Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Service

When I called the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles, I was immediately asked if I wanted to continue in English or Spanish. After that, I was directed to choose which kind of question I needed help with, getting through two sets of menus before I was able to get through to the section about driver's license questions.

Once I had selected this menu, I was given the option to expedite my call by providing my Social Security number, which I obviously declined. It proved unnecessary anyway, as I was given a wait time of only 2 minutes.

When I was connected to a representative and asked how she could assist me, I told her that I had recently moved to Wisconsin and was wondering how long I had to obtain a Wisconsin driver's license. She told me that I had between 30 and 60 days from the date of my move to acquire a new license. 

I then asked what I would need to obtain my new license. She asked if I had ever held a driver's license in Wisconsin before, and I told her no. I was moving in from Iowa and held an Iowa license. She said in that case, I would need to bring either my birth certificate or my passport, along with at least one piece of mail establishing my Wisconsin residence, but she stressed that two pieces of mail would be better.

I asked her how much it would cost to obtain my new license, and she asked me how long I had been driving. I told her I'd been a licensed driver for 19 years, and she told me my license would cost $34. She then asked if I also intended to register my vehicle in Wisconsin, and I told her I did.

She said I would need to bring the title of the vehicle with me, and I could expect to pay $164 for a new title, along with an $85 charge for license plates. She also told me that depending on the county I lived in, I might face an additional fee as part of registering my vehicle in that county. Having no further questions, I thanked her for her assistance, and she thanked me in turn for calling the Wisconsin DMV.

Overall, I thought the menu was clunky and awkward, but the customer service I received was first-rate. Once I got connected with a customer service representative, I had no trouble getting all of my questions answered, and I received a complete, detailed response to every question. I didn't have much of a wait time, and I had no issues whatsoever in understanding the representative once connected.

I think the ability to enter personal information that would be needed anyway is a handy feature that could save genuine customers some time. Based on my call, if I did have a real issue, I would feel very comfortable turning to the Wisconsin DMV for assistance.