Wow, something resembling a clunky bureaucracy that actually works in the City? Who wouldv'e guessed...
My driver's license had been from California, and expired this past April, but since I never drive, nor get carded for much of anything, I hadn't ever gotten a NY license. Now, I feel like I wanted to change that, and since an out-of-state ID had to be expired more than two years to cost more (besides having to take the test...) I felt like now would be a good time.
Besides making some errors on my part, resulting in having to ride the subway home and back three separate times, I made it inside a thing calling itself "Express Licensing" at 3:40 pm. I had little confidence I'd get done that day, since they close at 4:30 (and shutter the front doors at 4), but after spending all day riding to midtown, then back out to Brooklyn, then back, etc, I was determined to test my luck.
In New York, or at least the City, the DMV is used for something besides renewing licenses and registrations, as this is done at these licensing express type places. I got a slip from one lady, who said, "Sign this and go over there for your picture." I signed it, and went for my picture, which took all of ninety seconds, as there was no line.
The picture lady made sure my documents were the necessary ones (my passport, my social security card, my old ID, and my application), then gave me a printed out number (A036) and told me to go sit down and wait to be called.
I waited the longest for that first call, and then waited some more as there was a lady who got to cut in front of me at the worker's discretion (which I understood, but wasn't so happy about). That employee scanned my stuff (passport, SSN card, old ID), drew an 'F' over the 'A' on my A036 number, and told me to sit again and wait for F036 to be called. Her work took about forty seconds.
I waited a little more, got called quickly, gave a new lady my stuff, she made me read a line of letters behind her, I gave her money, and I got a paper license that is valid for operating vehicles (but not as identification) to hold me over for the week or three it'll take to get me my new card. I was out by 4:07 pm.
I'm not upset about no longer having a photo ID of me when I was 16 years old, that's for sure.
I just received notification from CA, that my license will expire this year and I need to go to the DMV to get it renewed.... I am shocked at how fantasic the CA DMV is, they've billed me for 3 years for not renewing my car registration and this is AFTER spending hours on the phone and filling out the correct paper work to tell them I've moved out of state and registered it there... here in very odd AZ to get my new AZ drivers license which I had to have in order to register my car... anyway I walked in filled out the paper work, had my picture taken and my walked out with a license that will expire in September 2018... congrats on getting your license renewed.
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