Department of Motor Vehicle Office in Wethersfield to Close for Much of Thursday

The Wethersfield Hub Office of the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles will be closed Thursday, Dec. 11, so staff can train for the new “Drive Only” license program for immigrants illegally in the United States.

The Enfield office, which handles some (but not all) DMV applications, will remain open regular hours on Thursday (from 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). For details about the Enfield office, see its Web page. (The Enfield office will close part of the day on Dec. 16 for training). American Automobile Association offices will remain open (see list below).

Here is an excerpt from the DMV announcement about the office closure:

The Department of Motor Vehicles Wethersfield Office, located at 60 State St., will be closed from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to staff training. The office will open to the public at 2 p.m. and close at its regularly scheduled time of 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12.

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Individuals must make a required appointment online only for the knowledge test in the first step for a Drive Only license. No walk-ins are allowed.

Also, there is no cutoff for this program.DMV urges these new applicants for a license to wait to make an online appointment until they have studied the driver’s manual and successfully passed practice tests on the DMV Mobile app (ct.gov/dmv/apps).

Failing the knowledge test means a required one-week delay before being allowed to take the test again and possibly longer if available timeslots fill.

A full list of requirements to participate in the program can be found at ct.gov/driveonly

Last month, DMV announced that individual offices on different dates in the coming weeks will delay opening for a half-day for training about the program, which has a legislative start-up date of Jan. 2, 2015.

This new program was approved by the legislature in 2013 for undocumented individuals who are 16 and older and cannot establish their legal presence in the United States.

They can apply for a Drive Only license, however, it will not be valid for state or federal identification.The first step to obtain this license begins with applying for a learner’s permit, which all new applicants for state driver licenses must hold for a minimum of three months (and longer for those 16 and 17 years old).

A road skills test, the last step in the process, comes after the permit training time. The permit allows any new license applicant to practice driving with a licensed driver so that they can successfully pass the road skills test.

American Automobile Association offices

AAA offices, which process some DMV forms (for details, see this Web page), will remain open. According to the state DMV website, “AAA has the authority to charge a $3 convenience fee for DMV transactions. The fee is payable to AAA.”

Hours and locations for nearby AAA Allied Group offices are:

Monday through Friday - 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Avon - 70 East Main St.
• Enfield - 109 Elm St.
• Manchester - 1500 G Pleasant Valley Rd.
• West Hartford - 815 Farmington Ave.