DMV Offices Closing Temporarily

Six local Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles offices are scheduled to temporarily close this month as part of a state-initiated upgrade of its licensing process.

Offices in Southwest Virginia will be closed for one or two days for renovations needed to prepare for a new process to issue driver’s licenses and identification cards, according to a written news statement from the department.

Included in the temporary closings are:
* Bristol DMV, 21341 Old Dominion Road, Monday and Tuesday.
* Norton DMV, 1729 Park Ave., Tuesday and June 10.
* Vansant DMV, 1657 Lovers Gap Road, June 10-11.
* Jonesville customer service center, 4 Hill St., Monday.
* Clintwood customer service center, 2311 Dickenson Highway, Tuesday.
* Lebanon DMV, 567 W. Main St., June 10.

Once changes are complete, licenses will be mailed from a secure, central location rather than handed out over the counter. All 74 DMV offices statewide will be converted to the new method by the end of July.

Virginia’s driver’s licenses and ID cards also have a new look for the first time in a decade, and a number of new security features.

“The new issuance process and new driver’s licenses and ID cards will position Virginia as a national leader in identification security, producing one of the most secure and trusted state-issued credentials in the nation,” said Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner D.B. Smit.

Customers are not required to get a new license until their current one is about to expire. Virginians may continue to apply for licenses and ID cards at DMV customer service centers.