Los Alamos Motor Vehicle Department — Local services in Los Alamos

Don't worry about trying to call their office. The phone rings but no one (ever) answers since they are too busy playing with their phones or watching and commenting on the really loud lobby TV. I tested this out by calling multiple times while sitting in the lobby with no customers at the counter. The staff was too busy talking to each other about their weekend or burying their face in their phone.

I had the pleasure of transferring registration for two vehicles. It only took 4 trips for the first vehicle registration and merely 3 trips for second since we were experienced on what paperwork to bring. This latter trip involved a lien holder. We were told that the Los Alamos office would contact the lien holder and then call us when the lein holder sent over the title. We laughed later about this, because we knew how it would end. After the 30-day temporary registration expired and we hadn't heard anything, I called their number, knowing that they wouldn't answer, but wanted to talk to the state office. The state office didn't have any record of the shenanigans, and they suggested I contact the local office. I knew this would require a personal visit. When I showed up and asked about the status, the person went over to a file and pulled the title that had been sitting there for a month. After getting the VIN inspection and paying the fee, I was on my way.

The documentation requirements aren't consistent from person to person. They are very surprised when you show them that you have all the required ID; that's not very expected. To make you feel better, they don't actually take all of it to process the registration. This can bring a smile to your face if your expectations are sufficiently low. The actual registration activity goes pretty quick, including VIN inspection, since they handle most of the paperwork and you just sign (both you and your spouse must be present if you're lucky enough to have both names on the title or bill payment document). Luckily online registration appears to be available once you're in their system.

All in all, this is what a trip to the MVD is supposed to be like, however, it's very different from my prior experience. Whatever the reasons, this site isn't on the top of my "places to enjoy your visit in...

I was hopeful that with such a small volume of customers and a short wait that my MVD experience would be superior to what I have experienced in Santa Fe & ABQ. I was wrong. If I could sum up my 5 experiences with their office in one word it would be "INEPT". This isn't about the poor little clerks just doing their jobs as much as it is about the managers. The big shot in the shirt and tie has helped me 3 out of 5 times and made the most mistakes. Everything from misspelling my street name and making me retake my ID photo to not logging my CDL medical certificate correctly so that I had to drive to the SF location to get my record fixed, to not taking a wrecked/totalled vehicle out of my name so that I keep getting insurance & registration renewal notices and threatening letters from MVD! Top that off with the fact that they never answer their phone even when their office is EMPTY( confirmed this by being on hold while driving to their office and going inside).

No DMV/MVD is going to be an enjoyable experience but these guys are the WORST when they should be able to easily meet basic expectations for...

I had a very good experience with the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division office at Los Alamos. I had to renew my expired New Mexico driver's license, and went in to the Los Alamos MVD office with a bit of trepidation and very modest expectations, based on past experiences I've had at that office years ago. To my surprise, I had a very pleasant experience, although I had to make two visits because I didn't have sufficient paperwork to document my identification. I would highly recommend checking the New Mexico MVD website before visiting any MVD office to ensure you have all the required documents before visiting the office. That would have saved me a trip. In any case, my experience at the the Los Alamos MVD office was very good, and I rate these folks 5 start. There were 3 clerks on duty, keeping the line to minimum, and the two I dealt with were very professional and pleasant. I would certainly recommend this MVD office as a place to do...