Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles

I can’t believe I’m writing a five star review for the DMV.
A shockingly pleasant experience.
I’d put it off for so long… I wish I’d gone earlier.
It arguably made my day better.
I sound like I’m lying but I swear I’m not.
The kindest of friends drove me here at 8:20 on a Friday morning about 10 minutes prior to opening and saw that a pretty substantial line had already formed outside. Though I was initially pretty disillusioned with the line, as more people continued to arrive, the line remained orderly and promptly at 8:30 am, we were let into the building. A crowd formed outside of the entrance but the staff did a good job of managing them such that the line was respected. Very smooth so far.
Went in to take my permit test and so was led upstairs to the check-​in counter where I got my number. Despite the long line, the people who were working were very fast, efficient, and pleasant. Presented my documents and forms and by 8:39 I had a ticket in hand and took a seat. Within a few minutes, I was called to the ‘examiner’– gave my documents. He made copies, took my payment, a super quick (20 seconds maybe?) ‘vision test,’ and then was allowed to enter the separate room to take the electronic test. Checked in with one other worker inside the room before sitting down at my personal testing station. Exam went smoothly on the touch screen and after finishing, checked out. All that was left was to take the photo for my permit. After leaving the testing room, within literally a minute, I was called. The photo was taken, my permit was printed, and my road test could be scheduled. By 9:10 I was finished. Unbelievable.
Still in shock, but so impressed by the staff I encountered here.
Seems like a newly renovated space. Clean, comfortable seating, open windows.
Can’t speak to how it is later in the day as it gets busier and people get tired/​frustrated but my experience at the DMV was definitely five stars.

The DMV has gotten a lot better over the last couple of years in the way of customer service. Our last visit there was actually pleasant, whereas before, the employees were some of the most miserable people I’ve ever encountered. Last time we were there, the employee was very patient. I was satisfied with the whole process (although the amount we had to spend was just outrageous; I’ll get to that).
I guess my complaint is not with the DMV specifically, but the vehicle laws in RI and how they can’t ever cut anyone a break. It’s not enough that you have to go through this enormous hassle with the forms and the waiting and the ridiculous fees. I registered a car in my name in September, and it ended up dying on me after a couple of months, so I junked it. Soon thereafter, my husband bought a new car in his name, so he had to register it in his name. I couldn’t transfer my old plates to his new car because the seller didn’t put my name on the title, and didn’t leave enough room for us to put it (why there is no way for him to sign something with the DMV stating he agrees to have me as a co-​owner, I don’t understand), so I wrote a letter saying that «I give my plates to my husband to register in his name», etc., thinking that by doing so, we could avoid paying the fees again. Nope. If you decide you want to do something like that, they only give you one month. So between the old car that I had to junk and the new car, we have paid almost $ 2,000.00 to the DMV so far. A family member in SC was floored when I told her that. Yet somehow, RI is broke.
So we decide we’re not going to use the new car right away, because we still have an older car that is on its way out, and my husband doesn’t want to start putting wear and tear on the new one yet. We didn’t get it inspected within the 5 days after registering it because we weren’t driving it, but we can’t have an unregistered car sitting in the driveway with no tags. Almost immediately, my husband receives a letter in the mail, saying his license is suspended for failure to inspect the car. Seriously? Maybe I could understand suspending the registration, but his license? Absolute nonsense. Now we have to go spend another day at operator control and pay MORE money to have his license reinstated. This state is a joke. I know of no other state that makes its citizens jump through hoops the way RI does, and makes them go flat broke in the process. It’s enough to make you want to give up driving altogether.

The people here are great! I panicked when I saw all the people in line and heard them calling numbers. But the line moved quick and my number was called within 10 minutes !! Then I only had to sit with one person to get my new license and registration. To all the complainers… go to another state and try to do the same… you will be delivering roses to this DMV after you see what else is out there. The people here deserve a lot of recognition for the great customer service. I NEVER thought I would say this about a DMV.

The process at this DMV is horrific!!! If you have a vehicle that is already registered and wish to obtain vanity plate don’t do it!!! they make the process seem so easy online you just order and pick up. yeah right!!! you show up to pick up the plate then they send you upstairs to fill out more paperwork and wait in a line to check in followed by an additional lengthy wait for your number to be called!!! if I knew this was like re registering the car all over again I’d save my time and money!!!

There may be long waits but these guys are really polite and professional! Especially if you’re patient they will definitely help you out.

Ok went to dmv to transfer registration what an awful place. They are not consistent in what you are told. Was told one thing by one clerk than another by another clerk. After wasting ½ day finally was able to complete registration transfer. Stay away if you can. Cranston is just too busy. Also the building that houses dmv named after aime forand. On all tickets spelled wrong. That says it all for ri dmv!

Another review/​instructions because the DMV is so damn confusing. I had to add my husband’s name to the title for my car and stood in many unnecessary lines because of lack of information so here’s some information so that you don’t have to. If you want to update your car title:
1. Download and fill out the Sales Tax Exemption form from the DMV. Write a simple note with your name, date, what you are doing, sign it.
2. When you get to the DMV go straight to the taxation window. Hand them the papers from step 1 to get it stamped.
3. Go upstairs to the 3^rd floor, take a number for the Titles window. While you wait, fill out the Title application.
4. Hand over $ 54. The clerk will take it from there and tell you where and what to sign. Be warned that they take the old title, you don’t get a temporary one, and the new one is estimated to arrive in 45 days.
I was worried that since I was moving out of state, my title would never find its way to me but the post office forwarded it with the rest of my mail.

Awful 3 hrs for a license renewal? One hr in a line to grab a ticket just to wait… the line being dealt with by one person lol then price of renewal increase was over 100% increase since last time i went! are you kidding me i know inflation but over 100% inflataion in five year? how is this state broke the way it ripes us off.

Smiles from behind the counter. Not what I expected.
Airline Food
Corrupt Politicians
And the DMV
All easy targets for jokes, but two of these have gotten much better over the years. One of these we’ve just accepted as part of the Rhode Island culture.
I have visited the DMV 3 times in the past two years and on each occasion I have been in & out in less than two hours and the staff have always been super helpful and friendly to the point of making fun of the dysfunction they have to deal with due to «the system».
The department of taxation would do well to learn from the DMV as would the department of licensing … Heck maybe all other branches of local government could pay a visit to the DMV and see how they handle an insane workload, ungrateful and/​or underprepared clients all while staying professional.
Now if they really wanted to blow my socks off … Open a DD … DD@DMV, I’d become a regular!

Trying to call and expecting to speak to a live person is a joke. It’s all automated. And if you wait, thinking that it will either give you another option to speak to someone or automatically connect you with a live person, you will get disconnected. What a joke. I never had this problem in the past. How is it that I am able to speak on the phone to live people at the DMV in NJ and VA to get answers in the same day with ease, but I have to jump through hoops and get no response for RI DMV?

They move much quicker than the RMV in MA and the people watching is incredible.

This place is a circus. Poor planning. Poor execution. Poor customer service. Long lines and angry angry people. Yes. This is officially the unhappiest place in New England. MA’s RMV is run INFINITELY better. Even when you have every form you need the person at the counter ALWAYS says oh — you need this other imaginary form you don’t have.
Pro tip* imaginary forms don’t exist. Just keep arguing and thank god you don’t work here.

Never thought I’d give a good review to a DMV, but there you have it. If you go online, print out applications, read up on what you need, and prepare yourself like you SHOULD when handling these types of things, then you’ll be fine. In the matter of two hours or so, we were able to get my fiancé a new license and register his car — which includes visiting the police station to verify his VIN. Sure, you have to wait — there are a lot of people just like you that need help. However, they do their absolute best to make it as efficient as possible. You check in at a window so that you know exactly what you need before waiting. You get a number and sit down. If you are still missing something after being called, you get a blue ticket so that you don’t have to wait all over again. I mean, come on, for a DMV, this is pretty great. I also love that the two folks that waited on us (one for license, other for registration) were super amazingly nice and helpful. One was even funny and made it seem so painless! Wish I could mention his name, but I forget it. Why is it a four star and not a five star rating? Well, there’s a fee for every part of the process — even $ 15 to get a simple VIN verification, payable only by check. If you don’t do your homework, you’ll definitely be disappointed. All in all, pretty painless!

Man, I’m really torn. Coming from NYC where I’d rather lose a toe or finger than pay a visit to the local DMV, the Cranston branch isn’t too bad. It’s clean. It’s organized. I guess my beef is twofold:
–Why the hell do you need a million different forms and ID’s for a license transfer from NY to RI? Blah, blah, blah, states have different setups, but jesus christ I didn’t just come over the border yesterday! I’m a citizen and vet here, Rhody!
–First lady I saw after waiting 2 hours for my number was just a bitch. One of my docs was borderline acceptable and of course she couldn’t do me a solid. Luckily, I got that ticket that got me back in line and ended up getting a really nice guy (who was also a Yankee fan haha) and got me all set.
Also, I came here on a Friday during the summer when every teenager in RI was attempting to get their license. I think the trick here is triple checking you have all your ducks in row before coming here and getting here early; I’ve heard its super easy to fly through the lines in the early AM. Otherwise, a pretty decent DMV experience, compared to my experiences in my home state.

Being an immigrant and that too a mobile one, I have had too many stints with the dmv in multiple states and cities! And all my experiences (barring the ones in CA) have been very disappointing. Except the one I just got out of — Cranston, RI DMV rocks!
Super efficient! Very nice people! Great building — great layout — you are not bumping into people and standing outside the building because the line doesn’t fit inside. Great seating area. It must have been amazing because I am actually writing a review about a DMV!

Hell manifested! The wait in this place is no short of ridiculous! Something has to be done. This can’t be the only way! Plan to be here all day. I’m in my 3^rd hour and technically the place is closed. Yet so many are still here like me.

Sooo… I’m well acquainted with the developing world and with all of the bureaucracy that accompanies that part of life.
The DMV is best compared to a third world country.
First: carefully check the signs. Because you’ll wait 45 minutes just to get your number.
Second: be respectful and gentle with the locals/​employees. They can be very helpful if you’re not a jerk.
Third: work to assimilate to the local culture. Get your ticket, sit your butt down, and play with your phone. Your number will be called. I promise.
Overall, it’s not as hellish as one would think. There’s even a café!
Best of luck!

Whenever it’s time to go to the DMV my heart fills with dread because I know I’m in for a long, painful experience. Maybe it was these low expectations, but when I went to the Cranston DMV I was pleasantly surprised. This DMV is incredibly organized and makes the situation as painless as possible.
I really like that they have you stand in line to get a number, because the agent makes sure you have all the paperwork you need for whatever you are there for. I probably had to wait 15 minutes in line and then another 45 or so to get called. Once I was called things went pretty quickly and I was out the door in under 2 hours. All along the way I got to interact with a lot of very friendly people.
Thanks Cranston DMV for restoring my faith in the DMVs everywhere!

Within this shiny monolithic structure is a modern bureaucratic pen where individuals are herded in groves to their fates. A café is available to the left of the entrance which offers some help to ease starvation and quell unrest.
Thanks to fellow Unilocalers who pointed out that for expedited service you definitely want to show up at LEAST 7:45 AM to ensure you’re one of the first 20 people in line. Once 8 passes all bets are off to how far this line starts looping the parking lot. It feels almost like Black Friday only nobody is excited to be there.
Once in, you have three floors to navigate through. I happen to need to transfer my NY car registration to good olé RI so I can be taxed the hell out of now that I’m working here. Oh joy.
My journey takes me to the second floor where another line awaits where some fairly helpful staff asks your purpose and double checks your documents before giving you your number. Being in early, numbers are called out pretty fast and clear so that’s a plus for the earlybirds.
Definitely planning ahead is a plus as I was caught off guard about a VIN check that requires a visit to a local police station where an officer verifies that your car isn’t stolen via more paperwork and a police cruiser computer. Why they can’t just do it at the DMV is beyond me since you just need a cop or two to do this check. Heck I think they can have a separate line outside the parking lot just for that while you’re waiting to get in.
Once getting that Holy Grail Vin Check, I made sure to have my other paperwork done before venturing to the DMV which included —
1) TR-​1 form
2) Tax Exempt card
3) Tax Questionaire
4) A utility bill since I’m keeping my NY driver’s license for now (found out after registering my car that I have 30 days to change it… groan)
5) My original Title since my car is newer than 2001
6) A copy of my insurance
Once all that great piles of paperwork was obtained I finally had all I need. Oh another pain in my rear was the fact that I needed both Tax forms reviewed and stamped by a person in a different line from the ticket line. As someone else posted it’s a good idea to get your ticket first before going to the Taxation window. It’s located in a corner easily missed to the right of the ticket line.
With my number called, the rest of the process went pretty smoothly as I handed each document as requested to the DMV staff. I found the service window chairs to be über low which seems to be a means to further lower everyone’s self esteem as the person punches in your information in their handy dandy computer. Once everything was all set the guy pulled a handful of plates in sequential order and asked if I had a preference. Didn’t really care since it was pretty generic.
Sadly despite my preparation I forgot my checkbook and didn’t have enough cash to pay the $ 95.00. Debit cards weren’t accepted and I also found that out of all my credit cards I had the one credit card company (VISA) which they did not accept. Why? I have no idea… Even then paying by credit card you’ll be dinged $ 1.50 for an inconvenience fee. Unfortunately wanting to get this over with I went to the one ATM on the first floor next to the café to pull out money from my bank (stupid that it accepts my VISA debit card there) and again I found you get the privileged of getting a $ 2.25 punched in the gut fee. I love how there’s a fee for just about everything. The $ 95 broke down to $ 50 for the title fee, $ 37.50 registration fee, and lo and behold a $ 6.00 MISC. Fees. How convenient…
With all this said and done I arrived a little after 7:45 AM and left at about 9 AM. So all in all not the worst experience in the world. Probably there’s worse DMVs all over the country so can’t complain too much. It is pretty clean and looks pretty modern despite all that. Good to see they put RI fees to good use. Hopefully they can improve the need for an early morning to beat the long wait.
Anywho I’ll have to frequent this place again to get my license changed over so another fun filled morning soon.

While there are many branches located throughout Rhode Island including Wakefield, Warren, and Woonsocket.. . the main headquarters for the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles is located in Cranston. I visited this newly constructed facility last October when I was transferring my license and title over to Rhode Island from Massachusetts. Knowing that it was going to be a process, I packed a bag full of activities in an attempt to avoid the inevitable mush for brains by the end of the day.
Unfortunately my day began at the East Providence Police Station for a VIN inspection that I required before going to the DMV. Had I not had to do this, I would have been at the DMV getting in line before it opened (which I hear is the ONLY way to get in and get out of there within a reasonable amount of time). So needless to say, when I arrived, walked up the stairs and got a number from a small electronic machine (which I had to ask several perturbed patrons as to where it was due to lack of signage) there were an enormous number of people ahead of me. To be more specific.. . HUNDREDS of numbers ahead of me. I settled in and started reading.
The DMV is an interesting place to spend some time.. . it has sitcom worthy material. People from all walks of life, forced to sit in close proximity for hours on end, with no source of entertainment other than what you can find in common to talk about and the constant number calling overhead. So for 6 long hours.. . thats right 6.. . I read a book, crossed and uncrossed my legs, exchanged pleasantries with others, saved seats for people around me to go to the bathroom and snack bar, thought about all the other fun things I could be doing, and convinced myself that the headache that was forming was all in my imagination.
When closing hours approached (which they did and passed) they lock the doors. They serve all the customers that have come in and gotten numbers, but you can no longer leave the building and re-​enter. Thankfully, I had not left any paperwork out in the car. Finally my number was called and the whole process took no more than 15 minutes once I sat with a representative. My representative was very helpful and understanding (hence the two stars instead of one!), explained the whole process, and was patient while I filled out more paperwork I didn’t realize I had to do.
With a big smile and a wave to my newfound friends/​people sitting around me, I made my way out of the building with a new temporary paper license.. . legs stiff and sore, head pounding, and a grumble in my stomach. As a 24 year old who looks 18.. . my mind started analyzing which bars would accept a temporary paper license or whom knew me well enough to not ask for ID.
Do yourself a favor.. . get here very early and be sure to have all the paperwork and documents you need.