worse experience ever. I was one of two people in there. The front desk lady with the mustache kept giving me attitude for some reason. Even tho I was being very respectful. She answered my question in form of a question and tried making me feel stupid and little. Unnecessary attitude. Even tho the gentleman that I was dealing with at the window did a wonderfull job, those other staff members needs to check their attitude. read more

Santa Barbara DMV - SB DMV - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

The Santa Barbara DMV, I'd compare it to the Lompoc one as well - there's virtually no line and dealing with the service personnel, they're actually real humans and they talk to you and joke around. But they do mean business - you get in to get out. read more

Lost my paper work couldn't mail my registration in so I went in during lunch break didn't think I would be out soon but I was wrong really went by fast and ladies there were super funny and very helpful. And I still had time to have a my lunch thank you guys read more

What a nightmare..absolute nightmare. After 6 hours still not solved. Woman handling our papers was rude misinformed and obnoxious. Lucky for us we have a ups box ll our mail is scanned. She kept insisting they sent something in mail on the 24th.. a quick call showed she was not telling truth we never recieved anything from them. This woman should be in the back away from people my husband on chemo and got really sick from dealing with her. I am disgusted we have to go back for more of her drama today. Drive to another town give this anxiety a complete miss. read more

I went to the DMV , because I am computer illiterate, and mad an appointment there, She came over to get me fill out some forms of which I was confused. I Ella's thinking, I should have paid the fee there, I was thinking, I would pay it when I came for my appointment read more

I know going to the DMV is never anyone's highlight of the day but I will say the experience I recently had was stellar. I made an online appointment to get my REAL ID squared away for recent travel and even though I was schedule for 9:40 AM, I came in early around 8:30 AM and they were able to assist and help me in an efficient matter. I went into the walk in line, explained my situation, the staff gathered and paper clipped my paperwork, I went to the computers to fill out an application, the staff then told me to go wait in line again (only felt a bit inconvenienced here as the line did get a little longer and I guess I could have went to the computers first before waiting in line) but then they gave me a number and it was less than a 10 minute wait before I was served. After I had my paperwork looked at and photo taken, I was out before 9 AM! I appreciated all the helpful staff there and know if you meet them with kindness, you will be out before you know it. read more

I am 73 years old and have been to many DMV's in my life. This by far was one of the best. The staff is very friendly and efficient. I no longer dread going to DMV's because of the ease with which the employees take care of you. read more

Go in with the lowest expectations and you'll likely still be disappointed. The employees of the SB DMV have mastered the art of passing the buck, paper pushing, and wholly live up to the DMV stereotype. A great example of your taxpayer money being wasted in this ineffectually run entity. Good Luck! read more

Santa Barbara DMV - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The SB DMV definitely defies stereotypical experiences at a DMV. I arrived on a Friday at 7:30am. Around 7:45am an employee came around to take your temp. She asked what service you were there for and wrote it down on a green paper which I later handed to the clerk. 8:00 am on the dot they started letting people in. I had 6 people ahead of me, 3 of them were there to take the test so I had no wait time. They only allow a few people in at a time and chairs are placed far apart. The young man who helped me was very friendly and efficient. I was in and out in 16 minutes to renew my license. My case took longer because of some paperwork that had to be reviewed and scanned. Proper COVID guidelines were observed and the service was great. read more

Going to the DMV is never fun, but Kim H. made the experience even worse. She is the short, older, blonde woman and she was incompetent and rude to say the least. She tried to deny me a moving permit and a current report of deposit of fees for seemingly no reason other than she doesn't know how to do her job. The other Hispanic woman that I went to today was actually nice and helpful so thank you to her. read more

I was very pleasantly surprised with my experience at the Santa Barbara DMV! It has been a long term joke of mine that the DMV is the Happiest Place on Earth as quite often everyone who works there or goes there seems to always look like their cat just died and they haven't seen the sun in days. At this location, however, I was actually greeted with a smile by one of the employees as i walked in and was totally caught off guard. I had made an appointment a week before to renew my driver's license and showed up 10 minute before as recommended on the website. The lines were not that well established but the employees actively did their best to get through them in a respectable manner. The whole process of paper work, eye test, new photo, and payment only took about 25 minutes total. It was a shockingly pleasant experience with very helpful staff who obviously like their jobs (at least somewhat) and have their skills down to a T. The only complaint I have is the lack of organization with the lines and the overall dirtiness of the facility. With a little clean up, splash of some colors on the wall, and better organization system of lines this place could be as close to cool as a DMV can get. read more

This place would literally brand me and take my first born child if they could. They are a group of the most incompetent people that I've ever dealt with, I've seen them raising their voices and being extremely rude to sweet old ladies, they have no remorse for how horrible they make everyone's lives. And they took my license plates without even allowing me to Junk my car, then when I asked for them back they were confused as to why they had them, and barley could find them. They told me to go to a different DMV, probably because they're too incompetent to deal with confusing car situations... literally told me to leave and go else where. I just wanted to update my review and say this DMV literally refused to help me, and I went to the Goleta DMV and they helped me in 2 minutes. Literally after four days of time going to the SB one, the Goleta dmv helped finish things up in 2 minutes... so there you go. Do not even waste your time here read more

Raise your hand if you enjoy going to the DMV. Anyone? Anyone?! Of course nobody enjoys the dreaded lines, wait times, and drone-like employees of the DMV. While there are long waits (this seems inevitable), the customer service at the Santa Barbara location is what makes it bearable. I've come here 5 times since the start of Covid, when it was nearly impossible to make an appointment. Each time, I knew to carve a few hours out of my schedule as the wait times tend to be in that range. I was just here this morning and must say that the staff have really streamlined the whole Covid process. By Covid process, I'm referring to the six-foot line spacing, temperatures being checked, and spending the bulk of your wait time outdoors. Contrary to the standard DMV, the employees here are consistently pleasant and upbeat. It's remarkable how they know just how to turn your frown upside down. I admire their personable demeanors and more than anything, their efficiency. I can't imagine how many negative customers they see in a day - but not once have I seen any of them give attitude. Kudos to the staff at this location for making my DMV experience a tolerable one! read more

DMV visits are generally not expected to be a positive experience, but my business at the CA DMV Santa Barbara office was the worst ever. I needed to convert my out-of-state driver's license (OOS DL) to a CA one. 1) One needs to change licenses within 10 days, but the next appointment was over 2 months away. So, I went as a "non-appointment. 2) Online wait time stated 20 mins., but it was actually over 3 hrs., and I didn't even finish my business! 3) Signage is wrong, contradictory, and nonexistent. I've even attached an example: The entrance door for non-appts was open, so its sign could not be seen, as it was facing the wall. Yet, *right next to the entrance* is a visible sign advising people that the entrance is in another direction! 4) I had to deal with at least four different personnel, and most of them were gruff. Example: As I was explaining a detail in response to a question, I was interrupted with "It's a yes/no question; what's your answer?!" When I requested another employee to return of my OOS DL, they insisted that they had already done so. The matter was resolved only when I asked for a supervisor, and the employee suddenly "found" my license. No apology. 5) My OOS DL was rejected as legitimate (I've had it for 7 years) because it had an "M" for motorcycle endorsement, but no other classes noted. I explained that that's how my state listed things -- it normally would show "none" under "class," rather than a letter. I showed them a copy of my wife's DL, which had "none" listed. In spite of this evidence, and common sense, it was still rejected. There are other negative details as well, but this review is already too long. The bottom line is that the next day I drove to another DMV office that was some distance away. Non-appointments walk in the only entrance, where an employee filled out some paperwork for me and directed me where to go, within 30 seconds. Then I waited about 20 mins. for the next employee, took/passed my written tests, and received my provisional CA DL. read more

Santa Barbara DMV - Sign leads people AWAY from the Non-Appointment entrance. The actual entrance sign can't be seen because it faces a wall when open! - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

See all

Manager has no clue what she is doing, tried to screw and delay our process on purpose out if spite, an employee who felt bad for my wife and I had to force the manager to deal with the issue, and she could have the entire time. These idiots have a job because of our taxes, yet treat us like we don't matter. All DMVs tend to be bad, but this one if the worst. Employees are spiteful, treat my wife like she is dumb because she has an accent and purposefully delayed our process because we were angry after returning for the 5th time for the same issue. There is only 1 good employee at this place, and I wish I knew her name, she is usually wearing a kitty face mask, that is the only good human in this place. read more

Coming to the Dmv in Santa Bárbara downtown is a nightmare, never enough personal, bad attitude, super long wait.

This DMV on Castillo is Wonderful . All employees are so helpful and courteous . My first time going to this DMV and it's a WOW experience. I'll travel miles to come back to this DMV . And an employee name Akilah. Please my deepest apology if I misspelled your name, she is awesome. Customer Service at this DMV location , pleasant . Thank you to all of you . You are all Wonderful . Great Experience of my life . Thank you . read more

Rather than sit in a box full of germs for an hour, do yourself a favor and make an appointment. read more

See all

Oh my goodness.... new to Cali. The process has a few steps when you're new in the state. First of all, you only have 20 days to register your car. Secondly, you have to get a smog check at a mechanical shop. Third, have your registration & title with you when you come in. Check first to see what you might need. Was in and out in under two hours. The longest thing I waited for was a 'verification' check of the vehicle. Apparently there's only one guy for drivers tests and car verifications. You have to know how to open the lid. Something I've had trouble with in the past. The employees aren't able to touch your car. Once that was done I went back to the line which moved pretty fast. Then you wait for your number to be called. When I got my number they were calling B 39. It seemed to take forever for B 47 to be called. Once I was called the friendly service person walked me through the application. Plates. New registration and I was out the door! The Santa Barbara location was easy and efficient. read more

Wow - the three DMV employees I dealt with this morning were uniformly helpful, even cheerful and they seemed to extend that to others I saw. Well organized and on time, with an appointment I was there about 25 minutes or less. Kudos to the staff. read more

If you're wanting to take your driver's test, DON'T bother coming to the SB DMV. Go to Goleta's instead. The instructor (stout older man) is one of the most ornery, unpleasant people and will mark you down for no good reason. Every time I've had the misfortune of interacting with him at the DMV in the past, he has acted like he hates his job and hates everyone that comes in there. Other reviews seem to corroborate this. I ask you this: if you hate your job so much why don't you quit? Go work somewhere else, do everyone a favor and quit instead of shitting on someone else's day just because you hate your job. Not only will he consistently give you a pissy attitude for no reason, but he also gave me the wrong information (either intentionally or otherwise (I don't know which is worse)) causing me to have to shell out more money to them. That being said, everyone else there has been friendly and pleasant, it just seems to be this one guy who does all the driving tests. I cannot emphasize this enough: don't come to the Santa Barbara DMV to take your driving test, go out to Goleta, it will be worth the extra driving. read more

Worst office experience ever. Understaffed, antiquated facilities, computers really slow. Basically poorly maintained and managed. The only reason for 1 star is that the beach is close. Ugggh. read more

Excellent customer service!! Wow!! Everyone is so nice at this DMV. I drove from Thousand Oaks! Worth the drive!! Thank you!!

Don't go here!! There are other options; Goleta, Lompoc, Ventura, etc. These people just suck. Haven't been able to help me one time. With my salvage truck they gave me plates then voided them for whatever reason the next week. With my classic car they didn't understand I didn't need a smog sticker so I had to go to someone with basic registration knowledge. Every time I think it's a good idea to go to them they fail. Impossible to pass driving test and have no knowledge of any situation out of the ordinary. Today I went for a vin verification. I just want the vin verification so I can go to a registration service and pay a little extra to have it done properly since these people have no idea what they're doing. Instead some old grumpy dude insisted I fill out a ton of paperwork and go inside to begin registration with them when I just want a vin verification so I can get it registered at Sandy's in Santa Maria which are great, helpful and knowledgeable. I explained I don't want that rather just need the simple service of vin verification when he accused me of illegally flipping cars or something? Santa Barbara DMV is the worst I've dealt with. Another thing to note was the guy at the front wasn't just an asshole to me but was the most unhelpful person I've seen to the man in front of me who had forgot his mask. read more

Off was supposed to open at 8 a.m. Showed up at 7:55 and found they decided to have a meeting that morning until 9 a.m. Only a government run agency can get away with this kind of service. read more

I know DMV get a tons of bad press, but my experience today was terrific. I had been warned - get there long before they open - so I was there an hour before opening and number 2 in the line. We were greeted cordially (really!), advised what paperwork to present and checked in quickly. The lady at window 5 - kicking myself for not getting her name -was really helpful, knowledgeable and, as my case was not simple, stuck with it and got it all sorted. An hour later, I had my license. Well done DMV! read more

i went in to take my driving test (im not from santa barbara tho im from the IE area near LA) but the people were actually nice + the environment felt calm. i was nervous n felt like i was about to poop my pants but overall the service was 10/10 would drive 2 hrs just to say hi maybe give them a cake or sum heehee read more

the lady at the door was making rude comments about the woman in front of us once she walked away, and the driving instructor was a huge dick. old man who doesn't understand technology or how push-to-start cars work, he rudely told my friend on her driving test "learn to drive" before exiting the car and slamming the door... wtf like why. ventura has better driving instructor (if you're lucky), but santa barbara has relatively nicer workers read more

I made an appointment for 1pm to take my drivers test, and they made me wait a whole HOUR more. Even after I had made an appointment. And on top of that, my instructor was just rude and marked me wrong for something that was entirely safe. I wish I could give them a 0 honestly. read more

Like most DMV's, you expect to wait an eternity to be serviced but at this specific location the workers are very professional and operate in a timely manner. The time went by fast! I remember visiting the website before arriving here and the wait time described is true to its word. I waited less than 1 hour for my ticket number to be called. The staff is very knowledgeable about the procedures and enforce DMV conduct to the patrons. For example, someone was speaking on their mobile phone near the testing area, a staff member interrupted "Excuse Me, Please Reframe From Using Your Phone In The Testing Area, Take The Call Outside or Move Away From The Testing Area." read more

I've been to several DMVs in Southern California and this is one of the better ones. The staff doesn't seem miserable. They do their job and don't seem to take our their anger on their clients. This enough makes it one of the better DMVs in Southern California! I recommend making an appointment because it makes the process faster. read more

This location had a small wait, maybe an hour and a half without an appointment, which isn't bad compared to the Los Angeles one I'm used to. I typically do not write reviews, particularly on an establishment the you are basically required by law to visit, however, I was so impressed by the woman who helped me, I especially wanted to give her credit. I regret not having gotten her name, but all I know is that she had a "Wicked musical" mug and was so helpful, knowledgeable, professional! I typically associate DMV employees with ppl that can be somewhat curt, and did in fact hear a lot of that going on around her, but she remained calm and positive. Really made my day to be helped by such a nice person. Thank you! read more

This dude is pretty sick, very good dmv. I appreciate the shirtlessness and sparse facial hair.

This office is inefficient and impolite. I had to pay to correct a mistake that someone at the DMV made. Ridiculous.

The 3 staff members who helped me - were most excellent!!! My name was called for next window before I could even walk up to it!! Bothe times!!! I haven't been in the building for a long time - but past memories was very crowded and hot. Today A/C was perfect. Workers seemed pleasant and liking their jobs. Thank you thank you so much for the great service. read more