Giannoulias Unveils Secretary of State Flagship Center in Chicago’s Loop

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias

Giannoulias Unveils Secretary of State Flagship Center in Chicago’s Loop

First-of-Its-Kind Center Showcases Modernization Efficiencies and New Service Offerings

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched the office’s Secretary of State Flagship Center in Chicago – a new state-of-the-art two-story DMV featuring a suite of agency services under one roof for the first time.

Located at 125 W. Monroe St., the Flagship Center highlights the office’s modernization initiatives with cross-trained employees offering drivers and vehicle services from a single counter, an on-site Fast-Lane kiosk and an extensive list of services from the office’s Business, Index, Personnel and Administrative Hearings departments all in one place.

“Our new Flagship Center showcases the efficiencies generated by all our modernization initiatives working in unison. It offers a wide array of services from several of our departments, all at one convenient location in Chicago’s Loop,” Giannoulias said. “Our continued effort to modernize the office allows us to not only create efficiencies, but also to reimagine the services we can provide and come up with innovative ways to meet customer’s needs, getting them in and out the door quickly.”

At 24,000 square feet, the center is nearly five times the size of the office’s Chicago Central DMV at 160 N. LaSalle St., which officially closed Friday and often experienced long lines and wait times because of its small size. With the larger footprint, the new center will more efficiently provide DMV services, while also offering other agency services not available at the Central facility.

The two-floor Flagship Center will provide a more efficient flow for transaction processing by serving customers with express service needs, such as driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals, on the ground floor and offering more detailed services on the lower level.

Giannoulias plans to regularly hold “office hours” at the Flagship Center to provide customers and residents with an opportunity to chat with the Secretary and give feedback on their experience with the office.

More than 60 Secretary of State employees will staff the center, most from the now-shuttered Central location and others from leased locations in the downtown area the office plans to close.

The Flagship Center will offer a hybrid system of both walk-in and appointment services from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents can schedule an appointment by visiting www.ilsos.gov or calling (800) 252-8980.

The services offered at the Flagship Center include:

Administrative Hearings & Reinstatements: Informal hearings for drivers whose privileges have been suspended or revoked for a single DUI, an offense not involving a fatality or lesser moving violations; reinstatement fee payments.

Business Services: In-person expedited services; obtaining certified copies of

business records; filing documents, including articles of incorporation and amendments

for corporations and various types of LLCs; filing reinstatements to return their business

to good standing; and filing trademarks with the office.

Index Services: Walk-in service for customers obtaining apostilles and certificates of

authority for foreign use documents. Due to the sensitive nature of the documents being

certified, customers must provide physical original copies and services are not offered

digitally.

Personnel Services: Employment testing required for most entry-level and all DMV

employees. The office will also offer a hub of public-use computers for those with

limited access or need assistance to submit job applications.

Fast-Lane Kiosk: Renew driver’s licenses, state IDs and purchase vehicle stickers in less than two minutes. The kiosk prints vehicle registration stickers and temporary identification documents for customers immediately on site.

One Stop-Shop: The Flagship Center is the 18th Secretary of State facility to adopt the One-Stop-Shop model. Employees at One-Stop-Shop DMVs are cross-trained to provide driver’s and vehicle services, allowing customers to access both sets of services at a single customer service counter.

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