Amid increased demand and persisting technical issues, the DMV at Department of Revenue & Taxation has faced much scrutiny from the public due to long wait times and lack of assistance.

The sudden system failure leading to two days of closure this week only increased public frustration.

DRT Public Information Officer Carlina Charfauros shared some of the daily challenges that the DMV faces.

“We’ve had technical issues and they’ve persisted. We’ve had it for a while. It just got chaotic and went completely down,” said Charfauros. “We closed so that we didn’t have frustrated folks out here waiting in line for extended periods because we simply could not process.”

With systems back online, she said service has resumed.

“Our technical systems are running great, we are moving things along, we’re able to process folks. The line out here is gone,” said Charfauros. “Inside, our seating area still is full, but that also is moving along quite well.”

While tech teams troubleshoot system issues as they occur, DMV staff are assessing their intake services to streamline service.

“The vendor is coming from off-island to assess the operating system to see what we can do on that end as a long-term and permanent solution,” said Charfauros. 

As for the public’s perception that they must arrive before dawn to secure service?

“We want to dispel the fact that you need to be here at five in the morning to get service. We are servicing everyone that comes through our doors. Now, that depends on whether our operating systems are working. However, we are not turning anyone away,” said Charfauros. 

Still, she recommends arriving around seven in the morning as a precaution.

“We certainly understand the frustration that the public has coming here, having to stand in line only to not be serviced. We want them to know that we are doing everything we can. Provided our systems are running, we want to get you in and out of here just as quickly as you want to get in and out of here,” she said. 

For a smoother experience, DMV urges residents to use the online portal, my id.guam.gov, to schedule appointments for renewals or replacements, bring in all necessary documents, and fill out applications completely before arriving.

If you have any further questions, give them a call at (671)635-1835/6.