I arrived at 2:45 pm on a Tuesday without an appointment and was taken back by the large number of people ahead of me in line. My first thought was to leave and return the next morning but noticed that the line was moving quickly and waited for less than hour before my number was called. In 10 minutes, the DMV employee helped me reschedule a behind the wheel driving test, extended the term of my Temporary CDL, and answered all my questions. I've read negative reviews about DMV staff, but the woman who served me was very knowledgeable and efficient. read more

- Real ID new application visit, non-appointment on a Monday - Time from parking car (8:10 am) to leaving parking lot: 1 hr and 15 min Let's be real, no one wants to be at the DMV, but the counter clerks who assisted me were super polite making the DMV visit much better than I expected lol. Yeah, the check-in front staff were pretty snappy (especially at those who arrived 30 min earlier than their appointment time), but they're just trying to make the line to enter the waiting area flow as efficiently as possible and making sure you're at the right place as some DMV services are now available only online. Just follow all of the directions from the Real ID application online (including bringing the required documents; they still inspect them even if pre-approved online!!) and you'll be well-prepared for the in-office DMV part. :) read more

One of employees was make mistake until we decided talk to supervisor she helping to check more details information until we got our paper Thank you supervisor helping and we appreciate for you help us again:) read more

Waited 3 hours!!! Everyone has an attitude. Per usual DMV Bald Guy with face cheek piercing is an asshole. For an application paper with Highlighter streak. I was passed around to 3 people. The first two had no idea how to get the application. No progress & another day wasted. I also left without my registration stickers that i asked for. If I get pulled over, I'm using this is proof! read more

Some clerks Not friendly intimidating. Me and my mom were treated very poorly here. Save your blood pressure.

In and out on less than 45 minutes to get a Real ID without an appointment. Great job!

Date of Visit: 4/14 Time: 4:54 PM Location: Window #21 I had an extremely disappointing experience with the customer service at this DMV. The woman at window #21 had a terrible attitude and made the entire interaction uncomfortable. I approached her politely, but instead of assisting me, she immediately began lecturing me about why I was there--without even taking a moment to look me up in the system. A gentleman at the entrance had already guided me to speak with someone at the window for a reason. If I could've handled it at the kiosk, I would have. Her condescending tone made me feel like I didn't know what I was talking about--especially when she talked to me like I didn't even understand what insurance is. Of course I do. If she doesn't want to work there, then maybe she shouldn't. Customer service is about helping people, not making them feel dumb or dismissed. Because of this experience, I'll never come back to this location. I genuinely hope she finds a job she enjoys and can approach with a better attitude. I honestly wish her the best--and pray for her. read more

Carmichael DMV - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Carmichael, California

We had a driving test appointment scheduled at 11 AM today for our daughter, so my daughter, my wife, and I arrived there at 10:45. The place was packed and we were not sure where to park (it was not our DMV, we just scheduled the exam there), so we followed the signs pointing to the driving exam line. We were waiting in the car for about half hour when a friendly DMV worker passing by told us that they did not allow dash cams. While trying to remove the dash cam, I asked if there was anything else we need to do and he said that we should have checked in first. Apparently, the instructions to check in first were on page 3 of the driving permit, and neither of us paid attention. Fine, our fault, so I rushed to window 1 to get checked it. Waited for a few minutes (there were two people in front of me and one took really long), but when I came to the windows the worker told me that I was late (it was 11:20 AM) and no amount of pleading helped, so they turned us away. First, sure, we should have read the permit instructions more carefully, but would it be the end of the world if they checked us in? It's not like our appointment spot was wasted, since there was a long line already (we waited for over half hour to move to the front of the line and there were many cars behind us). Would it kill them to let us in? Second, how hard would it be to post a notice by the signs leading to the driving exam line stating that you need to check in first? That would help a lot of folks (I assume we were not alone to make the mistake). read more

All staff are extremely rude. QR code wasn't working and it becomes the customers fault. Horrible customer service skills just during the check in process. We were yelled at "there is no reason that there is a line" and all of us yelled "the system isn't working!" Completely horrible experience. If you don't like your job, don't work at dmv. Plain and simple. If you can't treat people with common courtesy then you don't belong in a place where you deal with people. read more

Best dmv I've ever been to. Total time I was here was for 20 minutes. I had no appointment and I needed to renew my DL, take vision test and picture. HAVE DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED ONLINE BEFORE COMING. Get here early. Inside is clean and organized. Well oiled machine! read more

See all

Quite clearly, they don't care. They're there to socialize but not work. The managers are worse than the workers. They're rude robots. read more

There were a lot of people at the office, but I have to say that all of the staff were very nice and helpful. I had to wait quite a while but when my time came to take care of what I needed it was quick, efficient and made me happy! read more

Candice at window 21. F Others saw her attitude and told me she was the same way to them. She was very Rude disrespectful condesending patronizing. read more

Please don't have a snobby woman in the front desk after you get the number. She was a middle aged, blonde, Caucasian with a serious attitude problem. This was at 3:10 pm on 7/24. I showed her, several times, where my birth date is. The website says a marriage certificate will suffice, but obviously not. She needs coaching. read more

This DMV branch is more crowded inside compared to the other branch. I had an online appointment which made my visit faster but it still took me 45 minutes overall to process everything. It was more 35 minutes wait time to get called and 10 minutes processing. read more

Carmichael DMV - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Carmichael, California

See all

Gave me the run around, I had to go to my car to get marriage license and since I left the building they made me get a new ticket number after I had already waited 1 hr to only have to wait longer a bunch of BS! on 6/8/24 window 13 at 11:10 am she did not provide customer service , poor poor customer service ! she needs a new job!! read more

I really hate this place. The long waits. The employees who don't know what they are talking about. When I had to get my car smogged the woman at the counter said the airbag recall needed to be replaced in order to pass smog. Are you serious? The dealership said the same. I ended up passing smog without the airbag repair and now im flicking the bird at both of these guys. read more

9/23/24 We had a great experience at this DMV, surprisingly. Most times a visit to any DMV is anything but. My hubby had to get a copy of a registration for a vehicle. We had no appointment & expected at least a couple of hour's wait. We got there about 2PM, Monday & the parking lot was nearly full. It's a pretty busy DMV. There were people waiting outside as well as inside. LOts of chairs surrounded the counters & it was pretty full with large TV monitors announcing which ticket number is being serviced at which window. And for the folks waiting outside, not to worry, loud speakers by the entrance. There are signs posted so you know which line to get in to - one for appts & one for no appts. The no appts line was short, we were third. After letting the gal know what you need, she directs you to the next window to get the form needed for the request. She hands us our number but what was funny, it was hand written on a small, square, brown piece of paper. We got to the next line, also a short wait & the gal gave us the form to complete with the high-lighted sections. This gal said they'll call the number on that little piece of brown paper, so note to self - don't lose it. As busy as these 2 gals were, they were quite friendly & patient, didn't rush us, & didn't display the "I don't want to be here" attitude. It was so refreshing considering the hundreds of people they deal with explaining the same things over & over. Their demeanor was not robotic. We proceeded to the counter area to complete the form & luckily found 2 seats by us with the TV monitors in clear view. In just under an hour, our number was called & the woman at this window was also nice. In just a couple of minutes, she processed what we needed & we were on our way. DMV accepts cash or bank card, no checks. We left the DMV just after 3PM, less time than what I had anticipated. Mahalo DMV Carmichael for the great experience. read more

Am a 64 year old grandma tried ask a question and they were so rude 2 employees at Carmichael dmv. Then I ask employee at the driving behind wheel appointment counter and she was so sweet and very helpful. Thank you. Ma'am read more

I went in today with no appointment to get a title transfer. Ailya (not sure if I spelt her name correctly) assisted me through the process. She had a warm presence & made sure to complete everything & throughly answered all of my questions I had:) read more

Now, when I say that Carmichael California Dmv has the best LREs I am totally serious It breaks my heart when I take a student and I'm not gonna bash the Dmv that I took him to, but when I take a student to a DMV and their lRE that I've never seen before in my life acts like she's not happy to even be at work is rude to the student Before they even take off and then rude at explaining what went wrong I believe is unnecessary. I know that not all students pass because they have a nervous testing anxiety, or don't even belong on the road, but out of all the Dmv's Carmichael and their LRE are the best. They explain to the children what they do right and what they do wrong what they can Do Better they're not rude. They make them feel comfortable during their drive test whether they win or lose the child leaves the Carmichael Dmv. Either happy or sad but definitely informed And never have I ever heard them say I didn't have a chance at all with that examiner she didn't even wanna be at work, Bonnie read more

Worst experience ever workers don't care aren't helpful at all and don't do their job right.worker had us waiting to 2hours and ignore us the whole time I do not recommend shut this place down read more

Andrew was at counter 15 today, one of the best dmv experiences I've ever had, he was super helpful and made the process speedy. DMV needs more people like this read more

Worst Employees for test driving they are very unprofessional do not stay on top, and started disrespecting hands movements like they wanted to hurt someone. Being loud acting weird by placing plastic on the passenger seat, from the start the test drive was not going to be professional if anything they seem to be meantally unstable with anxiety & PTSD. Do not go here for drivers test performance. If you see a older man in his 40s to 50s African American do not let him in your car for the test request a different Examiner. read more

Ladies at the front desk are rude and unprofessional. Shouldn't be working a customer service job if you don't have the patience to deal with people. Don't recommend coming to this DMV at all. read more

A trip to the "Department of Motor Vehicles" (DMV) is something nobody looks forward to. In fact, the only time I was excited was when I passed my behind-the-wheel driving test many decades ago (yes, I am that old lol). So when it had to come time to renew my California Drivers License, I planned ahead and took matters in my own hands by doing everything online prior to my visit. Located directly on North Ave. in the heart of Carmichael, this particular DMV is deep in the suburbs with houses surrounding it. But don't let that fool you as on any given weekday, the lines can be a very long wait; no fun for the impatient type. But times have changed and a lot of everything can be done online to avoid a visit here. I booked my appointment for the afternoon of Tuesday 9/13/2022 at 4:00pm which was a simple renewal of my license. After parking my vehicle, I proceeded to the main entrance, told one of the employees why I was there, and they gave me a ticket. After sitting in the spacious waiting area, no more than 3 minutes pass and my number is called up! In fact, I was being seen at approximately 3:53pm, a full 7 minutes before my appointment time. The process here was simple; I took a vision test (which I passed with flying colors), did a thumbprint scan, and paid the $39 renewal fee. I think proceeded to a different part of the building where another employee took my photo. And that was it; I was in and out of there in just under 15 minutes. Many people frown the employees/staff of the DMV as being too robotic and dull but I found every single of the the employees to be cheerful with a sense of humor. The best advice that I recommend to all is to book an appointment online. This will expedite your visit significantly. Especially when we all have busy lives with work, family life, and other events that take up our day. With that said and done, I am giving the Carmichael "Department of Motor Vehicles" an above average four-star rating. read more

Stay away from this DMV if possible, make the extra 20 min drive to rocklin or Roseville. Avoid older lady at window 5, has a huge attitude and isn't helpful whatsoever. If you're going to be rude to customers don't work in customer service read more

This place is an absolute circus. You think you have an appt and bring all the follow up list of docs. Then they ask you to fill out an online form, that was supposed to be messaged to you in advance. Then they ask you to step aside and they send you a link to complete ur forms onsite, yet u suddenly have no internet service. I have internet service EVERYWHERE! But not at Carmichael DMV. Then 30 min after my appt time spent thru several lines sent to complete an on online form I which I didn't have internet connection to access, went to the testing room to type in my "online info", in the most disgusting, never been cleaned keyboard ...Absolutely disgusting. The bath rooms were equally disgusting. An hour and 42 minutes later did I walk out with goal achieved. An institution like this is and has always been an embarrassment to the state of California, they are consistent with being inefficient, way to go CA DMV! read more

Why so many windows but everyone on break and has a bad attitude every single time. Most other states so fast with car registration except California. Smh read more

In the day and age of the computer, why on earth do I need to stand in two lines when I have an appointment. Some of the workers are jerks and some are nice. It's a crap shoot. And we have no alternative. read more

This place is utterly terrifying. I waited over 3 hours in the designated non appointment line, then waited at the check in chairs , only to be finally, eventually told that they hate me and the same guy behind the counter called me a cracker . I'm not a cracker . read more

Carmichael DMV - A disrespected cracker - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Carmichael, California

My niece went to take her permit test, only missed 3 questions and they failed her. Whoever was the person in charge needs to go back to training. read more

This employee was extremely rude. I overheard him helping an elderly man who was so kind. He was asking about his documents and for help. The employee quickly scanned... Employee: "did you read it?" Elderly man: "I did read it yes" Employee: "you don't know how to read?" Elderly man: "...I do... I tried" And the rest of the conversation went exactly that way and ended with a "figure it out then come back" basically. I was beyond disgusting. I hope this man gets his fair share of what he gives to others. Find a different job if you hate your's so bad! read more

Carmichael DMV - Man - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Carmichael, California

Went in today (4.28.25) to handle a transfer title and get my real id. Man at window 19 was super kind and helpful. I mentioned that I only had an appt for my real id and asked if I needed to go get in the non appt line for my title transfer. He said "no please don't do that. I'll transfer you to one of my colleagues to help since I only work with driver license." I thanked him and said that was very kind but I didn't want to jump in front of others. He insisted it was no problem and went and spoke to the woman at window 21. When he came back he said it was all set and that when she was done with her current customer, to just go to her window. Well...what a complete opposite. When I approached she got this look on her face like what are YOU doing and acted as if it was a bother to her. I explained that I was the one her coworker spoke to her about for the title transfer. She acted as if she knew nothing about it and didn't want to be bothered. I was a bit confused about the process even after I called. She just took the title from me and in disgust says: Nothing is filled out! Do you have any paperwork? I told her I was unsure of the process and she rambled off stuff and I just took the paperwork, went and got in the non appt line and waited for help with a different rep. I did not want to have any more encounters with her and at that point didn't mind waiting for someone else. That little girl was extremely rude, very condescending, and came off as if she was far superior to everyone in there. Unbelievable that people act like that. Now I understand that DMV gets a difficult demographic in there sometimes but still, maintain your composure and don't treat the rest of us who act right as if we are inconveniencing you. She is a light skinned woman who had very long blonde braids in her hair. She is absolutely awful. Don't ever want to deal with her again. Also, when I first arrived for my real id appt, there was an issue with the appt numbers. That's fine, it happens. So they had us wait and get called..while we were led to our seats, this older lady who apparently is in some position of authority, came and started hollering at the dmv worker who was assisting us. She was telling him to do this and do that. I could tell that the dmv worker was a bit annoyed and I felt bad for him because of the system being down and he was running all over the place. That lady should have just pulled him aside privately and gave him instructions. She also came off as very condescending and wanted everyone to know that she was the boss. Unprofessional. Overall, I don't go in to dmv very often and when I have, never have had a terrible experience. Today was the first time. To end on a positive note, the lady taking pictures for the real id was extremely friendly and positive. Also, another woman helped me when I was accidentally forgotten about for my appt. She was in the room where you complete applications. I would say though that this office needs some help with customer interaction, especially that awful girl who was at window 21. read more

Went in for a license renewal and upgrade to Real ID, frankly dreading it, and fully expecting to waste 3 hours or more of my life on bureaucratic nonsense. I was stunned and amazed that they got me in and out in under 30 minutes, start to finish, with most of that time spent waiting in line to get my photo taken. To be fair, I did everything I could do ahead of time online-- filled out the forms, uploaded documents, made an appointment, requested notification via text regarding said appointment. My appointment time was 8:50 am on a Thursday and I arrived 20 minutes early, since I'd never been to this DMV before and didn't want to be late. I got a text with a link that said to use it 10 minutes ahead of my appointed time to avoid the line. OK, no problem. At 8:40, the link instructed me to GO TO WINDOW 19 NOW! So I jumped from my car, entered the building via the With Appointments entrance to encounter a short line with a security guard. Not wanting to bust the line with a guard present, I waited since there were only2 people ahead of me, and since I had no idea where Window 19 was. One minute later, I showed a very polite lady at a desk my message and she directed me to Window 19. After a brief wait there, the gentleman at Window 19 took my documents, ascertained they were correct, had me review a computer screen to verify the information, administered an eye test that took about a minute, took my $45 payment, had me my documents and directed me to the line for my photo. There were 4 people ahead of me, so that took up the bulk of the time I spent at the place. Then I had my photo taken, was handed my temporary license, told I would receive my Real ID in the mail in a couple weeks and sent on my way. By 9:10 I was back in the parking lot headed for my car, with a delighted smile on my face! TBH, I think the key was to do everything possible online ahead of time, and it cuts down the time you have to spend in the building, but still I admit I was surprised and delighted. read more

I went to renew my Drivers license on March 27. I did not have an appointment but it was not a very long wait. I thought they were very well organized having a person up front to pre-assign your needs. The trick is to have all your documents in order and be prepared when you get there. The staff was very courteous. read more

Why was I called to the window to be waiting 20 mins and then to be told the employee is going on break for 15 mins, stupid.

WHAT A JOKE! I came here to register a vehicle and after taking care of the paperwork I was told to pull around to the back of the building and someone would verify the vehicle's VIN. I waited 45 MINUTES for an employee to come out, while waiting cars in both lanes backed up to about 12 cars total. Then they all came out at once, THEY ALL TOOK THEIR LUNCH AT THE SAME TIME!! Terrible way to run a business! SAVE YOURSELF SOME TIME AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more

The people there are friendly and straight forward. The instructors are nice, very welcoming and understanding when taking the driving test. Definitely recommend this DMV over others haha. read more

This is the worst experience that has gone on for months of continuous ignorance on the part of their employees. Month after month of not knowing why my account has some mysterious Hold on it. The employees that I've talked to on the phone have said that they can see my new address but are unable to tell me why I can't access the link they text me with to pay and get the new ID issued to me. This has gone on since October 2023. Many other times I call in and go through the AI voice prompts, only to be informed that they're too busy to answer today and to call back another day, followed by being hung up on. Anonymous Interloper = AI. Previously, I had no difficulty getting my last ID in 2020, but one employee told me in 2024 that there was a Hold in place going back to 2018. I asked her then how was I able to get my last ID in 2020? She didn't have an answer. read more