RMV To Close All Services Temporarily In March

MASSACHUSETTS – The Registry of Motor Vehicles will shut down all RMV services, with the exception of law enforcement, toward the end of the month to allow for a switch to a new computer system, MassDOT said Thursday. Services will be unavailable from 7 p.m. March 22 to 8 a.m. March 26.

Inspection station locations will be unable to conduct inspections, online services will be unavailable and service locations will be closed on March 23, 24 and 25.

According to MassDOT, the RMV's new computer system will enable the state to issue REAL IDs, a Federal Security Standard for credentials created in 2005 as a result of post-9/11 federal security measures.

The new computer system will also have enhanced customer-centric features and more efficient process elements for access by law enforcement, the insurance industry, government entities and professionals who need to use the Registry, MassDOT said. The current RMV system is more than thirty years old.

Between March 22 and March 26, the following services will be unavailable:

• Beginning at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 22, motor vehicle inspections will be unavailable at station locations in Massachusetts until the start of business on March 26, at 8 a.m.
• Beginning at 7 p.m., March 22, and until 8 a.m., March 26, Registry on-line services will be unavailable.
• Registry service locations will be closed on Friday, March 23, and will reopen on Monday, March 26.
• AAA branch locations which offer Registry services to AAA members will be unable to do so beginning at 7 p.m., March 22, and until 8 a.m., March 26.
• Law enforcement officers will continue to have access to RMV data at all times from March 22 to March 26 through the use of a back-up data file.

For more information regarding RMV service suspension, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/alert-no-rmv-services.

Photo of RMV in Watertown by Jenna Fisher/Patch