Online renewal's definitely convenient, but double-check the expiration date—some states won't let you renew online if you're too close. Learned that the hard way...ended up spending half my day at the DMV anyway.
I've heard online renewal can be tricky sometimes, but isn't there usually a grace period if you're cutting it close? Maybe calling ahead could save you from a DMV day trip...has anyone tried that route?
"Maybe calling ahead could save you from a DMV day trip...has anyone tried that route?"
Calling ahead might seem logical, but honestly, my experience says otherwise. Last year, my license was about to expire, and I thought I'd be smart by calling the DMV first. After nearly an hour on hold (typical DMV), the person I spoke with wasn't exactly helpful—just repeated info from their website.
Ended up trying the online renewal anyway, and it actually went smoother than expected. The key was having all my paperwork and documents ready beforehand. I did hit a snag when uploading my proof of residency—their system can be picky about file size and format—but once I resized the files, it went through fine.
As far as grace periods go, in my state at least, there's technically a short window after expiration where you're still legal, but I wouldn't rely on it. A friend of mine got pulled over during that "grace period," and even though he didn't get ticketed, the officer gave him a pretty stern warning. It's probably not worth the hassle or risk.
If you're really cutting it close, I'd say just bite the bullet and go in person early in the morning on a weekday. I've found that's usually the quickest way to get things sorted—beats waiting on hold or dealing with online glitches at the last minute.
Honestly, I've had better luck just walking in mid-afternoon. Everyone thinks early morning is best, but last time I went around 2pm and was in and out in 20 mins flat...maybe I just got lucky though.
Mid-afternoon is the secret sweet spot, I'm telling you. Everyone and their grandma lines up at 8am thinking they're beating the rush, but nope—they're just joining the early bird parade. Last time I renewed mine, I strolled in around 3pm, mentally prepared for a two-hour ordeal. Instead, the place was practically deserted. The lady at the counter looked genuinely surprised to see me, like I'd interrupted her afternoon nap or something...I was done in under half an hour.
Maybe it's because most people assume mid-day is packed, so they avoid it? Or maybe the DMV employees are just happier after lunch—who knows. Either way, it's definitely worth trying out. Worst-case scenario, you end up waiting anyway, but at least you got to sleep in a little longer, right?
