With the exception of three counties, New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division offices will reopen on an appointment-only basis starting Monday, June 1.

MVD offices in McKinley, San Juan and Dona Ana counties will not reopen due to the continued spread of COVID-19 in those areas.

In this first phase of reopening, MVD offices will accept appointments only for transactions that cannot be completed online.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, only customers 79 and older will be served from 8-10 a.m. in larger offices

Those offices are:

  • Santa Fe Field Office (Camino Entrada)
  • Sandia Vista
  • Roswell
  • Rio Bravo
  • Montgomery
  • Las Cruces del Rey
  • Farmington
  • Eagle Vista
  • Clovis

New Mexicans are strongly encouraged to continue using MVD’s online services to renew driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations, and take care of many other transactions from the safety of their homes.

Online transactions totaled 91,806 in April 2020, up 84 percent more than April 2019.

Examples of transactions that cannot be completed online include:

  • license renewals for people 79 years of age and older
  • first-time Real ID licenses
  • first-time New Mexico licenses of any kind
  • title transfers
  • VIN inspections

Customers will be able to schedule appointments at mvdonline.com or at 888-683-4636.

MVD offices closed March 26 due to the public health threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 30, Gov. Lujan Grisham issued an executive order temporarily waiving MVD fees and penalties for expired registrations and licenses and directing state police not to issue citations to New Mexicans whose documents expired during the pandemic.

On April 28, MVD announced it had automatically prepared more 32,000 90-day temporary licenses for people whose license had expired during the pandemic.

Temporary licenses were emailed to anyone for whom MVD had an email address and are available to others at mvdonline.com by choosing “Online Services,” then “Eservices,” then “Drivers & Placards.”

MVD plans to continue issuing automatic 90-day temporary licenses.

“We’re prepared to get back to business helping New Mexicans in person, and we will ensure that our procedures protect our community from the spread of COVID-19. I appreciate the patience of our customers, as well as the innovation of MVD staff,” said New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke.

MVD will employ COVID-safe practices at all field offices, and customers will be expected to adhere to them.

  • Employees will wear face coverings at all times.
  • Customers will be required to wear face coverings, as per the state’s public health order.
  • Driving tests and VIN inspections will have stringent requirements. Vehicle interiors and exterior touch points, such as door handles, will need to be disinfected before and after entry. Employees and customers will be required to wear face coverings.
  • The number of people allowed to wait for their appointments in the offices will be restricted.
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The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.