This may only apply to Oregon DMV, but feel I should share so it may prevent angst for the next snowbirder!Last fall, just before our planned departure for Hell's Canyon and ultimately Arizona for the winter, I realized my driver's license was due for renewal in February. We went to the DMV office and asked what to do. The man said to fill out the paper work and they'll renew then and would send it to me...that I should get it in 10-14 days. I told him that wouldn't work because we were leaving in 3 days and had plans with other people that couldn't be postponed. He said to fill in my HOME address and on the SEND TO line, to put the mail forwarding address. I had mentioned we have a mail forwarding company and asked if it would be forwarded.....that's when he said to put that address on the SEND TO area. Well, my license didn't come. After a month I called......they said it had gone to my HOME address and because it couldn't be forwarded it had been sent back to them. He said to come on in and get it. I pointed out I was in Arizona..........that's a long trip. He said to pick it up when I got home -- not a problem. I got home, and because of an accident I didn't get down there right away. I called and asked to have it sent to me....they said I had to go in and pay a "lost card" fee.!!!!!!!!! I need to get in there and argue that I didn't lose it...THEY lost it. BUT, today, the line was almost a block long......no chairs to sit in, no ticket for numbers.......shoot! I'll have to go to Bend......that'll be a 5 hour MINIMUM wait!!!So -- moral of this story -- if your license expires during the winter, go down a month before you leave to get it renewed. He told me you can get it renewed 18 months before the renewal date.

Yikes, what a story. I just hate it when certain things cannot be forwarded. Medical bills on paper do that.

In NH the DMV won't allow any forwarding of mail. They're worried people from other states are getting NH licenses (To avoid Mass. expenses). This winter I went to demo a motorcycle at Daytona Bike Week. They checked my license and it had just expired. The letter to renew my license wasn't forwarded to FL. I called the DMV and there was now no way to renew by mail. The best they could offer was to get a paper temporary license which could be converted to a real one when we got back north.I suspect other states don't allow their mail to be forwarded either.

Sounds like the problem was with the DMV. They did NOT send your DL to the address on the Send To line. I've never had any problems with any official documents (driver's license included) going to my commercial mail forwarding service. As far as the originator knows, that's the ultimate address. Only you and your mail forwarder know where it goes after that.

Afaic, licenses, registration.. everything should be on smartphones. That way there's no "forwarding" of paper and plastic. Maybe I'll live long enough to see that.

I'm sure thankful that we only have to get a new license every 10 years.

Oregon DMV....mail forwarding (long) | Good Sam Community

27 Replies

Mountain_Jack
Explorer
May 25, 2014
Howdy Amandasgramma,

We live in Oregon. When we go Snowbirding, I ask a neighbor or friend to forward our mail for us, if it was some thing we needed before we returned home. It worked out fine. We were staying at an RV Park. He usually put the mail in a large envelope. I think only once he used a box when it was meds.
amandasgramma
Explorer
May 25, 2014
ol Bombero-JC wrote:
Y-Guy wrote:
Oregon DMV may be the nation's worst, survey says

Personally after dealing with the California DMV I consider Oregon to be the best... but when you're comparing two ugly dogs that's not saying much.

CA DMV = training for folks who have never been in the military.
(NO "hurry up".....but LOTS of "wait"..:(..)

......at least in CA we can pump our own gas!..:W

~
And in Oregon we DON'T have to pump our own gas......no gassy smell, no standing out in the rain :) :) yip --- here goes this conversation...LOL
ol_Bombero-JC
Explorer
May 25, 2014
Y-Guy wrote:
Oregon DMV may be the nation's worst, survey says

Personally after dealing with the California DMV I consider Oregon to be the best... but when you're comparing two ugly dogs that's not saying much.

CA DMV = training for folks who have never been in the military.
(NO "hurry up".....but LOTS of "wait"..:(..)

......at least in CA we can pump our own gas!..:W

~
WeBeFulltimers
Explorer
May 25, 2014
I went to TN DMV back last fall to renew my license and also downgrade from a CDL A to a standard operator's license since I have retired. Was denied and told I must come back when I had my birth certificate or passport!

I held up my CDL and asked the lady just how did she think I got it and she just gave me "that look". Getting the CDL had already required finger printing and a background investigation. :h
Oregon_Ms
Explorer
May 25, 2014
I don't think asking an 86 year old to take a driving test is a bad idea, same goes for vision screening.
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
May 25, 2014
amandasgramma wrote:
stickdog wrote:
amandasgramma wrote:
stickdog wrote:
Oregon must be behind in technology I can't recall in the last 30 years of not receiving a renewed DL at the time of renew. They take your money, they check your eyes, they take your picture and issue your new license and if just getting endorsements they don't even take your picture.
I went in 5 months before my due date because we were going to be out of state when it was due. THAT was the problem.......we left the state and they didn't send the license to the "mail to" address. It went to my home address and because the envelope says "do not forward".....it went back to DMV.

When we went fulltime, we left Illinois in May, my licence expired in Aug. I stopped in at the DMV, said I'm going to be out of state when my DL expires. Guy behind the counter said no problem. Took my DL, had me look in the eye check machine, the reds were red and the greens were green. Told me to stand by a blue screen and smile, then took my picture. Gave him the fee and five minutes later I was out the door with my renewed DL.
A couple years later we switched domicile to SD. A little more paperwork but the results were the same, I walked out of the office with a new SD DL.
Why does it take weeks to issue a DL? That is a technology issue this is the 2014 not 1950. Maybe Oregon could turn their Ocare site into DL service.
Good question. We can get the tags for cars and RVs thru the mail.....no problem.......but not driver's licenses. EVERYONE has to go in every 8 yrs and do what you went thru. My mother, at 86, got a letter......she was to go in and have a driving test.......................Big brother at his finest again.

It's awfully hard to do a vision test through the mail!
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
May 25, 2014
stickdog wrote:
Oregon must be behind in technology I can't recall in the last 30 years of not receiving a renewed DL at the time of renew. They take your money, they check your eyes, they take your picture and issue your new license and if just getting endorsements they don't even take your picture.

At least in RI and NH, you get a temporary license (computer printout on regular paper) at the DMV...the permanent one is mailed.
amandasgramma
Explorer
May 22, 2014
stickdog wrote:
amandasgramma wrote:
stickdog wrote:
Oregon must be behind in technology I can't recall in the last 30 years of not receiving a renewed DL at the time of renew. They take your money, they check your eyes, they take your picture and issue your new license and if just getting endorsements they don't even take your picture.
I went in 5 months before my due date because we were going to be out of state when it was due. THAT was the problem.......we left the state and they didn't send the license to the "mail to" address. It went to my home address and because the envelope says "do not forward".....it went back to DMV.

When we went fulltime, we left Illinois in May, my licence expired in Aug. I stopped in at the DMV, said I'm going to be out of state when my DL expires. Guy behind the counter said no problem. Took my DL, had me look in the eye check machine, the reds were red and the greens were green. Told me to stand by a blue screen and smile, then took my picture. Gave him the fee and five minutes later I was out the door with my renewed DL.
A couple years later we switched domicile to SD. A little more paperwork but the results were the same, I walked out of the office with a new SD DL.
Why does it take weeks to issue a DL? That is a technology issue this is the 2014 not 1950. Maybe Oregon could turn their Ocare site into DL service.
Good question. We can get the tags for cars and RVs thru the mail.....no problem.......but not driver's licenses. EVERYONE has to go in every 8 yrs and do what you went thru. My mother, at 86, got a letter......she was to go in and have a driving test.......................Big brother at his finest again.
stickdog
Explorer
May 22, 2014
amandasgramma wrote:
stickdog wrote:
Oregon must be behind in technology I can't recall in the last 30 years of not receiving a renewed DL at the time of renew. They take your money, they check your eyes, they take your picture and issue your new license and if just getting endorsements they don't even take your picture.
I went in 5 months before my due date because we were going to be out of state when it was due. THAT was the problem.......we left the state and they didn't send the license to the "mail to" address. It went to my home address and because the envelope says "do not forward".....it went back to DMV.

When we went fulltime, we left Illinois in May, my licence expired in Aug. I stopped in at the DMV, said I'm going to be out of state when my DL expires. Guy behind the counter said no problem. Took my DL, had me look in the eye check machine, the reds were red and the greens were green. Told me to stand by a blue screen and smile, then took my picture. Gave him the fee and five minutes later I was out the door with my renewed DL.
A couple years later we switched domicile to SD. A little more paperwork but the results were the same, I walked out of the office with a new SD DL.
Why does it take weeks to issue a DL? That is a technology issue this is the 2014 not 1950. Maybe Oregon could turn their Ocare site into DL service.
amandasgramma
Explorer
May 21, 2014
monkey44 wrote:
This kind of thing always makes me laugh, if it wasn't so serious.

IF anyone (criminal type - terrorist) want a DL, they get one forged or whatever. SO, what's really happening here is WE are paying the penalty for remaining honest. As is per normal activity with licenses, permits, etc.

Was once confronted at my door with a 'dog license guy' ... he asked to see my dog license. Told him I didn't have a dog. Dog standing next to me, watching him. So, I asked him, "What is the dog license for, where do the fees go?"

HE shrugged, thought a minute, said, "Pays my salary." So, if we didn't have you to pay, we could save the $15, right?" "And what happens to the guys that don't have licenses, do they pay you too?" He had no answer ... but that illustrates again that that the honest folks that inoculate the dogs (Dog license actually proves rabies shot. That's it). And in addition to paying the shot, folks get the license (additional fee) to provide enforcement ... so again, good guys paying for being good guys.

Once we make fines large enough to pay that freight, maybe the guys that don't will get the message.
AMEN!

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Oregon DMV....mail forwarding (long)

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