Phoenix – Searching for the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division online? Not only should you go to the right website, you also need to be wary of a new trend of people using social media to offer services that are actually free.

“We’ve recently seen Facebook traffic with people offering to sell materials and tutor potential teenage drivers on how to pass the learner’s permit test,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards.

“While offering those services isn’t illegal, people should know that they can get the same information at no cost at the ADOT MVD website,” she said. “We’ve offered free online practice tests for years and if someone takes the three 30-question exams, they will see almost every question offered. It makes no sense to pay someone for these materials.”

She added, “Customers should also be cautious when doing a web search for the MVD. Doing a search for the ‘Arizona DMV’, or ‘DMV Arizona’ will take you to a copycat webpage not affiliated with ADOT. Customers who use those sites will often be charged much larger fees than they would through the MVD, and in some cases they are paying exorbitant prices for something that’s actually free.”

MVD offers services through www.ServiceArizona.com, and customers accessing ServiceArizona.com may also set up a personal MVD account in the AZ MVD Now application. MVD also has a general information website at www.azdot.gov/mvd.

PHOENIX – Innovations that are making lines shorter and services more convenient for Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division customers are coming at a rapid-fire pace. To keep up, MVD is using occasional emails to let customers know what’s new.

More than 1.6 million customers currently get registration renewal updates and will also now periodically receive information about MVD service improvements. 

“In just the past few years, MVD has vastly increased the services available online and we need to take more steps to let people know about these innovations, so customers may occasionally get an informational email from MVD,” said Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards.

• electronic title transfers,
• updating insurance information,
• creating personal AZ MVDNow accounts,
• making office appointments for road tests,
• getting the Voluntary Travel I.D., among other services.

About two-thirds of all MVD transactions can be done online.

Other innovations include streamlined office customer service, expanded operating hours, and shorter wait times for phone customers.

“Obviously, people don’t want to be overwhelmed with emails, so any communication will be infrequent and designed to inform our valued customers about improved or added services options. It’s very important that we keep our customers updated about ways we’re working to get Arizonans out of line and safely on the road,” she added.

To sign up for both email registration renewal notification and updates go to the “Address / email change” tab at www.ServiceArizona.com. Those interested in service improvement updates only may sign up for “Motor Vehicle News and Info” at the “Subscribe to Updates” tab at www.azdot.gov.

PHOENIX – For many Arizonans, transferring a vehicle title may no longer require a visit to an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division or an Authorized Third Party office.  MVD has unveiled the eTitle online service, which gives many customers the option to do this transaction on their computer, tablet or mobile device.

“Going to an MVD or third-party office can be time-consuming, so having  eTitle available for basic customer-to-customer transactions simplifies the process by allowing many customers to do this online,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “People go online to do their banking, pay bills, file taxes and a lot more, so expanding our digital offerings to include basic title transfers is a common-sense innovation. It’s one more way MVD is getting Arizonans out of line and safely on the road.”

A basic transfer is one in which the seller must be an individual owner, or two or more owners who have the “or” legal status. The vehicle must be titled and registered in Arizona and have no liens or brands (such as salvage title). The buyer must be an individual owner with an Arizona credential.

With eTitle, the first step is for the buyer and seller to each set up a personal account at AZ MVD Now, an online portal available through ServiceArizona.com where customers establish a secure online account to do multiple MVD transactions.

AZ MVD Now uses multi-factor security protocols requiring an account to be password-protected and verified by sending the customer a text or phone message to verify the security code. Out-of-state residents cannot use the system.

eTitle guides the buyer and seller through the process and once completed, the title information is verified and updated in the MVD database. Paper titles are more susceptible to fraud, so eTitle is a consumer protection enhancement as well as a convenience.

With the transfer complete, the buyer can print a temporary registration at home as well as the temporary paper license plate to be displayed on the vehicle until the permanent plate is sent to the buyer. The buyer finalizes the transaction by paying applicable title and registration fees to the MVD.

The MVD does not have any role in the actual sale of the vehicle such as determining the price.

For more information: azdot.gov/eTitle.

PHOENIX – Arizona teenagers pursuing a driver instruction permit will be able to take the written drivers’ test online beginning Monday, March 5.

The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is introducing the Permit Test @ Home available to parents by setting up a free personal AZ MVD Now account, which is accessed through ServiceArizona.com.

Potential drivers will still be required to pass a road skills test prior to receiving a driver license, and all permit holders must drive with a licensed driver in the front seat.

“Online testing is commonplace for things such as college courses and professional certifications, so having the Permit Test @ Home is a modern and convenient way for MVD to serve our customers,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards.

“Learning to drive is a rite of passage for many teens and the Permit Test @ Home makes the process a bit easier,” she added. “Rather than requiring teens and their parents to come to an MVD office to pick up the manual and then return for the knowledge test, MVD is making everything available digitally.”

Online practice tests have been available at www.azdot.gov/practice for a number of years, allowing students to familiarize themselves with the questions and become better informed about traffic laws and procedures. The Permit Test @ Home expands that to the actual test by establishing a secure proctoring method in which parents log into AZ MVD Now to establish an account using their driver license or ID card.

The parent or guardian will then register their teen for the Permit Test @ Home and agree to the terms. Teens must be at least 15 years and 6 months old to obtain an instruction permit.  Parents must certify that they will proctor the exam fairly. For teens under the age of 18, the application for an instruction permit or driver license must be signed by a parent or guardian who is responsible for damage caused by negligence or the willful misconduct of the child. 

The Permit Test @ Home requires a $7 application fee, which is the same fee applicable to office visits.

Teens will have three attempts to pass the test within 12 months.

For more information: www.servicearizona.com

PHOENIX – Opening Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices at 7:30 a.m. has proven to be a popular success at an additional 11 locations where expanded hours have improved overall customer service.

The change is now permanent at offices in Apache Junction, Bullhead City, Casa Grande, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Nogales, Prescott, Show Low and Yuma.

“It works. Because the doors open at 7:30 instead of 8 o’clock, we have fewer people lined up to be the first in line,’’ said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “Our employees’ schedules can be more flexible, which means we have more people available to serve customers at the busiest times such as the lunch hour. It also means we process paperwork faster. That cuts down on the need for workers to catch up on those tasks at the end of the day, which significantly lowers overtime hours and saves taxpayer dollars.”

The expanded hours were first tested in Tucson beginning in mid-2016 and resulted in shorter customer wait times and lower overtime costs, leading the program to be expanded to the Phoenix area as well. These initiatives stem from the implementation of the Arizona Management System, which empowers employees at every level of state agencies to come up with new innovations to help government serve customers more efficiently.

The added daily hours also allow MVD to proceed with a program to continually train Customer Service Representatives as the agency modernizes its infrastructure. On the second Wednesday of each month, MVD offices will open at noon to allow time for employee continuing education programs.

For more information: www.azdot.gov/mvd

PHOENIX – It just became easier to do business with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, and more enhancements are on the way.

For the first time ever, customers can now set up an online personalized account to manage all their MVD needs through the new AZ MVD Now portal, which is accessible through ServiceArizona.com.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “AZ MVD Now works like having an account with an online retailer. This will revolutionize how people do business with MVD much like people’s shopping habits have been transformed by the internet. This will open the door to maximize the number of MVD transactions done online. Right now that number is a little more than half, but eventually most will be available through AZ MVD Now.”

“Among the first major improvements we will unveil sometime in 2018 is allowing customers to transfer titles online, which will make it much easier for people to buy and sell vehicles without having to do paperwork at a physical location,” he added.

The current ServiceArizona.com method for conducting individual, point-in-time transactions remains in place, but AZ MVD Now, which represents the ongoing implementation of the Arizona Management System championed by Gov. Doug Ducey, provides a higher level of individualized service, including:

• Create an account: AZ MVD Now allows you to manage your interactions with MVD. All of the vehicles titled and/or registered in your name are associated with the account.
• Fund the account: When paying at an MVD office or online, you can still use a traditional form of payment such as debit, credit or EFT. Or you may pay with funds in your new financial account.
• Issue a prepaid voucher: This functions like a store credit and allows flexibility of who pays for transactions.
• View a title: A vehicle owner can see full title details on vehicles they own. Additionally, there is a limited view where a citizen can look up a vehicle to confirm the vehicle is eligible for transfer.

Jorgensen noted, “Arizona’s MVD is among the first motor vehicle agencies in the U.S. to adopt this technology that will make it easier for MVD to fulfill its vision to get Arizona out of line and safely on the road.”

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has begun opening its offices at 7:30 a.m. in 11 Arizona communities to gauge customer demand for expanded office hours.

The new hours are now being tested in Apache Junction, Bullhead City, Casa Grande, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Nogales, Prescott, Sierra Vista and Yuma. Expanded hours will be offered for at least 30 days, and will be made permanent if the change proves to improve customer service.

Since mid-2016, MVD has rolled out extended operating times at locations in metro Phoenix and Tucson.

“MVD has found that opening our offices a half-hour earlier in Tucson and Phoenix allowed us to expand service hours without adding cost or impacting service,” said MVD Field Operations Administrator Mike Cryderman.

He added, “This change also allows MVD more flexibility for scheduling employees. This is especially helpful at lunch time when offices tend to be busier and staggered lunch breaks for MVD staff mean more service windows are open. It also helps employees manage back-office tasks more rapidly throughout the day. This lowers the need for employees to work later and has reduced overtime costs.”

The 5 p.m. closing time for all MVD offices is unchanged.

PHOENIX – The amount of time it takes for customers to do business at Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices continues to go down and has reached historic levels of improvement.

MVD has established a goal of getting customers in and out of offices in an average of 30 minutes or less; and for the months of November and December that goal was easily surpassed.

For both months, door-to-door customer time averaged slightly over 22 minutes in urban offices and approximately 18 minutes in rural locations. In the same period just one year ago, average times were just over 30 minutes in both rural and urban regions. Two years ago, that number was 52 minutes.

“This is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all MVD employees,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “As part of Gov. Doug Ducey’s Arizona Management System, MVD empowers employees to find ways to do things to better serve our customers. That means more efficient service methods in offices, opening urban locations earlier and offering more options to do business online. Every day we’re exploring new ways to get better, and exciting new innovations are on the way to fulfill the MVD vision to get Arizona out of line and safely on the road.”

A total of just over 207,000 customers were served at physical locations in November with a slightly lower number in December, not counting those who took advantage of MVD office kiosks.