Satellite City Hall

I needed to transfer my out of state license so I made a trip to the DMV and expected the worst. I went soon after it opened at 8am and to my relief the place was not crowded at all. Everything was self explanatory as to what to do and where to go. I had all my documents ready, filled out my form, waited for a few minutes in line, and was directed each time as to where to go next. Everyone was nice and courteous and the procedure was efficient. I received my temporary license and was out the door within 40 minutes.

No stars for this place. Rude and not friendly. Not even a hi. Bye… And have a nice day… Looks like they just hate they job! Smh… Rather drive far and get good customer service! Epic fail

Went in at 11:45am on a Wednesday, NO LINE!!! The wahine that helped me register my car was so friendly and helpful. Cant believe i was in and out less than 10 minutes!
This has to have been my best SCH experience ever. Im still happy despite the fact that she forgot to give me my change and i have to go back. :)

This is for the non-driver’s license/​state id side. I haven’t had a problem with the wait. Every time I’ve gone there I’ve been in and out in under 20 minutes. The people are friendly enough and they help the people who aren’t sure what to do. My biggest complaint is the smell. I went there last year for registration renewal and it stunk so bad, but I thought it was probably temporary. Today when I went to take care of my registration again, it was the same nasty, bottom of the dumpster, rotten fish odor hitting me in the face as soon as I walked in the door. When you have to smell that while waiting in line it makes you want to get out of there ASAP. Bless the poor ladies who work there!

It’s funny because everyone knows how this operation works and how hectic and crowded it can get. We are all aware of it but people still complain. I have no complaints here. I heard it was a joke trying to get things done at this location but I had the fastest and easiest process ever.

I think the main reason why I had a somewhat pleasant experience is because I had all of my paperwork. It is SO important that you prepare accordingly because just one misstep, just one assumption, just one careless oversight of the slightest detail, and you can kiss your day and sanity goodbye. This is because there is usually a line. A long and sloooooowwww line. Nightmares are made up of many scenarios and one of mine is waiting in a line for over an hour only to find out once it’s finally your turn that you need to go back and stand in it again, and again, and again. For example, your only payment option is cash or check. No credit/​debit cards. Oh, you’re right. It is 2015. But not in satellite city offices. I forgot about this detail and felt the blood drain from my face when I read the signs everywhere saying cash and check only. But here’s the thing. Nowhere on the website (at least to my knowledge) does it say *how much* my transaction would have cost (out-​of-​state vehicle transfer), and because I didn’t bring my checkbook (again, 2015) I had to stand in the line anyway to get a total. If I didn’t have the right amount of cash on me, I’d have to leave the line, find an ATM, withdraw the funds, and stand in the line again. Gee, that sounds like fun. Luckily, when I got to the counter, I was told my total was only $ 5.50, and I had enough cash on me.
Though the line moved slow, when it finally was my turn, the lady was really nice to me, and was very appreciative that I had all of my paperwork (bill of lading, WA registration, WA title, HI vehicle inspection, HI car insurance, my ID…) In turn, I received my new HI plates, my HI car registration, and my HI title. I was happy, she was happy, all was well (hence the 4 stars).
Yet, as much as they want you to be prepared, you would think that the city & county of Honolulu website would be more user friendly and accurate. For example, the website shows that the Fort Street location in town handles motor vehicle registration. My transaction is considered a motor vehicle registration, right? I was transferring the registration of my car from WA to HI. Just as I was about to enter the Fort Street location, I saw a piece of paper, yes, a piece of paper, on the door stating that this location does not handle out-​of-​state transfers. Super thumbs up. There went that hour. Luckily I am staying in town and was within walking distance of this location and didn’t drive all over the place looking for parking (expensive, whether metered or in a lot), just to get straight up dissed, but I can see how this could have been such a major inconvenience. They listed the locations that do handle this transaction, and this is why I ended up at the City Square location.
Upon checking the website regarding the City Square location, however, it says that they handle driver licensing (written and road test, as well as renewal, and all state ID services) but makes no mention of any motor vehicle services…
The parking situation: free, but it can get crowded. The location itself is pretty cool because there are a bunch of places to grab lunch and snacks, and stuff to do. But that’s why it gets crowded.
If you are ever unfortunate enough to have to deal with the licensing and vehicle registration, I recommend coming to this location. I would recommend checking the website first, but since the information is so inaccurate, I doubt it will do you any good. Just remember, NO CREDIT/​DEBIT CARDS.

Oh boy. The wait here is terrible; I waited over three hours to get my driving permit! There were people obviously cutting in line and the employees just serviced them right after they finished the person they were on! Stupid.
I was served by a kind man however, and he was very helpful and patient as I asked some questions regarding the documents being saved to the computer. The testing itself was easy to understand, but I ended up having to get in line 4 times… that’s just ridiculous now. I’ll probably be back, but this visit was a little better than what I expected.

Watching people at satellite city hall work is like watching a turtle race… except the turtles move faster…
They’re re friendly so they get 2 stars but these people move very slowly. Also, i wonder about the accuracy of the information they relay to customers as they don’t seem certain about their answers. Id probably prefer and recommend the Pearlridge branch over this one.
2 stars!

Fourth time back here TODAY absolutely stupid service lady sent me to print documents that I didn’t even need. Finally talked to the supervisor and what do you know, I’m all checked out n have everything I need to get my renewed ID. Gas wasted, Frustrated, time wasted, and 4.5 hours later, I finally get rid of my expired ID. #oahu #oahupeople

I had to stand in line twice because my safety check was expired so i had to get that done first. When I came back I had to stand in line again but I have to say both times the line went fairly fast because there were four people at the counter. I like when the lady opens the door and makes everyone que up before you enter according to who was there first. You can’t just roll in like its Black Frday.
The people are nice here but I hate coming here if you know what I mean. Its hard for me to pay over $ 400.00 to register my truck when the roads are just f#%£ing insane to drive on.
Anyway, Im just glad its Friday :)

Line was long but moved quickly. Got done in about 20 mins. Way better than the wait at Ala Moana or Pearlridge satellite city hall. We will be back next month for our other car!