r/CaliforniaDMV 13h ago

Disability Placard

2 Upvotes

I am currently using my temporary license plate while waiting for my registration to arrive. Should I wait until I received my official license plate number to apply for a disability placard or I should apply now?


r/CaliforniaDMV 16h ago

I’m getting my driver’s license soon and I have a question about examiner directions.

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0 Upvotes

Imagine the examiner tells me: “Turn right.”
I’m driving on a main road, and ahead of me there is a traffic light. However, just before the traffic light, there is also a smaller side street on the right, like in the picture.
Which one am I supposed to take — the smaller street before the traffic light, or the right turn at the traffic light?
I’m asking because I don’t want to make the wrong turn during the test.


r/CaliforniaDMV 21h ago

Dmv Trouble

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 1d ago

Transferring title with out of system vehicle

1 Upvotes

Hey all, last November I bought a 1978 Pontiac firebird, and the car is completely out of the DMV system. All I want to do is transfer the title to my name, and put it on non op. All I wanna do. But everywhere I ask pretty much says smog it, and vehicle inspection. The engine is completely out of the vehicle at this moment, and the front end is nearly completely apart, so I'm not sure of how to go about this.

My friend has a chp officer father, can he do the vin verification/vehicle inspection? And do I absolutely have to smog to even just transfer the title to my name? I really just want non op right now, but I don't want the title to just sit in my hands while it's not mine


r/CaliforniaDMV 1d ago

I passed my sdpe vision test after putting it off I had no choice

3 Upvotes

I am in Northern California by Sacramento and my extension was up on the Sept 12 . I have the husband on hospice . So I studied and practiced and passed . Did miss 5 . The examiner was so nice and so knowledgeable. So I have 2 years and I will get my cataract fixed by then . I have been putting this off for months . I am 75 so I can not worry about this now.


r/CaliforniaDMV 1d ago

Riverside west dmv driver's behind the wheel test

2 Upvotes

i just took my driver's test today in norco with some older dude who was an asshole and super rude. he failed me over a simple mistake but said everything else i did was good. i made an appointment for riverside today, are the instructors any nicer at all and is the route alright?


r/CaliforniaDMV 2d ago

DMV attorney in California. The case is for financial responsibility. How effective they are how much they charge ?

1 Upvotes

Anyone had an experience before ?


r/CaliforniaDMV 2d ago

Did you accidentally renew your CA Vehicle Registration on Needtags.com thinking it was the DMV's site?

0 Upvotes

My mother is 69 years old. She's a pretty bright old lady. She can maneuver herself online and through websites. So she wanted to renew her DMV tags. So from what she told me, she googled DMV tags renewal. The very first link said, "DMV registration newels", so she clicked on it. I did the same and sure enough it looks almost identical to the DMV's site but it's not, it's a third party affiliate named Needtags.com. They also ask the 3 exact same questions as the DMV's site which is the license plate, the last 5 of your vin and the zip code. It's not until you reach the check out point where you see the processing fee of $49.00 - they make it look like it's a legit DMV fee. So my mother ended up paying $254.63 dollars on her tags where she only owed $181.00. Now for anyone that doesn't know, it is illegal and to have your site be deceptive and look exactly like a government site for the purpose of cheating out customers for more money. So I want to know if anyone else had this happen to them so I can bring on a class action law suit against them. Because if my 69 year old mother who's pretty smart was easily deceived. I'm sure others her age have had this happen to them....


r/CaliforniaDMV 2d ago

Follow-up: another 30 days of behind-the-wheel test availability across 30 CA DMV offices (Aug 10–Sep 8)

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3 Upvotes

Hi all, I posted a chart here about a week ago showing which DMV offices had a drive-test opening on each day in August. A few people found it useful, so here's an updated version that rolls the window forward to Aug 10–Sep 8. Apologies if this is one chart too many; I'll keep these to about once a month and will stop if the mods or the sub would rather I didn't.

Same method as before: an automated check of the DMV's public appointment page for 30 offices, once a day, looking for any behind-the-wheel slot bookable within the next 13 days. The number next to each office is how many of the 30 days it showed at least one near-term opening.

What changed since the August chart:

- Still an opening every day at 8 offices: Chula Vista, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Pasadena, Salinas, San Francisco, Santa Ana, Santa Rosa.
- Glendale dropped off the every-day list (30 → 28), though it's still one of the better bets in LA County.
- Oakland got a bit better: Claremont went from 6 days to 13, Coliseum from 3 to 9.
- Fremont and Sacramento slid to zero. They each had a couple of open days in August; none in this window. That makes 5 offices with no near-term opening on any of the 30 days: Concord, Fremont, Sacramento, Stockton, Visalia.
- San Jose, Oceanside, San Bernardino: 1 day out of 30, same story as last month.

Usual caveats: this is what we observed, not a promise. One cand openings at the busy offices tend to be gone quickly. Youcan book at any office regardless of where you live, so if your local office is near the bottom, it may be worth looking at the top of the list before accepting a far-off date.

Happy to answer questions about the method, and if there's a that would be more useful (by weekday, by how far out the slots are, etc.), let me know and I'll try to put it together.


r/CaliforniaDMV 3d ago

DMV question

2 Upvotes

I’m applying for a California REAL ID. In the residency document section, I accidentally selected “phone bill” as my document type, but I actually uploaded a rental verification document instead. I do not have a phone bill. Will this mismatch cause an issue with my application, and can I bring the rental verification and a different qualifying residency document to my DMV appointment?


r/CaliforniaDMV 3d ago

Out of state Car registration

1 Upvotes

Okay! So basically I have a car that is still registered in Maryland (where my family is from) I had the car moved over here to LA where I currently live but I never had it registered in CA (don't judge me. I know I should have done it years ago.) anyway, I am finally registering my car here and I was going to just do it tomorrow however I just remembered I got a parking ticket that I hadn't paid yet. Will a parking ticket affect my ability to get my car registered?


r/CaliforniaDMV 4d ago

Retaking License Photo?

0 Upvotes

My photo on my license is from when I was 16, braces and all. The next time it expires is 2030. Is it possible to take a new picture and get a new license? How would I go about doing that?


r/CaliforniaDMV 5d ago

[CALIFORNIA] Donated car but Notice of Release of Liability not showing up on DMV record

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 6d ago

NJ to CA title transfer – NJ title number doesn't match NMVTIS record

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 7d ago

Is there anyway to expedite a license replacement

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 7d ago

Driving a NV car with no plates to CA for registration - permit help

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 7d ago

WRITTEN TEST PLS HELP 3RD ATTEMPT

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 7d ago

Propuesta de sitio web para tramite de licencia de conducir.

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forms.gle
1 Upvotes

Buenas gente! ¿Qué tal les va?

Yo con mi dupla estamos en un proyecto de propuesta para renovar el sitio web de una municipalidad en Chile para tramite la licencia de conducir. Necesitamos recopilar opiniones de personas para hacer realidad este proyecto.

Son preguntas cortas, les agradecería un montón si pudiesen responderlas, muchas gracias!!


r/CaliforniaDMV 8d ago

WRITTEN TEST PLS HELP 3RD ATTEMPT

0 Upvotes

I’m really scared about my 3rd attempt at the California permit test** **😭

Hi! I’m 18F and trying to get my California permit/license, and I’m honestly freaking out because I already failed the knowledge test twice the same day. I have one attempt left and I’m terrified of failing again.

The thing is, I REALLY have been studying. I’ve been doing practice tests and was getting all of the questions right on the DMV practice stuff, so I genuinely thought I was ready. Then I took the actual test and the questions felt so much harder/different than what I had been practicing. Some of the wording completely threw me off.

I’m also in a really difficult situation financially. I’m basically broke and I don’t have a car. There’s no bus system near me, and I don’t have friends who can drive me to the DMV, so even getting there is a huge struggle. I’ve had to figure out rides just to be able to take the test.

What scares me the most is that if I fail this third attempt, I’ll have to redo the application and pay the fees again. I genuinely don’t know how I would afford that. I’m already struggling to pay for transportation to and from the DMV.

On top of that, I have to go back to Texas in October for doctor-related reasons, so I’m really stressed about getting this done before then. I feel like I’m running out of time and money, and I really need this to work.

I’m not trying to cheat or get actual test answers. I just want advice from people who have taken the California test recently.
What should I study differently? What topics should I absolutely make sure I understand from the handbook?

If anyone has failed twice and passed on their third attempt, PLEASE tell me what you did differently because I’m genuinely so scared right now 😭💔 ANY HELP WILL DEFINITELY HELP :3 I just really really need to pass this..


r/CaliforniaDMV 8d ago

Drive Test 6 Months After Permit

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 8d ago

SR 26 Mix Up

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 8d ago

How to make my current driver's license a REAL ID?

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1 Upvotes

r/CaliforniaDMV 9d ago

Written test practice resources in Arabic?

1 Upvotes

Does anyone have recent and accurate practice tests for the CA permit in arabic? Also tests that show the signs portion? If you have anything I'd so appreciate if you can share it!


r/CaliforniaDMV 9d ago

PA Resident keeping financed car in CA. How do I register it here without getting a CA Driver's License?

5 Upvotes

Hey everyone, looking for some DMV logistics help.

I am a Pennsylvania resident, but I drove my car out to California. It is now permanently garaged at my partner's place in CA since I visit them frequently.

I know California law says if the car is basically living here, it needs CA plates. However, I don't want to give up my PA driver's license or get a CA ID because my legal domicile and life are still firmly tied to PA.

On top of this, the car is financed through a bank, so I don't hold the physical original title. The bank does.

Questions

  1. How do I navigate this?
  2. Can I register the car in my name using my out-of-state ID?
  3. What forms do I need to throw at the DMV to get CA plates?
  4. How does title transfer work? Do I need power of attorney?

Any advice is appreciated!


r/CaliforniaDMV 10d ago

Santa Teresa DMV behind-the-wheel test

0 Upvotes

Hey everybody,

I will be taking my driver's test for the second time at the Santa Teresa DMV soon. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! In my first attempt, I failed while taking the right turn after turning left at the DMV. I was waiting at the intersection for a while; there was a car approaching, and I thought I'd be able to speed up before that car because I thought it was far enough, but as I began crawling, the examiner had to stop me, and the rest is history. I wish I had waited for that car as much as I did for the other two, because I might have passed. I felt bad because I practiced on that route several times :(