In a bid to reduce wait times and end the purgatory-like pain of sitting in a DMV, New Hampshire will transition to a fully appointment-based scheduling system starting Monday, Nov. 3.
Locations around the state first began offering appointments in 2020, during the pandemic. The ability to schedule a slot has proven popular, according to state officials, who say a fully-scheduled system will help people get in and get out more efficiently.
“They know what they're coming in for. We know what they're coming in for. So when they come in, it'll be a seamless transaction and they'll be on with their day,” says John Marasco, head of the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles.
People with appointments, on average, complete their transactions in about 10 minutes. Wait times for people who don’t make an appointment can stretch to several hours at certain locations during certain times of the day.
Under the new system, there will be 9,500 appointments available across 14 locations each week. The state’s busiest DMV branches in Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Epping will extend appointment hours until 5 p.m. two days a week.
A block of same-day appointments will be released each morning to help customers with urgent transactions, including people whose license may be expiring that day.
"We're not going to be turning anybody away that's going to be unlicensed or run into a situation that way,” says Marasco. “If there's urgency behind it, we're getting it done.”
Appointments can be made through the DMV’s website, or by calling (603) 227-4000.
For people who arrive in person without an appointment, state employees will be available to assist in finding open appointment windows, including at other locations.
The DMV handles more than 425,000 in-person transactions annually, from road tests and REAL IDs to driver’s license renewals and name changes, and its call center receives more than 300,000 phone calls.
Marasco says the state spends about $180,000 annually on overtime for DMV employees who assist customers who arrive late in the day. With appointment scheduling, the state hopes to avoid some of those costs in the future.
