It’s Halloween season, and I have a creepy story about what happened to me when I had to renew my driver’s license at Reno DMV and how to avoid what I went through.
I received a letter from DMV around Labor Day with forms telling me how I could renew my license by mail or by making an appointment online at https://dmv.nv.gov/. I had about a 6-week window before my license was due to expire.
an appointment online at https://dmv.nv.gov/. I had about a 6-week window before my license was due to expire. The mail-in process requires seeing a doctor to have your eyes checked and an evaluation stating that you have no medical conditions affecting your ability to drive safely. Once your doctor signs off the forms, you can mail them to Carson City with your payment for renewing the license. DMV says it takes at least five weeks to process your mail-in paperwork and send your new license. Many seniors can’t get a doctor’s appointment right away, which adds even more time before they can mail in their forms. If I mailed the forms, my license expired before I could receive a new one. When I went online several times, there were no appointments until November, after my license would expire. So, what did I do?
Walk-in Wednesdays: Reno DMV, located at 9155 Double Diamond, has “Walk-in Wednesdays” for people without appointments to renew their licenses or other DMV business. On the Wednesday I went, the line circled the building by their 8 a.m. opening time. Some people told me they had arrived in the middle of the night and slept in line! There must have been 400-500 people waiting when the doors opened. By 11:30 a.m. or so, they reach capacity close off the line, and send folks away until next Wednesday. My advice is to arrive at least by 7 a.m. (or earlier) and bring a chair to sit in. Dress warmly and bring a hot drink if you like. Once you’re inside, you can buy food and drink at their café.
When I got inside, I waited in line for about 30 minutes more to receive an assigned number. It took 3-1/2 hours for my number to be called so I could go to a desk, deliver my paperwork, and pay for my license. It took another 10 minutes at another station to have a photo taken. All the DMV staff were pleasant and very helpful while I was there. Here’s a photo of Kathy, who helped me that day. It was her birthday, so her co-workers had decorated her desk to celebrate.
So how do you avoid all this trouble? You can renew your license early. Don’t wait to get a renewal letter from DMV as I did. DMV allows you to renew your license anytime. If you apply less than 6 months away, the new year of expiration will be set four years (if you are 65 or over) or eight years ahead if you are under 65. If the expiration date is more than 6 months away, your license will renew for a shorter period. A $10 late fee may apply if your license has expired 30 days or more. If your license has expired one year or more, you must take the written test. If your license has expired for four years or more, you will also have to take the skills test.
You can go online to make an appointment with DMV up to 90 days from the day you want to go there. If nothing shows up, you should check back each morning and evening for new slots that are added when cancellations occur. If you do not use the internet yourself, go to your closest public library and ask for help setting up an online appointment. Or you can go to the DMV in person any day but on Wednesdays and get in line to make an appointment to get your license on a future date. This means two trips to the DMV, but if you want to avoid spending at least half a day at the DMV on Walk-in Wednesday, this is a better choice than what happened to me!
