Department of Motor Vehicles

The female employee that work at the first window was lazy and not very knowledgeable of dmv policies. I explained my situation to her and explained that the lien holder was willing to fax over all necessary paperwork and she just kept brushing me off and saying she can’t help me. Instead of getting her supervisor she then sought the advice of her coworker who in turn agreed with her that they would not be able to help me register my vehicle even though I mentioned that I’d travelled five hours just to be there. Thankfully a mere 5 minutes after explaining my situation to the manager he told me that in fact what I needed was indeed a fax and that my time was not wasted. 1 hour later my car was registered and I walked out of dmv very thankful that the manager was so compassionate. He made my day. And only for his help did I rate them 4 stars.

Anyone who goes this floowing address — dmv
4150 S Four Mile Run Dr
Arlington, VA 22 206
United States
and get your day ruined by all sorts of troubles they creat for you!
Go 4 more miles to this dmv im leaving comment on … After so much trials … This one turned out to be the best around.

The most pathetic place to go never ever come even with appointment you will be left to wait until closing time they would take your test and failed you for no reason

This DMV is a poor example of how our taxes are used to benefit us.
I have nothing good to say about this location or the people that manage the people that work here or the services they perform. You are in hell. It’s like a bad movie.
As you sit and wait your turn an automated voice drones on every few minutes notifying someone that their number is: (add letter and number). And as you compare your ticket to the voice that drones on and on you are continually reminded that you are indeed in hell.
The numbers are not in sequence and make no sense. They skip numbers in the sequence, so you can’t go outside and wait because they may call your number.
The location is remote and hard to find and there are cops with radar guns on the main drag that leads to the DMV. The lot is small and there is no parking, b/​c the lot is full. I waited almost 20 minutes for a parking space.
Once you get inside there is very little seating, because every seat is full. There are less than 130 seats available and after an hour you get cranky because the seats are that uncomfortable. Also, there is no place within walking distance where you can go eat /​drink while waiting so once you are there you are stuck. There are also no vending machines.
My experience today is described below:
At 11:00 am on a Friday I stood in line for 30 minutes just to get a service ticket number and was told that there was a 2 hour wait to renew tags on a vehicle. (I actually waited 2 hours and thirty five minutes, but whose counting? And that was with no shows being skipped). There were 30 tickets in front of me in my alphabet series.
Seriously.
The help desk system is not all helpful and the fact that they scan your license as a guard waits nearby this reinforces the notion that we live in a police state.
Out of 13 service windows available only 3 — 6 were consistently manned and dispensing services on this Friday morning/​afternoon. Within that 2 plus hour period 6 service desks were manned for approximately 1 hour and thirty minutes.
Recommend that whenever possible that you avoid coming in here.

Yeah, it’s a DMV. It’s not a super pleasant place, and you’re going to have to wait a while before they get to you. Too bad they don’t do appointments like some other states. But I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the woman who ended up helping me. I was there to transfer title and registration and get a new driver’s license, since I’m new to Virginia. It was a lot, and she was patient, polite and nice. Can’t say the same for the person at the entrance desk who gives your number, but I’ll take it. It wasn’t the worst DMV I’ve been to, and I appreciate that.

I wish one could give negative stars. This place is hood and has zero customer service. I think you’re treated like dirt because they know you can’t just NOT use them. I really wish the customer service part were addressed…

When I saw the reviews on here for this site I was a bit skeptical but I went anyway and glad that I did.
My experience was very pleasant from the moment I stepped inside to the wait time and interaction with the DMV employees. I originally went to this location to replace my old license and to obtain new vehicle registration. I arrived at the location half hour prior to opening, and a line had already begun with six people ahead of me.
By the time the facility was opened (which was a couple minutes prior to the actual opening time of 8:00 a.m., there were over ten people behind me. I went in, got my number and had a seat. Also, I had downloaded all the forms I needed and filled them out prior to arriving and had all my supporting documents handy.
I literally started a stop watch to test the wait time after I’ve been seated. It took 12.7 minutes and I was being assisted. The employee was very friendly and informed me that she was only able to process my ID because I forgot one very important document to process the registration.
I’ve also noticed that whether you were first in line or not doesn’t necessarily make a difference, because you are being seen in order of what your service needs are at that time. So this may have a lot to do with your wait time. In any event, I had my ID processed and was out of there in less than an hour.
I went back a second time to complete the initial process of registering the vehicle. This time, it was a little later in the day (around 10:00 a.m.) and had the same experience. It did not take an hour to get through the same process. I will definitely return to this location for future vehicular needs.

It seems a little odd to be reviewing a DMV and frankly I was surprised so many people already had. My last visit was on 6÷19÷15. Although, I had to wait an extra 40 minutes to wait for Richmond, VA to approve something after speaking to the clerk in Alexandria, VA. I really appreciated that clerk did not make me get back in line (and the time she said it would take to hear back from Richmond, VA was close to spot on). So in terms a DMV, I think the employees are professional and conscious of your time at this location. My only recommendation is this location opens at 8 am (I arrived at 8:30 AM) and you should get there as early as possible. By the time I left (at or around 10:00 AM) the line was significantly longer. In other words it’s worth skipping your coffee to arrive at the DMV early.

I came here before the dmv opens for my road test in the morning and they just took my student driving license and vehicle registration card and I am still waiting for 2 hours just to give my road test.
It’s a long unnecessary wait for a 10 min test and late for work!
Do not come here for your road test.

Very unpleasant employees… When they are talking it seems they are so tired of you and pissed. Anyway go somewhere else if you can.

Don’t want to wait? Arrive when they open — I wasn’t even able to finish filling in my form before they called my number.

Considering the many customers that come through its doors, this DMV does a good job of ensuring that everyone gets the individualized attention required. Just be sure to bring all of the documentation required before checking in at the service desk.
If you need to take the written portion of the driver’s license test, be advised that the DMV requires that you answer all of the questions correctly, before proceeding the behind-​the-​wheel examination.

What would normally be a 1 – 2 stars at any other place is a 3 – 4 stars at any government owned and operated location. No, I didn’t have a fantastic, hassle-​free time at the Alexandria DMV, but I didn’t have a terrible, stereotypical DMV experience here and I count that as a win.
I came in to switch my out of state license to a VA license. It was expiring in 3 days so I really was cutting it close and couldn’t put it off any longer. I got in around 3. The parking lot was a hilarious mess of bad parking jobs, overcautious drivers, and people returning from their drivers test. It wasn’t hard to find a spot, but it was one further towards the back.
When you get in, besides being greeted by a room full of people waiting for their number to be called, you’ll see a desk behind it all. Waiting in that line was the easy part (it took less than 5 minutes, but that’s always how it goes…) The guy handed me the proper forms that needed to be filled out and my number. Being the responsible adult that I am, I had printed and filled out those forms beforehand. I do not recommend doing this because, though the forms are the same, at least filling them out at the DMV will give you something to do while you wait.
And wait… and wait… My number was eventually called about an hour after I came in. The woman helping me was extremely nice and efficient. She took my paperwork, old license, and other documents, and started typing away. She asked me if I wore glasses/​contacts. I responded that I wore contacts and she nodded. No vision test or anything.
However, she ran into an error when she tried to do a search (or something, I’m just assuming here) with my old license. Something wasn’t working so they’d have to call someone and get it manually overridden. She told me to sit back down and she’d call me after the call was made. That only took about 10 minutes, thankfully, and I was back up there taking my picture. After a few more minutes of waiting, I had all my documents back (even my license, which didn’t get a hole punched in it) AND a piece of paper that would serve as a temporary license since they don’t print them there anymore.
I was quoted on getting my license in about 2 weeks, but it showed up less than a week later. (What, the government was early for once?!) I can’t say that I’m especially pleased about my photo or the license style, but that’s a different story…

The two people I mainly dealt with at the this office had excellent customer service. I wish I knew their names because they are helpful and personable. I waited about 25 minutes on a Thursday morning.

Came on day #1, waited for 2 hrs until realized the line is way too long. Came the following day and been notified that their system is down. On the 3 rd day, waited for 3 hours to be sent home for lack of prove of my residency… Apparently, they need original copy of lease agreement. Three days of nightmare to change driver’s license from one state to VA. To be continued… Good luck everyone who is going to go there!
So, came on Saturday at 8 am. Had to wait for 3 hrs and long line that started building up since 6 am or smth. All my issues been properly addressed and resolved. Five stars to the lady who provided service today. (Young African American, counter 8 I believe, or 6). Girl five stars to you and great job! Super fast and efficient.
Unfortunately, the entire DMV and the way things work there is –1 * (minus one star). Sorry, nothing personal. It just suck big time.

Wait time wasn’t bad. Customer service was good for it being a monday mourning. Not much else to say about a DMV. It was well ran.

Unpleasant staff and extremely long lines. Also, best part, man on intercom calling names speaks extremely poor english. Listen carefully! Took 2 hours just to take a sales test… No work involved for them and certainly no others taking this test in front of me. Go to Springfield, extremely nice staff and very quick!

Even the review are good. But being in Washington, DC DMV is mind blowing the you set food in Southeast or Northeast. Were you walk throw metal detectors and x ray machines. Like going to a courthouse or prison. Georgetown, Arlington and Alexandria the bus to some. It the bust and staff always helpful. Best tie is go on a weekday. in the morning or after. You don’t have to face to many people getting there id or drivers licenses. If you don’t like the parking take a cab from the subway station. restroom clean. a lot of seating. You don’t have to wait in line. They just call your number out. I just can’t wait to move back to Virginia my home state. Just think what you got and know it can be a lot worst other place.

It is hard to give a review for the DMV higher than 3 stars; after all, you’re suppose to be miserable in this place: it is your God given right as a driver. They’re pretty efficient here at the Alexandria, but it is still like a driver’s version of Ricks in Casablanca. Yup, everyone comes to Ricks and their all here in this waiting room, looking eager to make their deal. But just like Casablanca everyone wants to get out.
Now I am not comparing the Tellers to the Gestapo or anything, but lets face it, they pretty much hold your driving fate in their hands so there is nothing else to do but pray your paperwork is all in order. I wanted to take a picture for this review but the security guard was eying me up suspiciously and I was certain the act would result in a bright light and some intense questioning «WE have ways of making you talk. Why were you taking photos?»
For « Unilocal»
“Yelp?” …“No Unilocaling or crying here. WE will put you to the back of the line“
Ok so it is a bit over the top, but when you take in the excessive waiting, the cast of characters, and the surly demeanor of some of the workers, it really isn’t too far off the mark from Casablanca… only when it was all done no one says that this was the start of a beautiful friendship…
Well, at least that was my first impression, but when I got to the counter, I discovered that I had the place all wrong. First, I had made a mess of my forms and everything else, but my attendant was so cool that I forgot about the fact that Peter Lorre could be lurking around the corner ready to do me in. No, my attendant very kind and helpful, and I really felt embarrassed that I was secretly complaining only moments before. So, I guess this was the start of a beautiful friendship. Thanks for tearing down the stereotype, DMV Lady, you made my day!

After waiting in line for about 20 min (not terrible) I was «greeted» by a woman with an extremely thick eastern European accent who before even bothering to say hello or ask me if I had the necessary documents proceeded to shout «DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!» in the meanest nastiest tone I’ve come across in quite some time… oh the irony. Obviously my first instinct was to lecture Ms. Das Racist that not every tan/​brown person lacks the ability to speak proper English, however knowing the temperament of most DMV employees I refrained and instead answered «Yes mam, quite well» then she proceed to tell me that my addressed bank statements and comcast bill would not be enough to prove residency (obviously wrong). I asked her to give me a number anyways.
The woman at the counter told me I had all the correct paperwork and I left with my car registered and a new drivers license. The only reason I gave a one star is for the woman at the counter who although pleasant and helpful was not enough to make up for the witch at the front. I get the DMV is probably an infuriating place to work… but seriously get it together.