(Editor’s note: A reader wrote “Can you run a story about renewing one’s driver license online? And then the reader explained what happened.)
I received a notice from California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that I was eligible to renew my Real ID license online. I had to create a CA DMV account and followed all the prompts.
I made sure that I had updated my MAILING ADDRESS, and not my residential address. I paid my $45 renewal fee and got a temporary Driver’s License with my MAILING address on it – not my Pacific Palisades residential address.
I went back online to see if it said anywhere that the Driver’s License would have the mailing address on it — it does not state that anywhere.
I assumed the address on my driver’s license would be my residential address, but I was WRONG!
I then went online to see if I could get it corrected, and discovered that I would have to pay another $36 to get it corrected.
I went to the DMV in person to plead my case on Monday, as it had been only two days because I had done it online on Saturday.
I was told the only way to get it replaced for free, and make a correction with the residential address:
1) wait 30 days so DMV can process the renewed DL
2) make an appointment with DMV after the new license arrives
3) tell the DMV that I never received the new license (even if I did receive it). AND tell them to use the residential address because of the Palisades fire AND tell them to mail it to the TEMPORARY mailing address.
4) DMV will replace it for free, I hope! The DMV rep said it should work, but he also said, “cross your fingers.”
DMV said the only way to get the residential address (if it is different from mailing address) on the DL is to renew at a DMV office – not online – not at a kiosk – not anywhere except at a DMV office in person.
We’ll see if this works. Hopefully I’ll get a renewed DL before mine expires in July.
We recently renewed two CDLs within our family online. Use the Palisades address and then have it forwarded. Received both at the forwarding address.
I had to go through this because I had gone to the DMV (in person) just before the fires, to renew my DL and update my last name. That renewed license obviously never made it to me, and after a number of phone calls I found out that I had to go to a DMV office in person AND ask for a supervisor, who is the only person who has access to the form that is required for a DL to be mailed to a different address than the residential address that appears on the DL.
It is a specific DMV form that is for natural disaster situations. I did a walk-in appt @ the Santa Monica DMV and waited about half a hour. The agent and the supervisor were very kind and helpful, and I received my updated DL (showing my residential address) at my PO Box with no issues. Good luck!
I had a similar experience. I went to the DMV for this reason and renewed in person.
I was told the USPS is not supposed to forward any dMV mail. The lady behind the counter said let try and keep your fingers crossed the USPS lets it slide.
Within 2-3 weeks I had gotten my ID forwarded to my current mailing address with my old Pacific Palisades address on it.
I recently had to renew my drivers license and tried to do it on line. Not easy to do. The site seemed not working, and when I tried to make an appointment the first date available was 30 days after my license expired. So I went to the Culver City DMV early in a morning, around 8 a.m. The place was packed. When I went to the front of the line to see what was happening, a DMV security guard took mercy on me and maybe because he could see I was old, he got me inside, skipping the line with ~50 people. Once I was inside, the attendant asked for proof of my address which I brought with me a copy of my gas company bill. He said no he needed 2 different I.D.’s and to go home and get another one. We then asked how we could skip this and he said we only needed 2 for a new I.D. Real I.D. which I could care less about, so when I said I only want a new drivers license, he said, OK, we can do that!
The rest of the process went OK, but I don’t need a real ID. They were fairly disorganized and I was able to complete the procedure in 1 hour. Another example of inefficiency in government. Where is Elon Musk when I need him?
I, too, was told the post office would not forward material from the DMV. That was from the Auto Club. They said not to go online because it would have to be mailed. Instead they said to use the kiosk at the local DMV, so nothing has to be mailed. So a few days ago when I needed to renew my car registration, I went to the Santa Monica DMV. There was only one person in front of me using the kiosk. I was in and out in 15 minutes.
My husband renewed his license on line in February and put our new address down as his residence. The new license was sent to Pac Pal and never forwarded. Same with our vehicle registration. (Both were returned to the DMV but we didn’t find that out until later in the process.) We found out that the DMV is still staffing a table at the disaster recovery center. My husband went there, had no wait, and worked with a very helpful lady who confirmed both had gone back to Sacramento. He got an extension on his temporary license and the new permanent one is in process. We still need to get the vehicle registration paperwork resent and can do that through the AAA.