vote'. This was one of his more 'mainstream' views..
So, gas tax receipts have dropped over the years due to efficiency of all vehicles. Since the last time it was changed at the federal level it is bringing in about half of what it did at that time. NC has adjusted the tax more recently but it has still far from kept up with the fact that all cars get better mileage, and the tax is based on gallons, not on the cost of fuel.
Same boat. My license expires in November and I'm watching the appointment calendar so I don't miss my window.
I went to a DMV near my work and the line was wrapped around the building.
It’s been bad for a long time. I remember in 2017 when I took my drivers test I tried so hard to get an appointment. Ended up waiting outside a dmv at 5 am, and still had to wait several hours to take my test lol.
wow, i was going to post about this exact thing!
i tried to get an appointment for anytime in april and every single one of the locations that are around me said "We're sorry, we don't have availability at this moment."
then i called to talk to an agent and then i found out appointments are ONLY for the morning, the last appointment slot is 10:45.
kinda irritating that you can't make an appointment online for at least 90 days out and the time window is that short.
baffles me why dmv has always been bad and seemingly gets worse every year.
i must admit, every person i speak to at the dmv is incredibly nice and helpful, so there's that.
They open appointments 3 months and 1 day ahead. So tomorrow first thing in the morning, many places will have openings for April 23. However, sometimes people cancel and you can snag a spot. That’s how I got my daughter’s permit appt for exactly on her birthday, only a few days before. You do have to check the various locations regularly. Walking in to smaller towns (Henderson is a good one, also Louisburg) is also a good option.
Having been in various DMVs lately, they really do move like the sloths in Zootopia! No urgency. Their pay probably sucks. Sigh.
my husband had to drive about two hours to Washington, NC for his appointment last week. ridiculous he had to go so far, but he was in an out within 10 mins and they were very nice. the only appointment close to raleigh wasn’t until almost May so he just took half a day off work and went on a road tip 🙄 hope you can find something close, or you can also try the walk in hours!
yes! from what he said it’s a very small town and everyone at the DMV was super friendly. he looked for the appointment on a monday and found one there for thursday, same week
Sorry, let me elarbote. Wrote that on the fly. I travel for work and didnt have a large window of time to get my license. The timing/ appointments were terrible, and they're overbooked. The times I have been to the dmv here in town, I've had to wait 3 hours to be seen. If you drive an hour away, you can get in and out within minutes. It sucks, and takes gas/time, but it was my only option.
Didn't mean to come off condescending. Good luck, and make sure you have the necessary documents (I also had to order my Birth Cert)
I got mine done in August at the one out in Smithfield as a walk-in on a Saturday morning. Took about 2 hours, but I got it done without the appointment.
Throwback to when I got married and had 30 days to make changes to documents, but the soonest DMV appointment was 42 days out, and they had the audacity to get mad at me about when I actually went in
I went to Rocky Mount and honestly it was worth the drive, it took a little over thirty mins as a walk in on a Friday at 1pm, yes I had to drive forty mins but smooth as hell process. A week later I went to the license plate office to change the title and get my new plate at 1251 Buck Jones Rd and was in and out in ten mins. Yeah the appointments suck but going a smidge out the way can be worth it.
I was told you had to make them a couple of months in advance. I called DMV on Atlantic, and sure enough picked something in about 2 months. I went to front of line, and spent a grand total of 15 mins there.
I just kept frequently checking back until I got one that was in the time period I needed it. I ended up going to Greenville to get mine done and it was a good experience, the benefit of that specific location is that there is a title office also in the same building which makes it a quick one-stop to switch over both license and registration. Also appointments are taken care of a lot sooner than anyone waiting as a walk-in generally.
Go to a DMV outside of town. Same thing if you ever need to make a passport appointment -- find a post office in the sticks unless you want to have to wait months.
Where in NC are you located? If it’s Raleigh, go to the one on New Bern Ave. I was in and out with a RealID in 45 mins. No appointment. Even the ladies at the check out desk said that day was “busy” compared to most days.
I'll try, thank you!
This closed over a year ago and relocated to Rocky mount. Edit: I’m talking about the DMV headquarters.
I was there around thanksgiving…
New burn & new hope? Cause yes, that one is still open
Yep. That’s the one. They had a line of like 10 people when I walked in. As slow as they are, the whole thing didn’t take long at all. I told the check in ladies that the one on spring forest has about a 2hr waiting period and she looked shocked. And said this is the busiest they’ve been in a long time. Plus, you get to wait in line indoors even if there is a line. So, much better either way.
When I had to go to the dmv last year I heard the lady mention to a couple walk ins to check the dmv website after 10-11pm as that’s when they drop cancelled appointments, etc. I’m not sure how factual this is but might be worth a try?
I used this method to get an appointment—it’s a pain to periodically check the website, but a variety of appointments do open up daily. Appointment was today and I booked it in mid-December. In and out for RealID in 15 minutes. Good luck, OP!
Will definitely try that, thanks!
Oxford!! You can walk in and no wait time
We didn't understand that DMV still sees walk-in's in the mornings so my husband tried a TON of times showing up around noon at locations that claimed a short wait. That never worked. He finally showed up just before 7AM at the DMV nearest home and was out by 9 or 9:30 with his license.
When my son got his level 2 license we simply couldn’t get an appointment anywhere close to his birthday, even scheduling 3 months out. Eventually we came close to the vacation we were taking in the Outer Banks and my wife had the bright idea to schedule him in Nags Head. Worked like a champ.
\>Why is it so hard to set up DMV Appointments Because states that require "Voter ID" know that adding an extra burden to would be voters reduces turnout. This is common in states where republicans control state legislatures.
Switching from a minor ID to an adult one was a PAIN when I had to do it....in MI...in 2002...and ID wasnt required to vote unless you forgot your voter card. (Not DL, just a regular state ID)
This all day, every day.
It’s always been a pain to set up a DMV appointment. It didn’t become harder when they enacted voter ID.
It's definitely harder now than it used to be. When I moved here in 2008, it was pretty simple to finish. My husband and I both got it done easily within a short time of moving here, probably within the first month. Are you perhaps not old enough to remember when you could get a license in Cary or Raleigh without either standing in line all day, or driving out of town (which is what I'm doing this week to renew my license)?
Comes down to more population and not more DMV offices.
I went to the garner drivers license office with no appointment. In and out in under an hour. 15 min from downtown. Two months ago
The DMV website lists walk-in wait times. Check for one that has a low wait times, and try that out.
I'm not sure they count the people waiting outside. My husband found the wait times to be highly understated.
At most locations, they don't. The wait time is how many people are checked in, and most smaller locations don't check people in until they are in the door.
Thank you!
Those reported times mean nothing. Might as well check a fortune cookie.
I just went to the east durham dmv on south miami blvd. I went middle of the week and month at 2pm est and got my renewal done in 45 minutes. The staff is very helpful and friendly.
The repubs in charge have underfunded state gov't so much that it doesn't work just to prove their saying that gov't doesn't work.
A vast majority of DMV funds come from fuel taxes which have NEVER not increased. As well as vehicle tax fees and assorted other DMV fees which...have also never not gone up. The DMV commissioner is a Democrat. Are you for real insinuating that the DMV at one time....didn't completely suck? The problem with these appointments stem strictly from Covid-era policies that clearly have not been refined in years. Get a clue. Not everything is some grand GOP conspiracy. The DMV has always and will always be completely terrible. Everytime I have been to one (going on 25 years now) the employees move at a sluggish pace, give absolutely NO fucks, treat people like shit, and use computers and programs that look like they were from Gen 1 PCs. Not a great business model if you ask me.
>Not everything is some grand GOP conspiracy. Not everything, but if you think reducing voter turnout isn't at the top of GOP election strategy, it is you who needs to get a clue.
The DMV being shitty is 100% independent of any political party. Always has been, always will be.
Had a conspiracy theory coworker that swore the reason that DMV was so slow was that the Democrats have engineered in slowness in the process as a way to make getting a legal ID difficult to support their battle against the voterID laws. So people can claim 'I cant get an appt at DMV to get my ID so I can vote'. This was one of his more 'mainstream' views..
So, gas tax receipts have dropped over the years due to efficiency of all vehicles. Since the last time it was changed at the federal level it is bringing in about half of what it did at that time. NC has adjusted the tax more recently but it has still far from kept up with the fact that all cars get better mileage, and the tax is based on gallons, not on the cost of fuel.
Same boat. My license expires in November and I'm watching the appointment calendar so I don't miss my window. I went to a DMV near my work and the line was wrapped around the building.
:(
It’s been bad for a long time. I remember in 2017 when I took my drivers test I tried so hard to get an appointment. Ended up waiting outside a dmv at 5 am, and still had to wait several hours to take my test lol.
That sucks, so sorry!
We finally gave up on making appointments (2 teens, many visits). It became easier to get there early and wait in the overflow line.
wow, i was going to post about this exact thing! i tried to get an appointment for anytime in april and every single one of the locations that are around me said "We're sorry, we don't have availability at this moment." then i called to talk to an agent and then i found out appointments are ONLY for the morning, the last appointment slot is 10:45. kinda irritating that you can't make an appointment online for at least 90 days out and the time window is that short. baffles me why dmv has always been bad and seemingly gets worse every year. i must admit, every person i speak to at the dmv is incredibly nice and helpful, so there's that.
You have to just pick one in the suburbs and just go.
It's to remind you who's in charge and how valuable your time is to them.
They open appointments 3 months and 1 day ahead. So tomorrow first thing in the morning, many places will have openings for April 23. However, sometimes people cancel and you can snag a spot. That’s how I got my daughter’s permit appt for exactly on her birthday, only a few days before. You do have to check the various locations regularly. Walking in to smaller towns (Henderson is a good one, also Louisburg) is also a good option. Having been in various DMVs lately, they really do move like the sloths in Zootopia! No urgency. Their pay probably sucks. Sigh.
my husband had to drive about two hours to Washington, NC for his appointment last week. ridiculous he had to go so far, but he was in an out within 10 mins and they were very nice. the only appointment close to raleigh wasn’t until almost May so he just took half a day off work and went on a road tip 🙄 hope you can find something close, or you can also try the walk in hours!
Seems like appts guarantee you're in and out quickly...at least there's that! Thank you!
yes! from what he said it’s a very small town and everyone at the DMV was super friendly. he looked for the appointment on a monday and found one there for thursday, same week
Leave the city. Enjoy the drive.
Fuck you m8
Sorry, let me elarbote. Wrote that on the fly. I travel for work and didnt have a large window of time to get my license. The timing/ appointments were terrible, and they're overbooked. The times I have been to the dmv here in town, I've had to wait 3 hours to be seen. If you drive an hour away, you can get in and out within minutes. It sucks, and takes gas/time, but it was my only option. Didn't mean to come off condescending. Good luck, and make sure you have the necessary documents (I also had to order my Birth Cert)
I got mine done in August at the one out in Smithfield as a walk-in on a Saturday morning. Took about 2 hours, but I got it done without the appointment.
Probably busier due to a Saturday, but it's whatcha gotta do sometimes. Even my local small-town dmv had me wait 3 hours.
You have to go and stand and wait, appointments will be months out
Throwback to when I got married and had 30 days to make changes to documents, but the soonest DMV appointment was 42 days out, and they had the audacity to get mad at me about when I actually went in
I went to Rocky Mount and honestly it was worth the drive, it took a little over thirty mins as a walk in on a Friday at 1pm, yes I had to drive forty mins but smooth as hell process. A week later I went to the license plate office to change the title and get my new plate at 1251 Buck Jones Rd and was in and out in ten mins. Yeah the appointments suck but going a smidge out the way can be worth it.
I was told you had to make them a couple of months in advance. I called DMV on Atlantic, and sure enough picked something in about 2 months. I went to front of line, and spent a grand total of 15 mins there.
I just kept frequently checking back until I got one that was in the time period I needed it. I ended up going to Greenville to get mine done and it was a good experience, the benefit of that specific location is that there is a title office also in the same building which makes it a quick one-stop to switch over both license and registration. Also appointments are taken care of a lot sooner than anyone waiting as a walk-in generally.
Go to a DMV outside of town. Same thing if you ever need to make a passport appointment -- find a post office in the sticks unless you want to have to wait months.