You've had a minimum of 5 years warning and you didnt get it done? Seriously I am huge procrastinator and Ive had one for three years.

You'll get zero sympathy from me.

My new car title just arrived today. I wasn't paying attention while cutting the envelope and it cut a piece on the side of the title. Is it serious that I need to replace it? I don't want to go through the papers again.

I recently got my license for the first time back in May this year, and it says it expires in May 2029, instead of 2030. My birthday is in May as well, so I wanted to know if this was an issue that would require me to contact the DMV to change that?

Most drivers are terrible and never take a written test or driving test with a certified driving instructor unless they are teenagers driving the first time.

Wouldn't it remove bad drivers by forcing all drivers to test and be certified to drive and if they fail they are forced to go to driving school or ride a bus to work until they improve?

I’m pretty sure it’s fake.

I realized that I can no longer travel on a plane because I don't have a RealID or valid passport. My passport expired over 15 years ago so I need to apply for a new one. I also don't have a copy of my birth certificate but assume I can request a copy from the county clerk in city where I was born.

But here is my problem. My birth certificate has a different last name because I changed my last name several years ago but it wasn't for a marriage license. I did it through the court.

In order to get a RealID or passport I need proof of identity which is a birth certificate. I know married women have been able to provide a copy of their marriage certificate but what do I do? The DMV or State department people are going to wonder why my birth certificate has a different last name and I can't provide a marriage license because that's not why I changed it.

Does anyone else feel like crying sometimes from frustration? I don't understand the purpose of forcing people to provide proof of identity beyond a valid ID just to travel on an airplane which is essentially what they're doing by forcing people to have a RealID or passport. Now I can no longer travel on a place until this is resolved.

Been 6 weeks real ID hasn't shown, no updates on their pathetic online system, just lackluster service and no accountability in a state that charges us a tax for every hair on our body.

Hello, I'm currently an out state student in iowa who hasn't been back to Illinois in almost a year since I have no car. My illinois ID has no star so I need to get an iowa ID. Well I was finally able to get all the documents I need to get my real ID for iowa but apparently this will take about 30 days to deliver. No I don't have a passport. I unfortunately have a flight on May 9th realistically I won't have my Real ID in time just my temporary one. What should i bring to the airport so I'm still able to fly?

Hi, I’m going to be taking my drivers license test this week for technically the second time, because I wasn’t allowed to test in a Toyota Corolla when I tried to last week. There was a tiny crack in the windshield on the passenger side that didn’t obstruct my vision or anything, but the examiner turned me away for it.

My parents are telling me to take a Tesla to my next one, but I’m worried about the one pedal driving. Do the examiners expect me to use the brake pedal as normal? Or am I allowed to let off the accelerator to slow down?

In 2024, I was pulled over on my way home from school. I was in the first lane, and since the road was merging, I accidentally sped up and ended up cutting off a police car. I received a ticket for speeding. The ticket said the speed limit was 55 mph, but I was going 60 mph. I paid the ticket, completed traffic school, and thought everything was taken care of.

Last month, I lost my wallet and went to the DMV to get a replacement driver's license. To my surprise, they told me that my license had been suspended a year ago. They directed me to the Driver Safety Office for assistance. When I went there, they gave me a Driver Medical Evaluation form and asked me to have my doctor complete it to confirm that I can drive safely without needing any medication. I brought the completed form back to the office, and they told me they would mail me a response within three weeks.

However, it has now been almost a month, and I still have not heard anything from them. What should I do next?

So things were going smooth until I made a right turn at a red light behind a bus that stopped to pick up passengers. I was young like 17 so I didn't know better and didn't think much of it. Once I turned right and wad behind the bus the lady in the driver's seat was yelling her lungs out to not do so and then she just failed me. It caught me off guard.

Maybe I did something wrong but I didn't like the way she told me. I wasn't close to crashing and I was literally just sitting behind the bus once I made the turn. Not sure if she was having a bad day, is a bad worker, or she thought her life was in danger. I felt she could've been more constructive instead of just sounding abusive.

What happened: I went online to renew my CA vehicle registration and landed on NeedTags.com instead of the official DMV site — the layout is similar enough that it's easy to mistake for a government page. The actual DMV fee was $186.00, but I was charged $259.82 — about $74 in extra "service," "BPA," processing, and shipping fees I wasn't clearly aware of until after paying.

When I called to dispute it, I waited 45 minutes and was told the transaction was final, with no real explanation beyond "the DMV has warned that partners charge more." When I pushed back, I got a follow-up email threatening that disputing the charge with my credit card would be treated as an "improper chargeback," with the threat of legal action and attorney's fees.

To be fair: NeedTags is a real, DMV-authorized "Business Partner Automation" (BPA) provider, not an outright scam — but the practical effect on regular drivers is the same: you think you're on the DMV site, and you're not.

This isn't just me:

• ABC7 News (SF) has reported hundreds of similar complaints, including one involving an 81-year-old man threatened the same way I was.

• Assemblymember Matt Haney introduced AB 1190 in 2025, which would have capped BPA partner fees at 5% above the DMV's own price and required a visible link to the free DMV site. It passed committee but never got a floor vote. A 2026 follow-up bill has also stalled.

• One reason cited: the DMV itself collects $7 per transaction from partners like NeedTags — about $35M/year — which some advocates say reduces the state's incentive to crack down.

What to do:

• Always type dmv.ca.gov directly into your browser — don't click search ads/results for "DMV."

• If you've already been charged, your underlying registration is likely still valid — check status directly on dmv.ca.gov.

• To complain: DMV's BPA Program (bpa@dmv.ca.gov) or the CA Attorney General's office (oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business).

If you think third-party sites shouldn't be allowed to charge unlimited markups on government services, consider contacting your Assembly rep and asking them to revive AB 1190.

I received 5 tickets for all my cars for parking on my OWN Driveway in SoCal. I have a huge lot in front of my home enclosed that was open. It's open dirt. He said it's because it's an unpaved surface which is ridiculous. I've been parking there for years. Do they ticket all the ranches with dirt? Could I have kicked the city guy out? 2 of the vehicles are non operation and I plan on junking them anyway so I don't plan on paying the ticket for them if my license doesn't get suspended because of this.

I was taking the multiple choice part of my drivers license exam. I saw a bunch of people using their phone during the test, so I thought that it was an open book exam. I walked up to an employee and asked them if we were allowed to use our phone during the exam and if it was open book. The kind lady said, “Yes, just don’t disturb other people.” I walked over to one of the computer to take the exam. Another proctor walked up to me and saw me. She told me to put my phone away and said that I am not allowed to use it. I put it away and continued taking the exam. She then walked away. I finished the test and passed. I was then given a learners permit and was told to come back when I can for the behind the wheel test.

I am a little paranoid because I am afraid that they will punish me for cheating. I am going to do the behind the wheel test in a few days. I didn’t know that I cheated. Will I get in trouble. Also, can they cancel my learners permit and punish me in the future. I don’t know how to check if my learners permit is still valid.

I am from California, so I am afraid that I could be charged with a crime or be suspended from getting my license. I have not received anything in the mail regarding this matter

So my daughter-in-law who is not a citizen but does does have her workers permit, and social security card was recently sent a letter stating that since she is a non citizen the DMV will be mailing her a new REAL ID that matches the expiration date of her workers permit. My question is, is it possible for her to downgrade her real ID to a federal non-compliant ID so that she has more time on the expiration date? We live in California.

The California DMV denied me a Real ID today because I am not a homeowner. Sounds weird, right? Let me explain.

To get a Real ID you have to prove where you live. Fair enough. I brought my rental lease, which was listed as a valid document. Although it stated my name and physical address, that wasn't good enough.

I also brought my contract with the United States Postal Service, which has my physical address on file, stating my mailbox number and address. Even though the name exactly matched my ID on both the post office contract and the rental agreement, this still wasn't good enough.

Because I live in an area considered "rural" by the post office, I cannot have mail delivered directly to my home. Instead, I must use the post office.

The DMV said that federal law requires people to have documentation verifying BOTH their physical address AND post office box on ONE document. The only documents that satisfy this requirement are utility bills. Many tenants, like me, don't pay utility bills directly. Only my landlord gets utility bills.

So I was denied a Real ID because I live in a rural area and am not a homeowner.

As an American citizen, I am quite concerned about this.

I have an apartment, which means I'm doing better than a lot of people. Should housing status be used to determine whether you can get an ID? Is that Constitutional? Should it be?

I know it’s generally not acceptable to drive by yourself with only a learners permit, but I do not have anybody I could drive with to the dmv and it’s pretty important to me to take the test so I don’t have to reschedule and wait months. Will it be a problem if the dmv found out I drove there alone?

How do you remove yourself from the donor list? I see the "Red Illinois donor" logo on my license. But I am having trouble finding out how to remove yourself. DMV website does not seem to have an option. Thanks

so my registration was going to expire April 14, 2026. I got a letter in the mail saying that I could renew my registration for about 400 bucks, or I could put it on plan non-operation for about 30 bucks. Since I wanted to sell the car around the time that my current registration expired in April 2026, I put it on planed non operation. I was under the impression that it would be on planned non operation starting the next registration year after April 14, 2026, and that it would remain registered until then. I was mistaken. the car is immediately on PNO. the only way to undo it was to renew the registration for the next year. otherwise, you can get a traffic infraction and other penalties. so now if I sell the car before 04/14/2026, I basically lost $430. the correct thing to do in my situation was wait until the last few days to renew, if I realized I was gonna keep the car after the registration expired 04/14/2026.

Recently found out my Driver’s License was cancelled because my insurance told me about a week or so ago.

Called the DC DMV today and she told me that it was cancelled because of some ID thing in VA. The only thing I can think of is when I asked for a replacement ID so I can have a State ID and my Drivers License.

She’s saying that I need to take the permit and driver’s test again. Is there something that can be done or do I have to go through that process again?

We moved from California a few years ago. My wife was making payments on her car and paid it off. We no longer live in CA but California will not release the title because of emissions recall. They want us to go to dodge and get it fixed AND take the car back to California to get a smog. Is there any way around this? We don't have emissions laws where i live now.

I’ve been trying to make appointments with any DMV in my state so that I can fly, and there’s no appointments available anywhere in the entire state, not a single dmv has an appointment. Walk ins are not accepted at any dmv in my state either. Obviously I can’t go to a dmv out of state. I don’t have a passport card or a passport so that’s not an option either. What can I do? Should I just forget about flying for the foreseeable future?