New Secretary of State DMV+ Opens in Aurora

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias

New Secretary of State DMV+ Opens in Aurora

State-of-the-Art Facility Doubles in Size; Offers New Services, Efficiencies

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office is opening a new 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art DMV+ housed at the former Carson Pirie Scott building in downtown Aurora.

The Secretary of State’s office closed the city’s former DMV, located at 339 E. Indian Trail, on Friday, which was half the size of the new facility and opened in 1994, when Aurora’s population was just over 110,000. Since then, Aurora has grown by nearly 70,000 residents, becoming the second largest city in the state.

The new facility, 970 N. Lake St., is a DMV+, which offers Secretary of State services that have never been accessible at traditional Illinois DMV locations. These include specialized services from the office’s Business, Index, Administrative Hearings and Personnel Departments that would otherwise require an in-person visit to a Secretary of State’s office located in downtown Chicago or Springfield.

“A new DMV+ in Aurora had been a top priority for our administration since taking office,” Giannoulias said. “The previous DMV had been at the same location for more than 30 years and had not modernized or grown with its population. This DMV+ not only offers more services, but also noticeable efficiencies that will reduce wait times.”

"This is great news that will benefit our growing Aurora community," said State Representative Barbara Hernandez (50th District – Aurora). "This new state-of-the-art DMV+ has the capacity to serve more people more efficiently – reducing wait times and allowing them to access additional services without having to travel to downtown Chicago."

The new location will include eight additional service stations, for a total of 31. But unlike the old DMV model, each employee is crossed-trained to handle more tasks.

The DMV+ utilizes a “One-Stop-Shop” design that involves cross-training employees to accommodate customers seeking driver services – such as license and ID renewals, REAL IDs and driving tests – and vehicle services, including registration renewals, sticker and plate purchases and title work. It allows customers to access services at a single customer service station and reduces the number of steps to create a more intuitive flow. It also frees up space for additional service stations and appointments to accommodate more customers.

In addition to more indoor space, the new location offers a much larger parking lot to accommodate customers and eventually offer motorcycle testing, which often was not possible at the former location because limited parking spaces did not allow adequate space.

Forty-seven Secretary of State employees will work at the new facility, including 17 bi-lingual Spanish-speaking representatives, a number which has grown to accommodate demand.

The new facility is an appointment-only DMV and is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will also open on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. as part of the office’s ‘REAL ID Saturdays’ program until May 31. It will only offer non-appointment, walk-in services on ‘REAL ID Saturdays.’

The new services offered in a DMV+ facility include:

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 ILSOS.

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. The DMV+ offers on-site processing and certification.

Personnel Services: Employment testing is 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.

Administrative Hearings: 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.

One Stop-Shop: The Aurora DMV+ is the 19th 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.

At a single service counter, customers may obtain the following services:

• Renew a driver’s license or state ID

• Apply for a REAL ID

• Register or renew a vehicle registration/obtain vehicle stickers.

• Convert a Temporary Visitor Driver’s License (TVDL) to a Standard DL.

• Order a new license plate.

• Register to vote.

• Join the Illinois Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.



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