NJ MVC Makes Changes As 10 Sites Now Closed Due To COVID

NEW JERSEY — The Motor Vehicle Commission announced that it's continuing to make changes to help customers now that 10 Motor Vehicle Commission centers are closed after employees tested positive for the coronavirus.

The MVC revealed late Monday that a vast majority of the agency's business – 75 percent – has now been moved to the Internet at NJMVC.gov and that 40 percent more transactions are being processed each week since before the pandemic.

Eighty percent of the license and registration renewals are now being handled online, officials said.

"New Jerseyans are well-served by the MVC, as we deliver motor vehicle services as safely and effectively as possible during a pandemic," said William Connolly, a spokesman for the MVC.

Connolly responded to Patch after a CBS report said that many people have expressed frustration about the MVC's progress. Read more: NJ Residents Frustrated As MVC Closures Cause Tens Of Thousands Of Canceled Appointments

Connolly said this "aggressive shift" to online services during the pandemic has resulted in millions of fewer visits to an agency.

For the few remaining transactions that require an in-person visit to an agency, nearly all are available by appointment now, he said.

"While many appointments had to be rescheduled due to COVID closures at agencies, we add thousands of appointments daily to our nearly 40 agency locations throughout the state," he said. "Appointments are only needed for a handful of services now."

The MVC revealed the changes as it also noted that all of the closed centers will undergo a full COVID-19 cleaning and staff will be quarantined before reopening.

Here is a list of the MVC Centers closed for several days and when they will reopen:

• Rahway Licensing Center - Wednesday, April 7
• South Brunswick Vehicle Center - Friday, April 9
• Delanco Licensing Center - Friday, April 9
• Oakland Licensing Center - Monday, April 12
• Cherry Hill Vehicle Center - Wednesday, April 14
• Flemington Licensing Center - Wednesday, April 14
• Lakewood Vehicle Center - Thursday, April 15
• Eatontown Regional/Licensing Center - Thursday, April 15
• North Bergen Licensing Center - Friday, April 16
• East Orange Vehicle Center - Monday, April 19

MVC Online

There are nearly 30 online services available at the website, including most renewals for licenses and registrations.

Before scheduling an appointment, customers should first check to see if their transaction can be completed online and skip the trip to an MVC agency.

Appointments are scheduled up to 60 days in advance and are widely available, officils said. The MVC has more than doubled daily appointments for license and registration renewals recently.

Appointment Cancellations

Any appointments canceled due to an MVC location closure must be rescheduled on the website. Customers will get an email when their appointment has been canceled.

If a customer can't make an appointment, it should be canceled using the guidance in the MVC's confirmation email to open the appointment for others.

Renewals

License/ID and registration renewals that can't be completed online require an appointment. Renewals are not available on a walk-in basis.

Check Your Documents

Customers should check the expiration date on their documents and renew early. Most licenses can be renewed online three months before expiration and most vehicle registrations two months before expiration, officials said.

If you can't renew online, make an appointment within the renewal window. Don't wait until you're up against an expiration date, officials said.

Know Before You Go

Before all MVC visits, customers should log on to NJMVC.gov to check if the agency might be closed because of an employee testing positive for COVID-19, or for any other reason. The MVC has 39 locations to serve customers throughout the state.

Customers can complete many transactions online, schedule appointments, and find out more about MVC operations on the website.

Customers can also identify whether a license or vehicle transaction is available online, by appointment, or walk-in by using the MVC "Cheat Sheet" on the home page of the website.

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