Hilo, Kona DMV Offices to Open to Walk-Ins

The County of Hawaiʻi Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division will reopen two Driver Licensing office locations for walk-in service beginning on Monday, April 26.

The locations include the Hilo Driver Licensing Office at the Hilo police station and the Kona Driver Licensing Office at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center. All Driver Licensing offices have been accessible by appointment only and closed to walk-ins since September 2020.

The decision to reopen comes as the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division continues to work through a backlog of more than 5,000 expired licenses caused by a two-month shut down of operations in early 2020 as a response to COVID-19.

“We understand that folks have been waiting patiently for us to begin reopening, and we are grateful for that,” said Naomi O’Dell, Vehicle Registration and Licensing Administrator. “As we begin to reopen, we ask that the community continue to work through this together by remaining patient, being respectful, and continuing to practice all of the social distancing measures to keep us safe. Again, we apologize for the delay and look forward to getting caught up as quickly as possible.”

Appointments will still stand, but additional openings will be created for walk-ins. The county estimates an additional 15-25 walk-in appointments per day can be accommodated. Walk-ins will be serviced on a first-come, first-serve basis. Eligible parties include those who have Driver’s Licenses or State IDs that are expired or those that are expiring within the next 30 days, with no exceptions.

“We are happy to work with the community and our Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division to begin reopening safely,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “Our number one priority through the pandemic was to keep our staff safe while continuing to serve our community. Now that vaccinations have opened to those 16 years and older, we felt that we could safely reopen our doors to a limited number of walk-ins and work towards expediting our backlog.”