Department of Motor Vehicles

Getting any business done here when you’re stuck out of state is impossible. Sure, they have a phone number. But they obviously don’t feel like answering the phone is one of their job duties. I’ve called over 15 times, most of the time someone picks up and hangs up /​disconnects the call. It’s ridiculous that the tax payers money pays these people not to do their damn jobs. I might as well be calling Walmart.

Just wondering at the wahiawa dmv was is hard taking the road test like what did they make you parallel park and how strict where they

This has got to be the worst, and the slowest dmv on the planet. I find it extremely ridiculous how you have to literary camp out outside this place in order to take a road test. Like seriously be there in front by 2:00am in order for them to take care of you. If you are one of the few that decided to wait till 5:00am to make the line, they would just reject you, because you know, you don’t matter. Smh ridiculous I tell you.

The wait times can be long. I waited for about 2 and a half hours getting my permit. A few people had given up by that time and said they would try another day.
Parking is limited so you may have to park on the streets nearby. We had to walk about 10 minutes because there was no parking whatsoever.
The ladies who work here are nice and run things as efficiently as possible with limited resources. Please be nice to them and they’ll be nice back.
A lady came out and was asking people for the paperwork they needed for their applications. Several people were turned away because they didn’t have the right paperwork so I recommend looking up what paperwork you need before you wait 2 hours just to be turned away.
Good luck getting a walk in road test unless you feel like camping overnight. I made an appointment online which is 2 months away a little disappointing that I have to wait that long but I’m sure they’re doing the best they can with budget cuts that were made.
The DMV is something most of us have to put up with and even though we had to walk quite a way because no parking and waiting a long time, the experience wasn’t too bad.

Got here at opening. Waited 3 hours before even getting to the front of the line. No reason for it. 2 ladies helping and it took 30 min per person. As you can see I was sixth in line. Oh well.

I absolutely hate this place! Had about 30 people standing outside and only 3 registers. I waited 2.5 hrs to be seen and when I got to the window the lady told me my proof of residency wasn’t valid. I was beyond upset! When I called the phone number prior to heading there the phone literally went from being busy to ringing for 2mins without someone answering! Louisiana DMV is horrible but this place is beyond that! The customer service sucks!

This place has the worst employees.

I’m just gonna start off with this… It’s a DMV!
So some tips:
–Know there will be a line and clear your schedule of at least 2 hrs minimum
–Bring EVERYTHING with you. Thankfully they have boards and signs posted up to see while in line, explaining what documentation will be needed from you with each transaction. I get some people are lost and clueless when going to the DMV but if you’re already in line for an hour, there’s nothing else to do but read all the pieces of paper they have glued to the walls. They even had a poster board with papers to fill out while in line.
–Always bring cash, just to be safe. I went once and for whatever reason they were only accepting cash or check.
–Lastly, these workers are just as irritated as you are. Imagine all the grouchy/​ignorant people they must put up with on a day to day basis. Getting angry at them is just gonna make things worse for you so take a deep breath and relax.
The ladies that have helped me at Wahiawa have been pretty nice. Maybe they don’t appear that nice but once you a converse a bit, they’re pretty helpful and feiensly.

Rated against other DMV experiences I’ve had, I’ll give this above average.
I went for just the state ID, but state ID and driver’s license people line up in the same line. The line was out the door, but just barely. I arrived at about 945 am, the parking lot was maybe ¾ full, and for the first 30 min only 2 people were helped. After that they picked up the pace and I got through the entire process in about 1:15. That’s not bad… for a DMV. Once I got back to the room where they actually help you, the employees were friendly and efficient. There were 4 employees, which I was told by a lady in line next to me is more than she’s ever seen.
For what it’s worth, I’m a white girl, not a local, and I had no issue whatsoever. I don’t see a big difference in shopping in Wahiawa and eating there vs other parts of the island. There were other white people in line, there were some elderly locals, there were some tattooed locals… When at the DMV, we are all in it together… I’ve seen actual brawls at DMVs stateside, especially when they close the line in the afternoon and people have been waiting and waiting and are told they need to go home. I think it pays to go early, be patient, and bring a book to read while waiting. Also I went on a somewhat rainy day, so maybe that kept the normal crowds away? Who knows.

Today was a really good day to go! Got there at 10 and I was done by 10:45. (I had to get my permit) Anyway, the lady that came outside to check if everyone had everything gave us the wrong information, which made my bf have to drive all the way back home to Mililani to grab his w2, which he didn’t even need because he was just getting a duplicate of his State ID-​.- I had a good experience with the lady at the counter. probably because I was over prepared with documents to give to her lol.
The only complaint I had was when I had to wait in line again (when my bf came back). I was first, so I decided to call my bf to see if he was here, then she yelled at me to go outside… No one was even close to being done with their transactions and the sign clearly says to finish your calls before you reach the counter-​_​_​_​_​_​_​-​” AND THEN the dumb older lady and and girl in BACK of me didn’t let or even offer me my spot in line after my 2 second phone call!

Oh, you must give them a break. There are only a very few here that do anything and among them, even less that assist customers in line. Sure, I (and everyone else) would like to be in-​and-​out, however, this is the real world and there isn’t a DMV anywhere that has lightning speed lines.
It takes time to ascertain the customers needs, answer a vast array of questions to & from the clerk, process everything, and collect payment. This is done per person and you know once you get to the window you expect «personal attention». Well… everyone does as well.
I find that the Wahiawa DMV is the best on Island. The clerks are friendly, professional, and thorough. The lady who met me was so humorous. We laughed at my selection of license plate names! I even had selected «GYOZA».
It’s clean, organized, and remember… the Police Station is only 20 meters away! Play nice people :-)

Slowest workers ever, that is until about 3:15pm, then all of a sudden they miraculously get new skills and become fast workers so they can promptly close at 4pm, even if they are helping you. They say, oh just come back tomorrow, sorry you waited 3 hours and still couldn’t get service.

I came into Wahiawa right after school and had half an hour to spare so I drove around until my test at 2 (on a friday). I passed on my first try, didn’t have to parallel, and didn’t have to deal with any traffic. I know people who have failed multiple times, but I think it just depends on who you get as a test coordinator. Overall, the test is pretty chill. You can get up to 15 points off. Just be confident, drive safely (don’t forget your head checks), and you should be fine!
If you can, I highly recommend you making an appointment. It makes everything go by so much smoother. Good luck to anyone taking their road test!
ps. there are two stop lines in the parking lot, one of them is faded out completely

Wahiawa… Got there at 6:00am and was about 10^th in line. Door opens at 745. Was outta there by 830am. Everyone was friendly and the «vibe» was much more relaxed than in town. Ample parking. I don’t plan to go again anytime soon but when it’s time to renew I’ll definitely go here! Aloha.

This review is not for a specific DMV, but for all of them…
I was living in California for 4 years and accidentally allowed my Hawaii driver’s license to expire. So I needed to go through the entire process of obtaining a new license, which meant taking the written test, as well as the road test over again.
Taking the written test was fairly easy… I went to the DMV in Kapolei in the afternoon, stood in line for about 20 minutes, had all my documents verified, stood in another line for 10 minutes, took my test, waited for the results, took my photo for the permit, and finally received my temporary permit… All within about an hour!
Initially, I tried to schedule an appointment online for my road test, but there were no availabilities for 4 – 5 months out. I really didn’t want to wait that long, so I decided to do a walk-​in at the DMV.
Next, I’m going to describe to you the ENTIRE process I had to take in order to take my road test…
Day 1: The DMV opens up at 8am, so I figured getting there an hour before it opened would be enough to get in line for the road test. Man, was I wrong! We arrived at the DMV in Wahiawa around 7am, and there was already a long line of people waiting. Looks like some of them even slept there because sleeping bags were laid out on the ground. We waited around until about 9am, when someone came out and told everyone they weren’t taking anymore people for the road test.
Day 2: We arrived at the DMV in Wahiawa at 5:45am, which is 2 hours and 15 minutes before it opened… Earlier time, but same exact result! We asked one of the workers why it’s so hard to get a road test, and she said a lot of their jobs were loss due to budget cuts, so there’s less people available administering the test. She mentioned we might have better luck at either the Kapolei or Honolulu DMV.
Day 3: This time we decided to try the DMV in Honolulu. We got there about 6am, which was 2 hours before they opened. We’re thinking they had way more people at the downtown location to administer road tests… WRONG AGAIN! They ended up taking less than 10 people because they only had a single person administering road tests!
Day 4: We woke up super early and got to the DMV in Kapolei by 4am, which is 4 hours before they opened. There was already a line, but it looks like there were less than a 15 people waiting. So we got our hopes up that there maybe more administrators at this location, and I may finally get to take my road test… WRONG YET AGAIN! Turns out the people in line were being paid to sleep there and hold spots for other people! I’m not sure if the people at the DMV know about this, but it seems shady to me! By this point I was really pissed off and frustrated because I just wasted 4 days of waking up early for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! So I made up my mind to just sleep overnight at the DMV, so I wouldn’t have to deal with this bullshit anymore!
Day 5: It was slightly after midnight when we arrived at the DMV in Wahiawa, approximately 8 hours before they opened. Surprisingly, there were about 7 people already in line that had the same idea of sleeping there. We brought reclining lawn chairs, blankets, snacks and drinks to help us through the night. I couldn’t really sleep because of other people making random noise, mosquitos trying to bite me, and occasionally police cars speeding through. Waiting for 8am to arrive felt like an eternity! When they finally opened, I waited around for another 30 minutes before I was accepted to take the road test. Unfortunately for everyone else waiting in line, they didn’t accept anyone else after me… Including the guy behind me, who got to the DMV only 10 minutes after I did! THAT REALLY SUCKS FOR HIM! Well, I finally get my road test, and I passed with no mistakes. FINALLY, AFTER 5 FRICKEN DAYS!
Does the DMV know that people are taking the road test under these extreme conditions??? Most of them are getting little or no sleep because they’re waiting in line overnight, which means they’re getting behind a motor vehicle completely exhausted. I know the DMV is doing the best with the personnel they have, but this is risking the safety of other people. Besides the whole safety issue, waiting in line days at a time is completely unnecessary! PLEASE HIRE MORE PEOPLE!

Wahiawa locatuon — Waited 4 hours monday, 3 hours Tuesday. Got there at 7 am, thought I would be early. Nope had about 30 folks infront of me. Worker ladies were nice enough, they seem stressed, wonder why.
Def be there before 7am, bring a good book and be prepared to wait. Get in line asap as it fills up quickly from 7 – 8. And please be nice to the workers!
Hopefully they will implement a ticket/​number system, that would work way better then their current procedures.

I wish I could give negative 5 stars to this DMV. Anyway, a lot of these reviews are old and I think a lot has changed since some of these reviews went up. But I can tell you this Wahiawa DMV is a fricken NIGHTMARE!
First off, the earliest online road test appointment is 4 – 5 months from now. I’ve been there 8 days in a row to try and get a road test slot and EVERY TIME I have not gotten one. Even when showing up at 7 – 8 p. m the night before. And of the 8 days I was there 3 of the days they took just 2 walk-​ins for road test and the other 5 days they took just 4 walk-​ins for road test. RIDICULOUS!
They have to have a better system for road test appointments for walk-​ins because most of us can’t wait 4 – 5 months for an online appointment. What, are we not suppose to go to work or take our kids to school and pick them up for 5 months? No wonder I know so many people that drive without a license.
A word of advice for people that need ONLY a permit or state ID: You can show up pretty much anytime after 9 or 10 a.m. and there will be almost no line so you can save yourself some aggravation. Here is a link for the DMV cameras that are on during business hours so you can check how long the lines are before you go:
And for those needing car registration/​tags etc. there is a completely separate line and building for that that is almost always empty. The most people I’ve seen in that separate line was 3. It’s definitely not like the DMV line.
But, again, for people needing a road test expect to camp out all night for a slot you most likely won’t get. Nobody I talked to while waiting in line over 8 days EVER got a slot their first time waiting in line. Most of them tried at least 3 or 4 times before they got a road test appointment.
All I can say to those trying to get a walk-​in road test is GOOD LUCK, and I feel for you since I’ve just been through DMV hell the past 2 weeks.
P. S. I’m sure they have a few different routes they use, but I had my friend show me the route she took on her test a few days ago and outlined it for you folks to see. Check it out if you’re going to take your road test at the Wahiawa DMV.

Horrible! The line for drivers licensing, ie. permits, drivers license, is horrid! There’s ONLY 1 line for any license. They need a new managment because this is RIDICULOUS! You have to wait in line for 1+ hours just to get to the cashier or front of the line. We’ve been here since 1:45pm, & it is currently 230pm. 45 min wait? Seriously? They need to have seperate lines for everything. There was a couple of people before us who even left cuz the wait was too long. Make make sure you bring a chair because you’ll be in line til the place closes!

This has been pretty well covered by the previous Unilocalers (although I don’t wanna meet that guy who ranted about Wahiawa’s «filthy locals», cause I can hear the tick tick tick boom from here), but they’re relatively on point. So here’s my humble addendum, based on several trips here in the past few months.
Tips to renew tags/​renew license/​register your vehicle at Wahiawa without going insane:
1. Get there 7−8am, for anything you need to do here. Not only will you actually find PUP (purple unicorn parking, because it is as rare and as coveted), you will save yourself HOURS of standing in line behind the goober who doesn’t have all the documents/​check/​forms and wants to argue about it. Do not bring children if you can help it. Thirty minutes waiting to you is an eternity in hell for the average kid. And then *you’re* in hell.
2. Bring your own black/​blue ballpoint pen, people. There are forms outside the driver’s license test area on a desk by the wall, but no pens. Save time and grab a form immediately and fill it out in line. Don’t count on there being a pen available at the registration side, either.
3. Contrary to my fellow Unilocalers, I’d say do NOT bring water/​food unless you get there early and have a short line. I’ve seen people do this around lunchtime, wait for hours while eating/​drinking, need to go to the bathroom, and lose their place in line. Even if in line with a friend. Don’t count on any aloha from your fellow man at the DMV, cause they be grouchy folk sometimes.
4. Bring your checkbook, not your credit card. They do NOT accept credit cards at the tag/​registration renewal side, although they may do it on the driver’s license side. There is an ATM outside, but why lose your place in line? Just bring a checkbook.
5. For driver’s license: If your Social Security card is taped up, laminated, or beat up in any way, they may not accept it – depends who you get. Doesn’t say that on the website, but it’s happened to me at the Kapolei office (I had a small piece of tape holding one side of the original together). Get a replacement card at
before you go. It takes a couple of weeks, but it’s faster than the DMV hassle.
6. Registration: if you’re military, make sure you have your Hawaii Resident Certificate, Form CS-​L (MVR)50 or 50a, for each registration, renewal or transfer (available from personnel or your unit) before you go. BUT hold off on filling it all out until you get to the window. If you have any corrections, it will void the form and they won’t accept it. Wait to let them tell you what to write. It sounds stupid, but you don’t want to blow it at the end and have to go back.
7. Do NOT talk on your cell while at the counter or anywhere near the driver’s license written test area. They take it seriously – I saw a lady get asked to leave for doing this. Harshness.
8. Visit their website and print out the page that says what documents you need. Make sure you bring exactly what it says. Bring that page with you, too – sometimes people at the window get fussy, and the printed out page from their own website can short-​circuit that fight.
Doing these things, I have renewed registration and renewed my license and gotten in and out in less than 30 minutes. I have transferred an out of state license with written test taking in less than two hours. Compare that to my first DMV experience at the Kapolei office (cause everyone said it was better than town or Wahiawa, which is closest to Schofield, but that was crap) – it took me SIX hours one day, and it was horrible.
Wahiawa DMV ain’t bad if you know some tips, don’t act stink to the DMV workers or your fellow man waiting in line, and keep humming a song in your head while shuffling forward. Live in your own aloha bubble and be prepared before you go. EEEEEasy!

This location wasn’t crowded at all…
My registration was expired and I needed to get it done before the BF took the car on base which was the very next day!
I drove over to Wahiawa Police Station and was pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t a crowd being that it was already 3:15pm and they close at 4:00pm.
I was out of there with my updated Registration within 15 minutes. not bad at all.