PHOENIX – In order to strengthen efforts to protect the health and safety of all Arizonans during the current pandemic, all Arizona Department of Transportation offices, including the Motor Vehicle Division, now require employees and customers to wear face coverings.

“Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our customers and employees,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “COVID-19 is a significant health threat and we are committed to doing everything we can to protect Arizonans, especially those in vulnerable populations.”

Based on guidelines from state and national public health authorities, ADOT is making the wearing of coverings mandatory for employees and customers who have appointments at MVD offices and any other ADOT locations where the public does business. This includes ports of entry and Enforcement and Compliance Division offices, VIN inspection locations and the Executive Hearing Office, among others. Previously, only customers at MVD offices with road-test appointments were required to wear face coverings. 

Many Arizona municipalities are requiring people to wear coverings in public, and ADOT urges customers to be aware of the policies in their communities. 

The vast majority of customer contacts occur at MVD offices. Locations have been open since the public health emergency was declared in March, but appointments are required and are limited to services such as first-time driver licenses, first-time registrations and road tests. 

While the face covering requirement is new, since the declaration of the public health emergency MVD offices have implemented a number of procedures to protect the public’s health:

• MVD began limiting all office visits to appointment-only to reduce the number of customer and employee interactions. This also discourages lines forming outside.
• Every office now has clear screens separating employees and customers as well as social distancing markers.
• To further reduce the need for customers to visit an office, a statewide customer service phone line at 602.712.2700 was established to handle some transactions. Customers may also email MVD through the ADOT Contact page at azdot.gov.  Also, online offerings increased significantly with more services added to azmvdnow.gov.
• There is added cleaning of each location on a regular basis.
• Many MVD services are available online anytime at azmvdnow.gov or through ServiceArizona.com.
• Online options are especially important as the customer service experience has been impacted due to the coronavirus. Call center operations have been diminished, meaning call queues can be more than 30 minutes before reaching a customer service representative. 

“ADOT continues working with our telephone system providers to improve the customer experience,” Halikowski said. “We are operating in unprecedented times and our customers are feeling the stress of that when trying to do business with us. We recognize this is not the level of service that the public has come to expect, or that we expect from ourselves, and we are working hard to find new ways to safely and effectively serve the public.”

With employees absent due to illness and quarantine requirements, customer service representatives are feeling the pressure to maintain acceptable levels of service – building on the improvements heralded at MVD over the past few years. 

“Before this public health emergency, MVD was focused on improving the customer experience and reducing wait times in offices. We haven’t lost that focus,” said Eric Jorgensen, director of ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division. “We know today’s situation for customers isn’t good, and we apologize for that. At the same time, we have offices around the state with front-line workers dedicated to keeping pace with the needs of our customers. Under stressful and hectic conditions, they are pushing forward to provide critical services for the public. We are making process and technology improvements every day to make the situation better for Arizonans.” 

The face covering requirement for employees, customers and visitors will be effective Monday, June 22.

For more information: azdot.gov.

PHOENIX - If you’re used to seeing Arizona license plates issued with sequential letters and numbers, those days are slipping away. The ADOT Motor Vehicle Division now issues plates with random sequencing. The change vastly increases the number and type of plates that can be distributed.

“We’ve had some questions about these new plates because it is a big change and it looks so different from what people are used to,” MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser Richards said.

“One of the benefits of the new computer system now used by the MVD is that we have a lot more capacity to manage how plates are issued,” she said. “That’s a big deal when we have so many different types of plates for trailers, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, the standard plate and all the specialty plates we offer. Random sequencing means we have a virtually unlimited supply of letters and numbers to put on plates and one result will be the ability to add more specialty plates when authorized by the Legislature.”

Most specialty plates help fund charitable causes in Arizona. In addition to making it possible for more causes to be represented, random sequencing will also allow for more plates to be sized for motorcycle usage, which was a limitation of the old MVD computer system. 

This change also affects the temporary plate issued when someone buys a vehicle. The temporary document will display the sequence contained on the permanent plate being sent to the customer. Plates are no longer available at MVD or Authorized Third Party offices; they are sent to the customer by mail.

PHOENIX - Throughout this public health situation, Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices have remained open with one caveat: Appointments are required.  

Appointments are available for customers who need to get their driver license for the first time as well as first-time vehicle registrations. Most other services are available online through secure, personal accounts at azmvdnow.gov or through ServiceArizona.com. 

Scheduling an appointment must be done through the MVD statewide customer service phone line at 602.712.2700 during normal weekday business hours. Because call volume is typically very high, and phone-in transactions take more time than in-person services, customers are likely to experience waits of 30 minutes or more when calling in. MVD apologizes for the inconvenience while services are modified to meet social distancing and other pandemic safety protocols.

MVD encourages customers to use online services whenever possible for convenience and to reduce both the phone traffic on the statewide line and potential customer traffic at physical locations. 

Most Authorized Third Party offices are open, many of which can provide the full range of MVD services. For information on hours, locations and services, please visit azdot.gov.  

Customers whose driver license expires between March and September of this year have automatically had that date extended by six months. No office visit is needed until the new date. This extended expiration date is updated in the MVD customer’s motor vehicle record. 

MVD has also begun a new process of providing items such as registration tabs, license plates, titles and other documents to customers. Plates and tabs are sent to the customer through the U.S. Postal Service while titles and most other documents are recorded electronically on each customer’s online MVD account, which customers can securely access through azmvdnow.gov. 

PHOENIX - Even though ADOT Motor Vehicle Division offices are serving a limited number of customers by appointment only due to the public health situation, customers aren’t limited in their ability to offer the gift of being an organ, eye or tissue donor. 

Since 2017, organ donation has been an option for online customers renewing their vehicle registration, a service that attracts about 250,000 customers a month. The online option of signing up to be a donor after applying for a driver’s license or ID dates back even longer.

“MVD has had a vital partnership with Donor Network of Arizona for many years, and our customers should know that you can still make this life-saving choice despite the fact many of our in-office services are temporarily unavailable,” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. 

He added, “Nearly 400,000 Arizonans have signed up for their secure, personal AZ MVD Now account at azmvdnow.gov or through servicearizona.com. Either web service allows customers to sign up as organ donors. Of course, this option is still available for customers who use Authorized Third Party providers and those who have an appointment for the services we continue to provide by appointment at MVD locations.”

Julia Young of Donor Network Arizona noted, “Registering as a donor is an act of generosity. It’s something we can all do regardless of age or health condition. More than 95% of new donor registrations come from ADOT MVD transactions. Whether through their online services or by checking the box when visiting an MVD in person, Arizonans are expressing generosity and saving lives thanks to the strong partnership between DNA and ADOT MVD.”

She added, “If you are not currently registered as an organ, eye and tissue donor, we strongly urge you to visit donatelifeaz.org where you can safely and securely join the registry to save lives right from home. The entire process takes 38 seconds or less!” 

For more information: azdot.gov or donatelifeaz.org.

PHOENIX – With Motor Vehicle Division offices currently limited to essential services that require in-person visits by appointment, the Arizona Department of Transportation strongly recommends that customers try going online, visiting Authorized Third Party offices or using the U.S. mail before seeking office appointments.

Due to the current public health situation, MVD offices cannot accept walk-in customers. 

Call volume is very high to the statewide MVD customer service hotline at 602.255.0072, where customers needing to conduct essential transactions can make office appointments, in part because customers are trying to schedule visits for services that don’t require them.

The only essential services that must be done at an MVD office are: first-time driver licenses or ID cards; first-time vehicle registrations; and some complex title work. 

For all other MVD needs, there are several options including going online at ServiceArizona.com, which will direct customers to a menu of MVD services, including those offered through secure, personal accounts at azmvdnow.gov. Customers can learn more about setting up an AZ MVD Now account at azdot.gov/motor-vehicle-services.

Authorized Third Party offices provide another option. Many provide full MVD services, while others have limited offerings. For information about hours, locations and the MVD services provided, please visit ServiceArizona.com. 

While the learner’s Permit Test @ Home is available online at azmvdnow.gov, no appointments are being accepted to complete the learner’s permit process because of health guidelines limiting capacity at MVD offices. ADOT is encouraging customers to delay getting learner’s permits until further notice. 

For more information, please visit azdot.gov.

Driver license holders with a past or current suspension: MVD is working with law enforcement to ensure your status is up to date in the new computer system. Please activate your account at azmvdnow.gov to verify your license status. 

Questions? Contact us at: azdot.gov/contact.