RMV - COVID-19 Information

Due to the recent activity surrounding COVID 19 (Corona Virus), the Massachusetts RMV is taking measures to reduce customer visits in our Service Centers and AAA offices. Refer to the sections below for more information.

Only 8 RMV centers are open effective March 18th until further notice and those service centers are transitioning to an appointment-only reservation system for certain necessary and required in-person transactions, in order to allow the RMV to continue to assist with “social-distancing” and reducing facility volume.

RMV Service Centers and AAA Locations

RMV Service Centers

Effective Friday, March 27^th, the RMV will be enforcing a strict no walk-in policy at its eight Service Centers open to the general public. The only transactions that will be processed at service centers are those that require an in-person transaction, including Commercial Driving Licenses or Permits (CDLs / CLPs), some new registrations, out of state conversions and new Mass IDs. Customers who need to complete these transactions will be required to make an online appointment reservation, and customers arriving without an appointment will be asked to leave and make an appointment online to return at a future date.

Appointment reservations can be made online at www.Mass.Gov/RMV in the myRMV Online Service Center under “Make or Cancel a Reservation.” Customers who make an appointment will be sent a confirmation email that they should be prepared to show on arrival at their designated time at a specific Service Center.

Customers who make an appointment are advised to arrive on time and prepared for their visit at their selected location, and will be sent a confirmation email that they should be prepared to show on arrival. Customers who make a reservation are the only ones allowed in the Service Center - family and/or friends must wait outside. Customers who do not have immediate needs for necessary and required in-person transactions should delay their visits and not visit a Service Center without an appointment. All customers are asked to not bring multiple individuals with them to assist with “social-distancing.”

The Milford and Wilmington RMV Service Center’s will remain open to exclusively perform walk-in commercial transactions for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and permits (CLPs), and CDL road tests continue to be administered. Performing a commercial transaction at any other location will require an appointment reservation.

The transition to an appointment-only reservation system will allow the RMV to continue to assist with “social-distancing” and reducing facility volume. 

Only the following 8 RMV centers will be open effective March 18^th until further notice:

• Boston/Haymarket*
• Brockton
• Fall River
• Lawrence
• Pittsfield*
• Plymouth
• Springfield
• Worcester
• Milford - Commercial Driver's License/Permit ONLY
• Wilmington - Commercial Driver's License/Permit ONLY

*Boston/Haymarket

We have unfortunately had to cancel all reservations to visit the Boston/Haymarket RMV Service Center on Monday, April 6th and Tuesday, April 7th and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We have provided some options to remedy this cancellation below in order to help you process your transaction successfully:

• We have automatically rebooked all cancelled Boston/Haymarket appointments for the same time and day next week.
• If that date and time does not work, you may visit the Brockton RMV on the same date and time as your Boston reservation.

If neither of those options work, please call the RMV’s Contact Center at 857-368-8000 or visit Mass.Gov/RMV and select the ‘Make or Cancel a Reservation’ option to reschedule your visit for another date or time.

Hearings will be conducted at Boston/Haymarket, Brockton, Fall River, Lawrence, and Worcester. *Hearings at the Pittsfield RMV will resume on March 25^th and no hearings will be conducted in Plymouth.

The RMV will practice 'social-distancing' at our Service Centers. This means that we will only allow a certain number of customers in each center at a time. 

The RMV has taken other steps to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.  In keeping with recommendations from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the RMV has adopted enhanced cleaning practices for facilities, purchased additional contactless hand sanitizer dispensing stations, issued anti-viral disinfectant wipes and individual size hand sanitizers to certain employees, and expanded areas to be disinfected.

Before visiting an RMV Service Center, please visit Mass.Gov/RMV to see if your transaction can be processed online. We offer over 40 transactions online.

AAA Locations

All AAA locations are closed for at least 2 weeks beginning Monday, 4/6.

Class D, M, and DM Driver's Licenses and Learner's Permits, and Mass IDs

Licenses, IDs, and Permits

All Class D and Class DM driver’s licenses, ID cards, and Learner’s Permits that have expired or are expiring between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020, will have a 60-day extension applied to the current expiration date.   

• The RMV will implement this 60-day extension to the current expiration date for Class D, Class DMs, ID cards, and Learner’s Permits within the RMV system the week of 3/16 – all people with expired/expiring credentials physically dated between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020, will have an active status within the RMV system with extended expiration date. For example, if the credential expires on April 15, 2020, the RMV system will extend the expiration to June 15, 2020 and display the same. The RMV is not providing updated credentials to reflect the extended date.
• This does not apply to customers whose end of stay in the United States is the same as the expiration date on their driver’s license, ID card, or Learner’s Permit. 

Knowledge Tests

Class D and M Learner's Permits knowledge exams have been suspended until the State of Emergency is lifted. This means the RMV we will not offer Class D or M knowledge exams in the Service Centers until then.

 

Commercial Drivers

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) has created a dedicated page for commercial drivers. Click here for detailed information.

 

Additional Resources

Emergency Declaration Under 490 CFR

REAL ID Updates

On March 23^rd, the federal government announced a revised REAL ID compliance deadline of October 1, 2021. Effective March 25^th and until May 4^th, the RMV is also suspending the issuance of new REAL IDs if outside the customer's renewal cycle.

Road Tests

Class D and M road tests are cancelled until, 4/12. Governor Baker issued an Executive Order providing that Learner’s Permits dated between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020 will continue to have an active status until sixty days after the printed expiration date – learner’s permit holders need not worry immediately if their road test is cancelled.

CDL road tests are still being administered at this time.

Vehicle Registrations and Inspection Stickers

Vehicle Registrations

All passenger plate registrations that have expired in March or will be expiring in April have been extended for 60 days. Registrations that expired in March have been extended until May 31^st and registrations that expire in April have been extended until June 30^th.  Registration renewals can continue to be performed online at Mass.Gov/RMV during this time.

Inspection Stickers

In an effort to help you and your customers maintain proper social distancing, as of March 20, the annual motor vehicle safety and emissions inspection expiration dates are being extended as follows:

• All commercial and non-commercial vehicle inspection stickers that expire on March 31, 2020(designated by a number 3 on the inspection sticker) must be inspected by May 31, 2020.
• All commercial and non-commercial vehicle inspection stickers that expire on April 30, 2020 (designated by a number 4 on the inspection sticker) must be inspected by June 30, 2020.
• Commercial and non-commercial vehicles that are issued a failed inspection sticker (indicated by a sticker with a red or black letter ‘R’) that is due to expire in the month of March, 2020, must be re-inspected by May 31, and all vehicles issued a failed inspection sticker due to expire in the month of April, 2020, must be re-inspected by June 30. Additionally, the one free re-test for these vehicles is also extended to May 31 or June 30 provided the re-test is performed at the same inspection station that performed the initial inspection.
  • Regardless of the date of inspection, vehicles issued a failed inspection sticker due to a safety defect (indicated by a sticker with a red letter ‘R’) shall not be operated until appropriate repairs have been completed.
• All motorcycle inspection stickers originally set to expire on May 31 must be inspected by June 30.

The RMV is also extending the time during which newly registered vehicles must be inspected, which is typically within 7 days of the date of registration.

• Any newly-registered commercial and non-commercial vehicle purchased between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020 must be inspected by May 31.
• Any newly-registered commercial and non-commercial vehicle purchased between April 1, 2020 and April 31, 2020 must be inspected by June 30.

 

Suspension Hearings

Due to the agency’s ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) response, suspension hearings will be conducted by telephone.

You must report to a designated RMV Service Center to begin this process. Applicants requiring interpretation services are responsible for supplying this service.  You are limited to one hearing on a particular suspension or revocation.  You have the right to be represented by counsel or by any other responsible adult, but the applicant must accompany the representative at the time of the hearing. Please note that the RMV does not provide copy service. Have your copies ready ahead of time. Original documents will NOT be returned. During your hearing, it will be discussed whether further documents are required, and how to return those to us.  For a list of Hearing locations, refer to the RMV Service Center section above.

Preparation:

• Bring all necessary documents with you to your hearing. Check what documentation you'll need for your hearing, as it varies depending on the type of suspension.
• Arrive as early as possible and allow extra time
• Chemical test refusal hearings are only held at the Boston/Haymarket RMV.

On the day of your hearing:

While in line, you will be provided with an entry ticket based on a first come, first served basis. If you do not receive an entry ticket, then there may be more hearings in the afternoon, and it is your option to return to register to speak by phone with a Hearing Officer.

Application:

• Once inside, you will be given an application to complete.
  • Make sure your application has been fully completed and all copied documents added. The RMV does NOT provide copy service, so ensure that you have made copies for yourself.
  • The RMV representative shall retain your application and documents. You then exit the building.
  • The Hearings Officer will collect the applications submitted and review it in advance of your telephonic hearing. 
• Your hearing may require specific documentation. The Hearings Officer may need to spend time researching and retrieving documentation as it relates to your case. In some cases, they will need to request documentation from another agency or organization and wait for the response, which takes time.

What do I need if my case is successful?

• If your case is successful, you may need to apply or re-apply for a driver’s license or learner’s permit at a Service Center. In both of these circumstances, you will need to prove lawful presence as part of the license reinstatement process. Please refer to the document checklist at mass.gov/id which outlines the acceptable forms of lawful presence documentation.

Wait times:

• It is not possible to accurately predict your wait time. Some hearings take longer than others due to the many complex issues that can affect the suspension of a license or vehicle registration. 

Payment of Fees:

• If the Hearing Officer determines that a fee is due, you have 3 options to make payment:
  1. Pay the fee online at Mass.Gov/RMV.
  2. Call the Contact Center at 857-368-8000 to provide payment over the phone.
  3. Visit an RMV Service Center for counter service.

National Safety Council (NSC) Class Requirement Information

• The RMV is working with the National Safety Council on your class requirement to develop an alternative way to deliver the statutorily required content.  An online class will be available for you to take beginning on April 6, 2020.  After April 6, your online course participation will count as your in-person class requirement.
• The NSC is presently in the process of cancelling all in-person classes that were scheduled through Monday, May 4. Individuals scheduled for a class in this timeframe should expect to receive communication directly from NSC, via emails and automated phone calls, on their specific next steps for online course completion.
• For anyone with a deadline to complete an NSC course between March 1 and April 30, the RMV has provided an additional 90 days to complete the NSC class requirement.
• You may check your license status by accessing your profile at Mass.Gov/RMV to determine your current license status.  
• The RMV and National Safety Council will post additional information on their website when more details are available.

Professional Credentials

Professional licenses are NOT being extended at this time.  Follow normal procedures for renewing these credentials but allow enough time for processing the renewal so it can be completed before expiration.

• School Bus certificate
• School Pupil (7D) License
• Station Inspector License
• Driving School Instructor License
• Station Inspection License
• Driving School License

Other RMV Services

The following requests will be processed via mail only:

• Disability parking placards/plate (including disabled veterans plates)
• Tinted glass waivers
• CDL medical waivers 
• All Section 5 transactions