The Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday that it will close its offices Tuesday, Aug. 11 and reopen Tuesday, Aug. 18 in order to facilitate a computer upgrade.
The upgrade will modernize how residents interact with, and receive services from, the agency.
“Customers will soon be able to ask themselves, ‘Do I really need to visit a DMV office?’ They will be able to get out of line and go online for many more services,” DMV Commissioner Andres Ayala said in a statement.
However, he cautioned that in the days preceding and following the shutdown, customers should anticipate longer-than-usual lines at the DMV.
“As we gear up, we expect heavier-than-usual business. During this period, we kindly ask customers to also use AAA offices, if possible, for license and ID renewals. Once we open back up, we also encourage them to use our new online services. This will help reduce unnecessary waits at a DMV office,” Ayala added.
To help ease the impact of the shutdown and bringing up a new system, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Ayala have ordered that the expiration date of all driver’s licenses, ID cards or vehicle registrations will be extended through Oct. 10, 2015, and renewals can be done without a late fee until that date.
Although extensions have been given for the credentials and registrations that the DMV issues, emissions test due dates have not been extended, and all compliance issues remain unaffected by the extension. All customers who take advantage of the registration extension must maintain insurance coverage on their vehicles.
AAA offices also will be open during the DMV shutdown period for license and ID card renewals.