I just had to write a review after reading the snotty one posted below that says "Seriously, if I could have any job, I would work for the government. Because you barely need a High School education to work behind the counter..." I don't know why somebody finds it necessary to smear everybody in a line of work when they have a bad day (and how ironic that that reviewer criticizes the workers for misspelling something when she herself misspells "merry" and "waiver"). So let me just state this: I have ALWAYS received professional, courteous, and efficient service at this place. The people behind the counter have always been attentive, and they have made eye contact and spoken pleasantly in an honest way, not because they have to; I've never had to deal with grunts and barely audible mutterings.Aremarkable thing in this day and age. All that, plus no waiting in line for more than a few minutes? Amazing but true. I hate dealing with tasks like car tabs and emissions tests but I have to say the staff have made this pesky duty easy-peasy. read more

Easily the most pleasant licensing experience of any kind that I have ever experienced. Waited very briefly in a short line and then completed my title application and registration for my car with a very pleasant and helpful staff member. She also gave me advice on the best drivers license office to go to and just genuinely seem to enjoy her job. read more

Pay attention to all these 5-star reviews! Only you don't have to actually GO to Ballard to get that great service. Just go ONLINE to: fastcartabs.com and those nice folks at Ballard Auto & Vessel Licensing will do the job for you amazingly fast. If you are choosing a licensing agency from the list on the DMV's website, be sure to scroll down and click on BALLARD Licensing, no matter WHERE you live. That's what I did, and just could not believe my eyes the NEXT DAY when my car tabs arrived in the mail! read more

I've been twice now and I always get the same woman - blonde and second from the left and am glad for it. She always has something cheerful to say and goes above and beyond in answering questions. I never thought I'd be saying that about anything connected with the DMV! read more

We live in Seward Park, no where near Ballard. We were coming from the gym and saw the tabs were expired. Oops! I'm with Alice C. (previous rating) I never thought I would write such a great review for a vehicle licensing spot. We parked on the street not knowing they had parking in the back. We were in and out in exactly 10 minutes and there was a line of 5 people in front of us. I have never experienced such fast friendly service. There were even a couple of older gentlemen chatting it up in the front. It seemed like a neighborhood hangout. What do they put in the water in Ballard? It must be great so we will be back. read more

Time for tabs, titles and such? Would you like a simpson-esque experience where surly smokers stare blankly at your simple request to title your vehicle and you rub elbows with angry joe publics carefully planning their arguments why they should not have to pay the Monorail (RIP) tax? Then skip the Ballard location and go elsewhere. But if you want good service, cheerful and helpful people in a quaint Scandewegian nook of Seattle, come to here and rejoice. I had an agent help me figure out how to get my dented, gas guzzling but gifted Ford F-150 titled here without the tax. read more

I just moved here from out of state and needed to register my car in WA. The line was extremely short and the people that helped me was very friendly. I just explained what I wanted to do and handed her the paperwork. She took care of the rest! It was a lot simpler and quicker process than I thought it would be. Just a note - they do accept Credit and Debit cards, but only ones that are "in network". Mine worked but you may want to call to check before you go. read more

Did you know that most of the time you don't even have to go in to this fabulous establishment to get your license tabs renewed? I ran in to owner of this organization and he told me it could all be done on-line. I was a little skeptical, but not anymore! In 10 minutes I not only had new tabs on their way, and in two days I had my new tabs and license plate in my hands!! What's even better is that when I got to the part on the website where i thought I was going to get taken for shipping, I found out shipping was already built in to the reasonable fee they were charging. From here on out, I'm going to avoid the possible wait at the office all together and renew online! www.fastcartabs.com read more

I renewed my car tabs here today - in and out in less than 10 minutes! My past experience was also very pleasant (transferred a car's title); there wasn't a line and the customer service agents were very helpful and attentive. The owner, Fred, is welcoming, kind, and approachable. Without a doubt, I'm going to continue to use Ballard Licensing for my licensing needs. read more

Very fast in and out service to get my new tabs. And they had at least 3 people working to expedite the line! I will definitely be coming here to get any future licensing stuff. read more

It is refreshing to go to a government run office that is run so well. Never too long of a wait and always friendly customer service. Wish all government offices were run like this. Plus, nice that they have local sport spirit such as advertising a Sonics tee shirt:) read more

Nice staff, lines are never too long, limited services (actually probably make it much easier to navigate). Easy parking behind the building ($). Had my tabs mailed here and it took literally 30 seconds to pick up. read more

Convenient location but I had to wait for an hour while others were served in front of me. Not efficient and frustrating process.

I've never had a GOOD experience at the DMV until today. Fred Maxie, who has owned Ballard Licensing for 21 years, was so incredibly friendly and helpful. I never thought I'd have a good dmv experience. It made my day! read more

I came here to register my out of state vintage car. It took 10 minutes, 5 in line and 5 to register. No hassles even though Illinois titles are always messed up somehow. It is not a pretty location or nicely decorated but no one goes to this places to hang out so it is perfect for what it is. read more

I haven't been to any other location to get my car registration but I haven't had any difficulties at this location. There is 30 minute free parking behind the building on NW 56th St and that should give you enough time. They are also open on Saturdays which is nice but I would recommend going in off hours. You can also do everything online and quickly pick up in the store as well which is really convenient than waiting for the tabs in the mail. read more

What a pleasant surprise, the staff here is super friendly and very good at their job! Had five people in front of me and I got to the front in five minutes. The lady who helped me was very friendly and fast to renew my tabs. In and out in a total of 10 minutes! read more

great service, nice attitude. Makes getting a new license a pleasure!

I've used Ballard Licensing for over 20 years and have always found Fred and his employees to be very helpful and pleasant to deal with. It's by far the easiest place for licensing your vehicle. Don Hines read more

I've gone here several times to have tabs renewed or to transfer ownership of a vehicle. For the most part they have been really helpful and quick with their services. read more

What an epic experience. After waiting 3 hours at the Dept of Licensing to get my license I expected a similar experience with getting my car registered. Oh boy was I wrong! The entire process took less than 20 minutes. I was shocked. The people behind the counter were incredibly kind and made the process so simple. I highly recommend this place! read more

Opened until 6pm on a Saturday! This was a complete lifesaver for us. :) We came to register a couple of out-of-state cars. Everyone was super friendly and efficient (including the owner). They also offer a bunch of nice services, like reminders when your tags are about to expire. We'll definitely come back. read more

Chau was helpful and very friendly. She made the process of transferring my registration from another state simple and seamless. Great follow-up and fast service :) read more

Love love love. They take the time to explain your options. Sometimes saving you money. I use Ballard licensing for all of my licensing needs. Go early they open on time usually only a few people there then. I have dealt with all the people who work there and they have all been helpful and friendly. Go to Ballard licensing skip the other places. read more

My experience here today was absolutely fantastic! I was really reeeeally worried about registering my car in WA since we are both new to the PNW, my tags were 2 months expired & out of state, no WA state license PLUS I didn't physically have the title to the car. Normally this would be a waste of time in the DMV even trying to go in without all my stuff in order but today, in less than 20 minutes total time I had not only registered in WA state but I got my plates also! Wham Bam thank you Ma'am! The entire staff was helpful and reassuring,- definitely will go here in the future and recommend their services to anyone! Thanks Ballard Licensing! read more

Quick and painless. Snohomish DOL gave us shit about the price of the car, bought it private party, first question- "What's wrong with it?" because it wasn't "retail" value; guy was rude and smelly. Ballad licensing was so much different- painless, very few words spoken, fast, and no shit about the private party price- well worth the trip from Everett. A+ great service, nice people, great place. read more

I have just returned from renewing tabs for my motorcycle. I really don't know how many times I've been served by Ballard Liscensing, but every time they have been gracious and professional while remaìning friendly. It is truely a great "secret" liscencing agency. The wait is never long and there are plenty of people on staff to help. Go there! ' ' read more

Fred, the owner, has such a delightful attitude and is very helpful. We were there on a Saturday at mid day. It was a bit busy, but the line went quickly. We were on our way with the new registration in basically no time at all. Shout out to Ballard Licensing! read more

I live in Kent Des Moines area I purchased my tabs online at Fastcartabs.com and I was surpisred when I got in them mail the next day, I heard about Ballard Auto Licensing and Fastcartabs.com through Tabor 100 and Seattle Chamber of Commerce read more

What a great service! I was a little worried when I saw a line out the door and in the hall on a Saturday afternoon but it moved very quickly. I was helped in less than 10 minutes. Very friendly people!! read more

I was excited to find a place close to me and liked the reviews. I was one of 3 people in there today. I'm disappointed as when the person behind the counter asked for my license plate. I told him "Charlie, Bravo, Echo - 123" (not really my plate). He responded "What? What's your license plate?" I repeated. He then said "Letters BEFORE numbers. License plates have both. Letters BEFORE numbers." I wasn't able to get my tabs as I needed emissions. I'd just had $4k of engine work completed and asked if this would wave the emission. He just said I still have to have emissions. I asked about the failing emission/$400 and that I just spent $4k. He said I had to deal with the emissions people. I asked for a 3-day pass, gave him the cash and then he just threw my paperwork at me. I asked him what was I supposed to do with it (as I'd never bought a 3-day pass before). The he got polite about me needing to fill it out when I was ready to use it. To sum up, this person didn't seem to have the time or patients to deal with me even though there wasn't a line and the place was pretty dead. They didn't seem to be knowledgeable in the tab process and the only point in which they were polite was at the end. read more

Ok so let me start by saying ballard wasn't my first choice... First I went to Siler in Burien but after they tried to pad the "fair market value" of the vehicle by nearly 2,000 dollars above kelly blue book value and the nada value and then tried to charge me 500 in taxes for the title transfer, I took my business elsewhere .... Oh boy am I glad I did. Ballard gave me a fair value on the car and didn't try to scam me and the state out of "tax money" like siler licencing agency did. plus it only took 5 minutes to do everything including waiting in line. the lady behind the counter was extremely nice and joked around with me while the Siler agency had acted like I was a hassle and was rude to me even taking the time to comment on the stupidity of my choice to ride a motorcycle. I'm extremely glad that I found this business and will be going there every time I have to renew my tabs or do a title transfer as they treat their customers like human beings and not like a distraction from the book they were reading. Kudos to Ballard Licensing for not being an immoral company like Siler. read more

I never usually leave reviews but I had to share my awesome experience today. My plates got stolen and I popped in to get a replacement. Not only I was served quickly and expeditiously but the owner went out of his way to walk me to the car park and help me attach the plates to ensure I don't get stopped before I can pop to the garage and secure those properly. Customer service at its best! Highly recommend this place! read more

Although there was a significant line 15 minutes after they opened on a Wednesday, I had a great customer experience! They were so helpful, patient, and courteous, even when I forgot to tell them I wanted special plates (so we had to do ALL the data entry over again). I know renewing tabs is a pain but I highly recommend this place!! read more

Good Lord... These people are the best people in the world (okay, in the whole city) when it comes to vehicle licensing. Please give them a darn raise because they are fast, friendly and knowledgeable. My boyfriend needed to register his new car and all it took, from queuing to leaving the building, was 20 minutes. No kidding. 20 minutes! I needed to make sure that I wrote a review for them, because it was the best experience ever. read more

they so deserve all the kudos everyone keeps giving them on here. they are so patient and so kind even when dealing with people who are having crappy days and dealing with crappy situations. They make everything simple and easy and don't ever give you the runaround. I'm sad to move away from this neighborhood and have less access to them. le sigh. read more

Renewed my tabs here twice - and they are quite possibly the best tab renewal location ever. I've never had to wait in line - there is always parking in the load/unload zone in front (or for free in the back) and they never give me that dreaded "you honestly waited until NOW to do this?" look or speech my mom always does. read more

You know you'd think this would be the kind of place that would receive a lot of negative reviews as most people hate doing these kinds of chores and the experience of dealing with people who work in these places is almost always unpleasant. I'd imagine surly paper pushers with bad attitudes. Not this place.The ladies at this location went above and beyond to help me with a VERY frustrating case involving my 'Good to Go' tolls that were held up for over a year. Snafu after snafu on bills I paid but tabs were not released (Good to GO is a nightmare and a really inefficient and disorganized agency). I had all the proof of payment and a zero balance bill but still waited weeks and no release of tabs. These women went the extra mile and finally called and got someone on the phone to find out WHY this was held up for so long. My tabs were released in a mater of minutes. I am very grateful. read more

I went here for my job, with very little info and instructions. I was sent to get a two day renewal (or something like that) so we could get an emissions test. The woman asked for the license plate # and of course I didn't have it...it's not my car. Conveniently enough, I didn't have my cell phone. I had been traveling all around Ballard and was not in the mood to go all the way back to my work. I asked if there was a payphone, and she let me use an office phone. Talk about customer service! That would never have happened anywhere else. Thank you Ballard Licensing! read more

Excellent service, great and knowledgeable staff. In/out quick which is really not common for this type of service, unfortunately. 5 stars.