California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Service

Phone Number & Contact Info

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s Best Phone Number

800-777-0133
Toll-free·Calls Customer Service·Most popular California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) number
Free tools for easier calling
Q:

How do I talk to a live human at California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)?

A:Press 1 then 1 then 0. Our free phone can also navigate phone menus to get a live human at California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) for you.
Q:

Does California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) offer 24 hour customer service?

A:Not at this number; hours here are Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PST. The least busy day is Wednesday, and the most busy day is Friday. If the call center is closed, you can schedule a call.
Q:

How long will I wait on hold?

A:The average hold time is 61 minutes. The longest hold times are on Tuesday, and the shortest are on Wednesday. You can skip the hold time for free.

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Phone Numbers

Customer Communications

916-657-6560
Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PST · Press 1 then 1 then 0 then 3 · Please hold for the next available team member.

Field Office Support Unit

916-657-8035
Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PST · This number is for Registrations only. No automated response. Press 2 to the Sacramento DMV, which is the headquarters for all the DMVs in CA. Press 1 then 1 then 0 then 3. · How can I help you?

Mandatory Actions Unit

916-657-6525
Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PST · Press 4 · Driving under the influence-related suspensions, press 1. Child support issues, press 2. Any other issues related to mandatory actions, press 3.

How do I get through the phone menu to a live person?

Consider using our free service that calls and talks to customer service for you, then sends you a report. Or use our free service that waits on hold and tells you when a human rep is on the line. But if those options don't appeal to you, our team has also documented the phone menu for California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) below.

Let us call and talk to California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) for you

Our AI powered phone can dial, navigate the phone menu, wait on hold, and even talk to customer service for you, for free. You don't even need to learn about the path through the various phone options.

We can get a live person on the line for you

That same, free GetHuman Phone can call and navigate the menus and wait on hold for you, but you can opt to do all the talking. We notify you when a rep is on the line and ready to talk, so no need to worry about changing menu options and weaving your way through the maze.
Of course, we completely understand if you prefer to do all the dialing, waiting, and talking yourself. All of these free tools are optional.
GetHuman researchers routinely call this California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) phone number to document the phone system.
Here is how our research team describes the way the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) phone system greets you: To renew or replace a license/ID, press 1. To renew a vehicle registration, press 3. To pay an insurance suspension fee, press 3. To book a field office appointment, press 4. To find a DMV location, press 5. For additional information, press 9 or stay on the line.
Here is our latest tip for weaving through the phone menu to get to a real person the fastest: Press 1 then 1 then 0
Below are some clips we've found from California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s phone menus and tips that help give an idea of what you will encounter when you call. We've highlighted why they are important as well:

Heard when the phone system first answers

"Thank you for calling the California Department of Motor Vehicles. For English, press one. To use our online services to renew or replace your driver's license, or ID card, press one."
Excerpt from a call with California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)
Friday, January 5, 2024 7:32 PM

They may ask you to say or enter information

"Thank you for calling the California Department of Motor Vehicles. For English, press one. To use our online services to renew or replace your drive To renew the registration of your vehicle, you will need the last five digits of your VIN and your license plate number. Please say ready or to renew the reg to renew the registration of your vehicle, you will need the last five digits of your VIN and your license plate number.
Please to renew the registration of your vehicle, you will need the last five digits of your VIN and your license plate number.
Please say ready or to renew the registration of your vehicle, say or enter the five digits of your vehicle's VIN."
Excerpt from a call with California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)
Monday, October 21, 2024 10:45 PM

What are the hours and when should I call?

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) operates the call center for this 800-777-0133 phone number Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PT. The short answer is that you should call on a Wednesday. This observation and the following section are based on analysis of a sample set of 719 calls made in the last 90 days using our free, web-based phone (see above).

Automatically call when they open

When you use our free AI-powered phone to call and talk, wait on hold, or navigate for you, it will automatically wait until the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) call center opens before trying to call. It will ask your permission before it places the call, so you can also further delay that scheduled call until you are ready. But that means you can "set it and forget it" ahead of time.
An important note: busy times vs hold times vs best time to call
When we refer to busy or less busy times, we are talking about the volume of calls. The busiest times are when the most people are calling this California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) phone number (least busy times have fewer people calling). This high call volume does not necessarily mean that you will have a long hold time when you call. Companies like California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) staff their call centers differently based on the time of day and day of the week, so you may experience a shorter wait on hold at the busiest of times. When we refer to the best time to call, we are referring to the optimal combination of lower call volume and shorter wait times.

The least busy time to call

The least busy day to call California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) is Wednesday. The most busy day to call is Friday, which averages 33% more phone calls by comparison. Again, this is based on a sample of 719 calls made with our AI-powered, web-based phone in the last 90 days.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Quietest
Thu
Fri
Busiest

The shortest wait on hold

We measured the shortest hold times to be on Wednesday. The longest wait in the queue on average occurs on Tuesday.
But if you use our free call and talk for me or wait on hold for me service, you don't really need to worry about average wait times.

The best time to call California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)

In summation, the best day to call California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) is Wednesday. In this case, it's a no-brainer. Wednesday is not only the least busy day for calling this California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) number, but it is also the day with the shortest hold times.

Calling this California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Number

Adam Goldkamp is the editor / author responsible for this content.
Oct 3, 2023

This number is mostly used for the purpose of paying bills to the California DMV, making it mostly useless to people who don't actually have an account with the state of California. However, this number does have a purpose if you're using it to get information, as you can use it to find the location and hours of any DMV in the state.

When you call, you're taken to a menu where you can make a payment for things such as renewing your license or updating your vehicle registration. If you don't need to make payments for anything, you can request a directory of DMV locations to find the right location to serve your needs.

If you make that selection, you're asked to enter your five-digit ZIP Code so the system can find the three DMV locations that are closest to your ZIP Code. Once you provide that, the system will tell you where each location is and how far away it is from the ZIP Code you've given it. You can then request more information about each location, such as what its hours are or what street it's located on. After providing this information, the system gives you the option to hang up, return to the previous menu or transfer to the main number to get personal assistance.

If you choose to transfer to the main number, you'll get moved over to Miles, the California DMV's automated assistant. Miles is only helpful up to a point, as telling it what you're calling about can only connect you to a representative or set up a call-back for the next representative to come available. If the line is too long for you to get assistance before the close of business, you'll be directed to request a call-back and can schedule one for the next business day.

Overall, I thought this was a decent automated system for California drivers. The ability to handle payments over the phone makes for an easy way for customers to stay on top of any financial obligations to the state, and the information available from the DMV locations can be very helpful if in-person assistance becomes necessary. In addition, the option to connect with Miles and get help from an actual team member can be a welcome one for customers, as some problems need a human voice to be properly figured out.

The negatives about this call are that Miles isn't very helpful, and this number doesn't provide a lot of use unless you're already a California driver or planning to become one in the very near future. If I were a California driver or moving to California, I'd be inclined to use this number, as it seems to be set up very well. With a few tweaks, it could be an even better experience.

Adam has been tirelessly trying to help customers find the best tips and tricks to get through phone trees and writing many guides for prickly customer service problems. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition and Bloomberg.

Why Customers Call California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)

If you have time to do a bit of reading before you call California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV), we recommend you read over some of our problem-specific articles.

How Do I Replace My California Department of Motor Vehicles Registration Letter?

Replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged registration card or letter doesn't have to be difficult. The California DMV can help you with filling out the right forms and the website has many tips that can better streamline the request process. Please feel free to visit the organization's website for more details.

How Do I Register My Vehicle with the California Dmv?

You need to register your vehicle with the California DMV if you buy a new car or if you become a California resident. You will have to conduct your California DMV vehicle registration in person at the DMV initially. There are documents you have to submit and fees you have to pay.

How Do I Apply for an Hov Sticker from the California Dmv?

High-Occupancy Vehicle stickers may not be commonplace in some states, but they're an incentive for drivers in California to own vehicles with low to zero emissions. There are some qualifications that the car and driver must meet and the only way to apply is by mail. The time frame is about 30 days for turnaround, but the DMV processes the applications as quickly as possible.

Top California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) customer service problems

Click the link above to get answers to just about any California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) customer service question, including step by step guides for the most complex issues. You can also detail a new issue and get answers instantly.
Information about why customers call California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) is extracted from issues that customers have reported to GetHuman.
California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) issues reported to GetHuman

More California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Service Contacts

There are of course other ways to contact California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) customer service besides the phone. Below we list the best ones, by medium.

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Service on X (formerly Twitter)

@CA_DMV - Customer Service
You must have a twitter account
California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV), like many companies, provides customer service on the X platform (formerly Twitter). While it rarely entails live dialogue with a customer service rep, this channel can yield rapid response times and can be a useful option if you have an X/Twitter account.

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Help Desk / Web Support

dmv.ca.gov - Customer Service
Online customer service support
dmv.ca.gov - Customer Service
Online customer service support
As a last, sometimes only, resort- California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) customer service can be accessed through their website. This can entail digging through help articles before finding a form and "being allowed" to submit a problem to their team, and rarely leads to a real-time conversation, which is why GetHuman does not recommend this unless it's the only way.

Conclusion and closing notes

This is California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) agent. This phone number is California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s best phone number because 83,022 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback. Common problems addressed by the customer care unit that answers calls to 800-777-0133 include Suspension, DUI, Registration, Lost ID/License Renewal, Title Release and other customer service issues. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) call center that you call into has employees from California and is open Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PT according to customers. In total, California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) has 4 phone numbers. It's not always clear what is the best way to talk to California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) representatives, so we started compiling this information built from suggestions from the customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue to improve this free resource.

GetHuman does not provide call center services or customer support operations for California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV). The two organizations are not related. GetHuman builds free tools and shares information to help customers of companies like California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV). For large companies that includes tools such as our GetHuman Phone, which allows you to call a company but skip the part where you wait on the line to get a live human rep. We continue to work on these tools to help customers like you (and ourselves!) navigate the messy phone menus, hold times, and confusion with customer service. As long as you keep sharing it with your friends and loved ones, we'll keep doing it.

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