I went yesterday and I actually had a good experience overall. The screening process they put you through takes a bit longer to wait. But I think they save you a long wait for a clerk only to discover you are missing something you need. I think they took care of me in a half hour. read more

Another update: Somehow my car ended up being reported as sold even though I never sold it. Luckily it was caught before it became a bigger issue, but it's still pretty concerning. Had it not been caught, I could have been driving around with an invalid registration and not even know it until I got pulled over. I had to write a handwritten note stating that I did not sell my car in order to get it corrected. Now I find myself checking my registration from time to time just to make sure everything is still valid. That's not something anyone should have to worry about. Looking back, this just adds to the concerns I already had after my experience with the employee I mentioned in my original review. I didn't make an issue because i wanted to be done with it all but it was quite concerning. read more

I'm very disappointed with my recent visit to the DMV in Newport News. The personalized plate I ordered came with the wrong spelling. When I politely tried to explain the issue, the staff member raised her voice instead of helping. I had paid $248 for the plate and three years of registration, and I only asked for the plate with the correct spelling I read more

Who rates a DMV accept maybe someone who is angry for poor service and needs to lash out. Me. I have been a licensed driver in 8 states... so that's DMVs in 8 different states I've had to deal with. So when I say this DMV is hands down the best, I have plenty to compare it to and mean it. No matter the time of day, the employees are friendly. More than friendly, they're knowledgeable and desire to help you. Even with no appointment, it's amazing how quickly you can be seen and on your way. read more

Gotta admit I was dreading the visit today; 6/4/2026, but that went south quickly. Appointment scheduled for 0845, but the 2 lines, one with and one without appointments took the sting out of the visit. Called to the window in seconds to start the process. Lady that served me, well she was an absolute pleasure. "TELLER; DMVSOB"! I believe her name was Mrs. Bratton! Super organized and assisted me with my questions. Could not have asked for a greater Lady! Winner in my opinion. Business was handled and I was out of the door at 0820!!!!! Done!!! So if you're looking for a DMV; this is the one! Notes: Make an Appointment. Be there early for your appointment. Joe Gauldin Newport News Virginia read more

Replace the entire staff and management tried to file for a title for a moped and got turned away with no direction. I was told I can not get a replacement title I would have to get a title from the previous owner that did not have the title themselves. Found documents saying they are able to file and give me a title still turned away read more

It's one of the worst DMVs I've visited, the attention of most officials is great! They do their job in a bad way, they give you a thousand problems just to waste your time. They are not friendly and if you don't speak English well they discriminate against you, they speak badly to you, they serve you badly. I think they are a little racist. I saw how they treated a gentleman who doesn't speak English well in a bad way. read more

A delightful experience, no lie. Everything went well for us. The manager who was going around helping was polite. She even handled a rough situation where a man came in a blazing. He was rude off the bay. The clerk handles it nicely and then the manager came over calm. Over all nice location and polite people. read more

I had to get my son his photo identification card so we could get his passport soon I was desperately dreading coming to dmv they are always awful and take up a whole day We came in on Saturday morning and I was shocked to see it less than half full and the receptionist was so polite we had our number called and were finished in about an hour I was so impressed the employees seemed like they legit liked their job and worked quickly to assist us I will be using this location now on thank you for making our visit a pleasant experience read more

It's been 7 years since I've physically been in to an DMV, and I will do everything possible to NEVER visit this location again. The most, rude, snarky, unprofessional, unpleasant employees employees Ive come across in a very long time. Why whisper if you really wish to then yell your comments when asked to repeat yourself? Why speak so quickly and shove papers across the table if you do not wish to be asked clarifying questions? There's an easy and a hard way to provide customer service. From check in to check out, the experience was harder than it needed to be. Major staff retraining needed here. read more

Most employees are very rude and have attitude problem .They are snarky,unplesant, They don't want to hear from me when I try to ask questions, They want me to listen to them, .this is very frustrating read more

This is the best DMV experience I've ever had in any state. made an appointment for what we needed around noon for 3:45 the same day. arrived a little early and waited maybe thirty seconds at the first window. she gave me a form and a ticket number. they called my ticket so quickly I couldn't even finish my form! went to the window and was helped by the MOST cheerful, competent, helpful person ever in sparkly reindeer antlers and jingle bells. she performed her bureaucratic job so swiftly and with a happy to help smile on her face, stamped all my forms and handed me my beautiful new original title. I was in and out the door in 11 minutes flat! read more

DMV - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

I know going to the DMV is notoriously a slow process. But I really think this one takes the cake... All I was there for was to renew my license. I needed one of those real ID things... They have a deadline coming up for that in less than a month. You would think they would be preparing for the onslaught of people coming into the DMV for that real ID but you would be wrong. They had one out of 13 windows that was servicing all of the real ID customers so I had the pleasure of waiting in line for two hours behind half a dozen people. Come on! read more

I had a great experience with the Ladies that helped me title and register my vehicles. I also had all the proper paperwork which is always helpful. They were very polite. read more

The cleaning lady with (gray hair) that does the extra sanitizing cleaning was VERY rude.

The organization of this place is horrible. I was standing in line for a half hour and in comes one of the DMV employees to let everyone know that if you are in this line for registration you need to go to the other line. I moved over there and waited another hour just to be told I was suppose to be in the original line. The employee was try to tell me I should have known that. First, I just moved here, second, I dont work here so why the hell should I know this? Lines are out the door and only 6 of the 13 windows are open on a Saturday. This what government run operations look like. read more

Very crowded and busy with long wait time. Reception is cold and unfriendly. Although Mrs McCain was very helpful at the service window and it became a good experience and I was able to register my car and motorcycle read more

Okay, DMV is the DMV. Their notoriety is known throughout the country. I'll admit I haven't been to this location in a long time, particularly because I know it's in an urban setting, which means more people to contend with. I made it a point of going across the water to Gloucester Point DMV because they don't have as many people. I had to come in today (chose to come here, as it's close to work), because I needed to register a car and get some plates + stickers. I had all of my paperwork ready and car insured, etc. So I get in, wait in line at the Information desk for a little bit (only 2 people in front of me), the lady was efficient. Simply asked what I was there for, whether the vehicle was insured (yes, it was), then gave me my ticket stamped 2:25PM. There were a lot of people sitting and waiting, but from what I could see, the majority of the teller windows were staffed. They were moving through people pretty quickly, heard 3 people getting called up right after another. The younger lady who helped me, was very nice. She actually took the time to explain different things to me and Virginia state policies about car titles etc. Never felt rushed and left the DMV actually having learned something new. All in all, I got in at 2:25pm and left at exactly 3:05pm. Not bad. read more

Most folks when hearing the word "DMV" quiver and shake with fear. Fear of spending their entire day at a location with possibly hundreds of others impatient, in a hurry, angry, confused. Happily, that's not the case here. I've been to this DMV location a number of times and I can honestly say they have been consistent in customer care, quick service, and accuracy. The days of wasting hours upon hours at the DMV seem to have disappeared. In part, probably because most of the "easy" stuff can be done online - no need to visit the brick and mortar. Here you're greeted professionally by the customer service desk who vets your intent and paperwork and assigns you a customer number. There are plenty of service clerks which helps ensure the flow stays at a good pace. This place is very clean and organized. Taking my granddaughter to take her written exam was easy peazy. She was called within 20 minutes. Now that's service! read more

Typical government agency. This is what you get when government operates a business. If you're familiar with the post office, you will know what to expect here. When there is no competition, government runs in the least efficient manner. read more

Registering our grand kids birth certificate. Why DMV? New change, Hospital has done this for all our other kids and grand kids. Thanks Virginia, now people get to sit for an hour or so with all the grumpy people who don't know how to do the DMV online read more

WOW!! I just moved to VA a couple of weeks ago. I have been so impressed with the people here - they are generally very friendly, courteous and overall just pleasant to be around. And then I went to this DMV office... This is apparently where Virginia hides its nasty people! I have never experienced this level of rudeness, incompetence and overall horrific service. The wait was endless - despite the fact that the office was packed, only 3 of the 14 windows were staffed! I do not even want to discuss the interaction I had with the clerk... Suffice it to say that I will go out of my way to go to a different DMV office in the future and I advise everybody else to do so as well. read more

This is the worst fucking dmv office on earth. The williamsburg va one is way more better than this fucking office. Their service is fucking horrible. We waited 3 hours here waiting. read more

I had the misfortune of needing to renew my drivers license and decided to get a REAL ID. I first went to the Hampton office and the line just to get a number was out the door so I left and went to the Newport News office. Before going I checked the wait times online and it said the wait would be 11 minutes for my transaction, which was a total misrepresentation as I had to wait in an extremely long line just to get my number before the real wait began. I took off work and went first thing on a Thursday morning and it ended up taking over 3 hours for a simple transaction, which is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not sure what all the issues are, but there seems to be no sense of urgency, and the DMV employees don't seem to be the sharpest tools in the shed. Glad to see what my tax dollars are paying for... read more

I approached this DMV with trepidation after readying the other very negative reviews. BUT to my surprise, it was not bad at all. In and out in half hour to renew my license. Of course it helps I went Wednesday morning around 10. Still, looked like a roomful of people but lines were moving sort of briskly. You get a ticket and just sit down and wait for your # to be called. Again, in and out in 30 minutes. Not bad at all for DMV. For the one guy who was so PO'ed, i recommend approaching DMV with an open mind, a sunny disposition, and engage the lady behind counter in brief but cheerful conversation. Both your times will go by more pleasantly and both of you will have a better day. Cheers! read more

I can't even understand where they get the people from the dmv from! I came in here prepared with all my paperwork, was given a number to wait, waited 1.5 hours just for my fucking number to be skipped... not even called but for the numbers after me to be called before me! I stand back in the line to ask the woman if they call the numbers out of order for her to tell me my damn number that they gave me 1.5 hours ago was non existence(yet two numbers in the same letter group of mine was called). Now I sit here awaiting them to call me as they help people who were here after me. This place sucks and I guess what makes it worse is I did everything in my power to make it a smooth transition for them to not even help or accommodate me or even just apologize for my number not being called. I'm pissed!!!! Now 2 hours later I'm still sitting here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Because of their screw up. read more

Normally the DMV is a horrible place with many people waiting and many unhappy. I had gone to the dmv several times prior (smithfield DMV) and each time only given 1 step during each visit in entire process I needed assistance with. Finally at Newport News DMV one employee (Racquell Llantos) took the time to explain what I needed and fixed the whole process in 2 visits. She displayed a happy nature and willingness to listen and help. I had been to the DMV several times prior with no help. She definetly made me feel like a person and not a number. I believe the DMV would have a much better reputation if they took note of her exceptional customer service. Out of 6 total visits 4 walking out angry at Smithfield DMV, these last 2 visits at Newport News DMV left me happy and gave me a feeling of relief knowing the goal was accomplished. Thank you again Racquell Llantos for the exceptional customer service, time, and great personality. read more

The worst service I have ever received at a motor vehicle department. My wife and I moved to the area and wanted to obtain new plates, licenses and tags. The first day they needed proof of payment of sales tax on car(which we didn't have at the time) and lady stated they can't accept a fax. So we obtained the document and went back the next day, now they wanted another form that was not told to us the day before. Mind you, it was a 2 hour wait the first day and 2 hour wait the second day also. They were very unfriendly except one guy named kelly. They just wanted to brush us off and did not want to give us a straight answer. After one lady said no fax, kelly said of course we can take a fax. These people make up their own decision on the spot!!! Absolutely no consistency!!! Would strongly recommend avoiding this location at all costs!!!!! The manager we spoke with and most of the people we dealt with definitely need retraining!! It's a shame that our money goes to support people like this who do not have enough supervision and need significant retraining on how to take care of customers. Oh... By the way, the first day for a straight hour all I heard from 3 dmv employees at this location is countdown to OTD(out the door). This is a disgrace when it comes to customer service, tells me that they are just there to do their time, who gives a crap about the customer!!! read more