Bayonne DMV — Attraction in Bayonne

This is a review of my visit to the Bayonne DMV on Dec 10th, 2020. Purpose of visit - Renewal of Drivers license. Weather - low 40s

The Bayonne DMV is definitely one of the better run DMVs in the state of New Jersey. The staff is friendly, courteous and professional. At the same time they are stern if you do not follow instructions such as jumping the queue and coming in even when it is not your turn. They will not tolerate such behavior. The office itself is clean and spacious and there are signs everywhere to mask up and maintain a distance of 6 feet or more.

Came in at 7 am with a friend and parked my car in the parking lot of the strip mall. I counted about 60 people in the line. I guess the people in the front of queue must have queued up starting 5 am or even earlier. Some of them had comfy chairs to sit.

Around 7:45, they start passing around the application forms where you fill in your name, address and purpose of visit. Shortly after, a DMV employee will give you token number. There is a separate token for each applicant. Mine was 94. I suspect some people were waiting in their car which explains why my number was 94 even though I counted only 60 odd people in front of me. You are supposed to write your mobile # on the back of this token. This is important as this will allow the office to register your mobile number in their system to send you notifications (read further).

At 8 am, they start taking people in. At this time, the line moves quickly. Once you are in, they will check your token and register your mobile # in the notification system. They will even send you a test message to ensure they have the correct number. This is very nice of them. Once you get the test message, you are told the expected wait time before returning back. Ours was 45 mins to 1 hour. At this stage you are free to go back to your car and take a nap or do a run for a quick coffee and breakfast. There are restrooms in Family Dollar next to the DMV but we did not go there. For breakfast we decided to go to Cafe Talya on 49th st and Avenue B. It is only a 5 min drive from the DMV. There is ofcourse the standard McD and DD around the block. But we decided to try something else. Try their omelette sandwich. It is awesome. The coffee was so so. The lady who runs this place is very courteous and polite. As we were finishing our breakfast, we got a message saying it was time to make it back to the DMV and shortly after an another message saying it is our turn. This was about 40 mins after we left the DMV. To get back in you need to show the message on your mobile and every step from here on will need you to show the message on your mobile. Make sure your phone does not run of of juice here else it will make the whole thing very tricky and you face the possibility of being turned back. The process is pretty standard from here on. ID check (proof of address, immigration status if you are a immigrant like me) , get your picture taken and have your license issued. There are separate lines for US citizens which can hep to save time. Every employee I encountered seemed genuinely nice and polite except the lady who was checking our IDs. Seems like she was having a bad day. But atleast she wasn't rude or anything like that. There are bathrooms inside the office which you can use. Once we were in, it took about 45 mins to get our license. As an added bonus, I also got my license with the REAL ID star on it. To get the READ ID, you need two documents as proof of address. I showed my utility bill from PSEG and my bank statement. Please note, pay stubs from your employer are not accepted.

Overall it took about 3 hours from start to finish. My suggestion would be to get into the line around 6:30 to 7. This way you don't have to wait in line for too long to get your token and you are done without spending half of your day. Things could be different on a weekend or even other days of the week. Have lots of patience, take a book to read, wear warm clothes, carry water and some snacks, go with a friend if possible to help kill...

Detailed Review - 10/08/2020 I cannot agree with others enough who say to arrive early. And I mean early, like beat-the-sun early. I got there right before 5:00am. I know, I'd rather sleep in too but I'm also one of those people who like to get things done first-thing so the rest of the day can go smoothly.

Upon my arrival, I'd say the line was 50-70 people deep, my spot being right in front of the nail salon adjacent to the Family Dollar. This was a pretty good spot, all things considered. I wasn't right by the entrance exactly but I wasn't far from it either. Majority of those in front of me had brought foldable chairs and were doing things like reading, scrolling, snoozin' or chatting. Mind you, we've hit fall and this early in the morning it is COLD. Not exactly freezing but close. I wish I had brought my hat and maybe some gloves. I recommend bundling up to the degree that you're warm and comfortable. Bring a foldable chair if you have one yourself but one of those polka-dot Walmart step stools will work in a pinch if you need to rest your legs (that's what I had, haha).

By 5:30am, the line behind me stretched the entirety of the strip mall. This line, especially during this pandemic, is not a game. Do not underestimate it. From 5:00am to 7:30am, there was no activity, just everybody playing the waiting game. But at 7:30am, that's when they began passing down the ID forms. 10 minutes later at 7:40am, that's when the numbered tickets were passed out; these are the ones you write your phone number on the back of. I was #62. The line began to finally move 5 minutes later at 7:45am. Once you reach the door, they'll ask for your ticket and tell you to wait on the yellow X's for a text; this took less than 5 minutes for me as I got mine at 8:00am. Once you receive the text (your updated lettered line number will be in this text, for example A061) that you're checked in, you may leave the DMV until you get the text to come back. I find it imperative to stay in the area, though. Particularly if you don't have a car.

Around 8:30am, I received the second text that tells you it's almost your turn and to make your way back to the DMV. About 15 minutes later at 8:45am, I received the final text to enter the DMV; this is the text you show to security and the attendant at the door. Upon entering, you show your text to the receptionist and they direct you to the ID check line. This is where they'll take/go over your 6points of identification. My reason for going was to get a NJ ID as my current one is out-of-state. My accepted documents were as follows:

-Birth certificate (4 points) -Social Security card (1 point) -Bank debit card (1 point) Note: this unfortunately was not enough for a REAL ID, just the standard.

The employee that helped me was firm, but kind. I know the DMV is notorious for abysmal customer service but that wasn't my experience, hence the 5 stars. Just know these employees are under a lot of stress every day and that while you may be stressed out yourself, you do have the option not to add to theirs and hopefully vice-versa. Be open and patient. After getting that part out of the way, I was directed to the sitting area (finally!) where you wait until your lettered number is called. That was about another 15 minutes for me.

I was sent to June's window and I greatly appreciated his light-hearted demeanor that countered my anxious one. This part went rather smoothly and after some taps, reviews, bulb-flashing and signatures, I was out of the door by 9:26am.

The only downside to this was upon my exit, I saw someone trying to enter. He was turned away by security, being told that the DMV had run out of tickets for the day. Sure enough, as I made my way back into the parking lot, the giant line had completely dispersed. Do your best to avoid such a fate; get there...

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!!! The reviewers really helped me out so I wanted to pay it forward as well.

I was nervous and skeptical about the DMV like most. It isn't a bad experience if you come prepared and manage your expectations. I've shared my experience and what you need to know below.

9/17/2020 Arrived: 4:45am (I was the 28th person in line) Received Ticket: 6:58am Received Number: 7:16am Checked In & 1st Text: 7:29am 2nd "Almost Ready" Text: 8:37am 3rd "Approach Reception" Text: 8:53am Completely Finished: 9:39am

HELPFUL TIPS: -Bayonne is better than the other NJ DMV's. Bayonne will at least tell you up front when/if you are getting in. There texting process is also pretty solid. The lines are long but they are long everywhere. -Arrive before 5am if you want to be out by 10am -Arrive before 6am if you want to be out by Noon -Drive there if you can. After you check-in they tell you to leave so it's helpful if you have a car to wait in...otherwise you end up walking to McDonalds or walking around the parking lot like me. -Go Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday....they are less crowded than a Monday, Friday, or Saturday. -Charge your phone, bring music and a folding chair. When you have things to do, the time goes by much faster. -BRING PENS....don't be that person who forgets and is frantically asking other people for a pen as the line is moving. -BRING an UMBRELLA if there's any chance of rain. You don't want to risk all your important documents getting wet. -DON'T have someone save your spot. When the tickets get handed out, they intentionally only give one ticket to each person standing in line. -DON'T drink too much water. The only bathroom around is in Family Dollar and it was closed yesterday. At a minimum, you are waiting in line for ~4 hours. -Go to the Website and make sure you have the 6pts, social security card, and 1-2 proof of address....it sounds simple but so many people waited for a few hours and were either booted or left the line because they didn't have everything. The staff will ask you to leave if you don't have all documents. -For proof of address, bring a bank statement and/or utility bill if you can. You will be processed much faster and there were tons of issues with leases, tax statements, and first class mail being scrutinized or challenged if the signatures were digital, a copy, printed instead of a hand signature, etc. Two of my proof of addresses didn't count and I couldn't get a REAL ID as a result (just a regular). -BE KIND and PATIENT. The security guard and guy outside are blunt and kinda rude. However, remember they have a frustrating job. -TRUST THE PROCESS. You will get a card, you will get a text when you check-in (while my number was 56...I was the 28th person inside because they didn't start at 1), and you will get a 2nd and 3rd text telling you when to come back and when to enter.

If you come prepared with materials, arrive early (before 5am), bring a few things to do, and align your expectations...its a manageable process and you can be home eating by 10am. I only gave 4 stars because the wait is still ridiculous and they should be able to move faster.

Good...