New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission — Local services in Eatontown

Here is a detailed experience transferring a license from out of state. I live in Hudson county but I drove to Eatontown after multiple failed attempts at waking up early and missing the ticket window up north.

6:03am - got in line (~100 in front of me)

~7:00am - two very cool and overjoyed mvc employees show up greeting and assuring everyone that their needs will be taken care of. Turns out they run the show here and are escorted by security around the building as they announce instructions. I appreciated the hip-hop that was briefly being played in one of their vehicles. It definitely set the tone for the morning.

~7:30am - announcement to get off the line if you are planning to do anything with your car. This is only a “licensing center” and not a “vehicle center”

~8:00am - received a ticket with number 69 on it. At this point they had pulled everyone getting first time drivers license out to a priority line.

They also give you a small form to fill out where you have to check box the services you need to get done.

8:36am - Got checked in by them giving my cell phone number and received a text confirming that I’m number 68.

Went to the beach 13 mins away and took a nap. Free parking before 10am and beach wasn’t selling passes yet so good place to social distance and chill

9:16am - Got text asking me to start making my way back

9:29am - got another text asking me to come into the mvc with my documents

9:39am - Arrived into mvc showed my text and asked me to sit in the waiting area where numbers are called

9:43am - Called in for an ID check. They will “verify” all documents here and leave you dejected by letting you know that you didn’t bring the right stuff. Recommend: print out everything you own and go to a notary and get that doc sealed. Sign everything with fresh ink that makes the mvc feel like it’s a real document even if it’s fake. did not accept lease agreement because it was not “original”. According to dmv “Original” means there needs to be ink signatures on paper. All my lease documents were signed digitally so they are not valid according to the state Did not accept Xfinity internet bill as proof of address because it is not considered a “Utility” according to mvc.

9:54am - Asked to sit back down and wait for actual processing. Here you can examine all the life choices that have led you to this moment in life and see where exactly you messed up.

10:47am - ....still wondering why I never signed up for “Stone Age 101 - How to get things done at the MVC”

10:58am - got called up to counter 3 for picture taking but there’s a mini line of 5 people waiting for the same counter... commotion ensues. We just wait until someone returns to help us at the counter

11:05am - my number gets called again but this time with counter 5 which has no line!

plot twist

Employee asks for my address proof and I run through the earlier explanations of how my lease agreement was denied. She looks over my lease and checks with a couple other employees to see if they have digital leases as well. Turns out they all had leases that were signed electronically.

So... clearly I’m a bit confused at the moment as to whether this means I did bring the right documents?

30 minutes go by and she took two pictures of me and asked to fill out a few forms and pay $34.

11:37am - I am handed a brand new New Jersey license with Real ID.

I am overjoyed.. maybe this entire time I was a natural at bureaucracy... I should learn to trust my preparation

A few moments later she says “See you in four years”.. that’s when I realized I’m a huge dum-dum and the Real ID only has a 4 year validity.

But really the joke is on them because I’ll be back at another “vehicle center” mvc location the very next morning at 5am since my car needs to be transferred from out of state.

So I smugly reply.. “No.. see you tomorrow” and walk away.

Follow this thread at the Jersey City mvc location for how to get your car registered from...

I came here today to renew my expired license.Drove an hour from bergen county because it has been imposible to make progress at our local mvcs. I arrived at 2:50am and there were 8 people in front of me in line, their spots being held by chairs as they waited in their cars since it was super cold outside. My boyfriend and i placed our chairs in line and waited in the car until it got closer to opening. By 4:50am the parking lot was full and the line was begininning to wrap around the building. Around 6:30 am a security guard came making sure no one was in line for anything regarding vehicles, since this is strictly a licensing center only- so keep in mind no registrations or titles being done here. The security divided everyone in 3 separate lines, on the other side of the building was a line for restorations for suspended drivers, then a line for new drivers (they got priority and were the first to enter the building once it opened) and the last line was for anything else regarding your license. By 7:20-7:30 an employee came out handing out applications. We filled out ours at home by printing it out on the mvc website. 10 minutes later another employee came out handing out ticket numbers. If u didnt receive a number, it meant they reached capacity and you hve to come back another time. I believe they only gave out up to 200 tickets. By 8 they let the new drivers enter the building as well as the people there for restorations at the other end of the facility. By 8:05 they let the first 10 people, including us, inside. When you get inside the receptionist will ask what you are there for and take down your number. You will receive a text message with a number and be told to sit down and wait until that number is called. Everything took about only 30-40 minutes once we got inside. Everything went smoothly as long as you have everything ready once they ask you for it. The only downside was we had to be there so early to get a good spot in line, but the line was wayyyyy shorter than lodi or wayne. The staff was friendly and moved...

I went to this location with an appointment for out-of-state license transfer/Real ID on a Tuesday morning at 8:30am. I pulled in about 30 mins beforehand. There were probably 6-7 people waiting in line outside, who I assume were walk-ins, but they were let in pretty quickly. I did see they weren't letting in friends/family (which absolutely makes sense considering the times, but people still try). With my appointment, I was able to walk straight in; didnt have to stand in line first. The guy at the front door makes sure you're on the list, gives you the form to fill out, and directs you which line to go to for appts. Once you fill out the forms (two for transfers), I waited maybe 10-15 mins for the people in front of me to finish. Another person double checks you have everything and you're in the right line. I got called up to the window, waited maybe another 10-20 mins while the lady confirmed all my documents. Then she gave me a number and told me to sit and wait for them to call my number (i waited 5 mins!! So fast!!) Went to the 2nd counter, the lady reconfirmed my documents, took picture, paid, and another 20 mins everything was set! I was done within an hour, max!! Definitely have all your documents ready (bring extra proofs if you can)! I had a slight issue with mine (marriage certificate needed back-up document to show maiden name, luckily had birth certificate too, 2 proof-of-addresses for Real ID). Depending on who's at the window, they may be a bit more tough. Which is why I took off a star. The 1st lady was stern/rude/stiff for no reason. We're all adults, let's be professional, maybe get some behavioral/interpersonal training. The 2nd lady was a doll! Given the current times, I had a really good experience, everything was fast, clean, everyone wore masks, respectful to keep some distance. Appointments are real convenient! I'm only leaving this super long, detailed review, bc I looked everywhere for something like this, so hopefully it helps...