Connecticut Begins Online Motor Vehicle Registration Renewals

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Tuesday that the Department of Motor Vehicles will for the first time allow some owners of passenger vehicles to renew their registrations through the Internet. It is DMV's first major test of a statewide, online transaction system for the general public.

"This is a long-overdue but fantastic start for making DMV transactions accessible online to those who want this convenience rather than going to a DMV office or using the mail," the Governor said. "It shows that DMV knows the importance of this kind of customer service. Other kinds of the upgrades in technology now occurring in the agency will help DMV bring online more services to benefit residents."

DMV Commissioner Robert M. Ward said the program is a major step forward for the agency. Vehicle owners currently renew through the mail or by visiting a DMV branch office.
 
"I see this pilot project as just the beginning of creating alternative approaches to help people reach us in different ways," Commissioner Ward said. "Our customers are important and this kind of project is good customer service."
 
The online renewal is simple and easy to use:

• Customers review an initial screen informing them about how the system works and what kinds of registrations qualify for online renewal

• The next screen asks for a personal identification number (provided in the mailed registration renewal form) and other information

• The third screen asks the customer to review the vehicle and fee information

• The fourth screen asks for confirmation that the customer wants to execute the renewal

• The fifth screen seeks credit card, name and address information for billing

• The sixth screen asks the customer to review the credit card information and execute payment

• The seventh screen gives the customer a receipt and again informs the customer that the transaction becomes final after DMV reviews the vehicle's records to ensure the registration can occur and processes the payment

Online renewal has been explored for the last few years as other kinds of technological changes made it possible. The agency has focused on ways for people to do business with DMV in places other than crowded DMV offices.

Having partnerships with AAA centers for license renewal, creating satellite centers and other smaller offices and changing driver license terms from four to six years helped to draw people out of the major branch offices around the state.

Moving to online transactions is a bonus in this effort. As a pilot program to test how well such a system will work and how many people will use it, this new service is available now only to vehicle owners who have passenger registrations without any delinquent property taxes or parking tickets. The owners must also have the state-required insurance coverage and emissions test for their vehicles. Those with suspended registrations will not be renewed.

Customers are given an online receipt. However, final confirmation that renewal has been processed will be the receipt of the new registration certificate and windshield sticker mailed to the address on file with the DMV. To allow time for mailing by the expiration, customers should complete the transaction shortly after receiving their renewal notice.

The agency has set up a special hot line number for those customers who need assistance with the system or do not receive their documents within 10 days of making the transaction.

On Friday DMV will mail about 30,000 vehicle owners their registration renewal application. This will be the first group to receive information about using this system. Every two weeks afterwards a new batch will be sent.

The service could be expanded after evaluations and other technological changes at the DMV to other transactions. The system was designed by DMV and staff from the Department of Information Technology.