California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Communications clients

This number seems like an unintentional hack around lengthy wait times at the California DMV, as I unwittingly used it to get information as a personal customer when it's meant to be used for businesses. When I dialed the number, I was asked to choose English or Spanish and then told to hold for the next available representative.

Shockingly, I was almost instantly connected with a representative (the system told me within two minutes that I would be connected with a representative.) When she answered, I told her that I would soon be moving to California and wanted to know how long I had after moving to get my new license.

She told me the recommended time was 30 days, and then asked if I had ever carried a California driver's license before. I told her I had never before lived in California, and she advised that I'd need to provide either my birth certificate or passport, plus at least one proof of my new residency in California. She then added that if I wanted the Real ID compliant license, I'd need to bring two proofs of my California residency.

I asked what the cost was for my new license, and she said it would be $41. I asked if that was a flat fee for every license, and she told me it was. Finally, I inquired if there was anything else that I needed to know about getting my new license, and she said that if I was bringing a valid out-of-state license, I would have the behind the wheel portion of the driver's license test waived. However, I'd still need to complete the knowledge test in order to get my new license. I thanked her for her time and assistance, and she wished me a nice day.

Overall, I thought this was a surprisingly pleasant experience, given how quickly I was able to get all my questions answered. I wasn't expecting to get help anywhere near as promptly as I did, given how large California is and how many customers it potentially has. After double-checking the number, however, I discovered that this is actually intended to be the phone number for business accounts, not personal customers.

As such, even though I received exemplary customer service and quality information from my call, I can't recommend using this number too highly, given that it's not supposed to be used in this way. If you're having trouble getting through to the California DMV using the main lines, this number can be used to get quick information, but it doesn't seem to be meant for most people to use.