If you’ve been putting off a trip to the Bethel DMV office, this is a good week to cross that errand off the to-do list. The office will be closed after Friday for more than a month, possibly two.
The current Division of Motor Vehicles worker is transferring out, and the doors are closing until another worker is hired and trained. DMV Manager Janice Torsen says that the closure will last at least six to eight weeks. Until the position is filled, the state will dispatch a worker every few weeks to run the office for a full work-week. The first week this dispatch will occur is the week of October 8, 2018.
Services that will be unavailable when the office is closed include: issuing original driver’s licenses or ID cards, issuing permits, and road testing.
Services that will remain available online or over the phone include: renewing driver’s licenses and ID cards, ordering duplicate licenses and ID cards, ordering personalized plates, scheduling a road test, updating addresses, renewing permanent disabled parking permits, renewing registrations for boats, cars, and snowmachines, and ordering duplicate registrations. Title transfers can be mailed into the Anchorage office for processing.
The DMV closure has caused Yuut Elitnaurviat to push back its upcoming Commercial Driver’s License training class by a week. That way, course participants will be able to test for and earn their CDL permits while a fill-in employee is staffing the office. Yuut Elitnaurviat employees will still be able to proctor road tests during the closure, but people who pass the road test will have to wait until the DMV reopens to get the physical license.
The state is hiring for the DMV position. Applications can be submitted online at Workplace Alaska or by visiting the Y-K Delta Job Center.
