All Department of Motor Vehicles field offices in California are closing Friday until further notice amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the DMV announced on its website.
In-person appointments have been canceled but customers will be allowed to complete vehicle title transfers and complex vehicle registration renewals virtually beginning April 2, a news release posted Thursday stated.
“Essential services will continue by mail, through available online services, kiosks, virtually and other means,” the news release stated.
The number of online services available is expected to increase over the next few weeks.
Virtual field offices will allow customers to take care of transactions that previously required an in-person visit by virtually interacting with DMV staff, the news release stated.
DMV employees will be returning to their offices on April 1 to process transactions and begin training on the DMV Virtual Field Office.
Meanwhile, the offices will undergo a “deep cleaning,” the DMV stated.
News of the closure comes after an employee in Riverside and another in Fullerton tested positive for COVID-19, the Sacramento Bee reported.
A sign outside the Fullerton DMV in the 900 block of West Valencia Drive stated the following: “This office is closed until further notice. Please visit www.dmv.ca.gov for alternative service options. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security extended the deadline to obtain a federally mandated REAL ID until October 1, 2021.
