Will focus on new drivers, expired DL/IDs and vehicle transactions through July 31
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced today his office’s reopening plan – beginning June 1 – with the first two months focused on serving ONLY new drivers, customers with expired driver’s licenses/ID cards and vehicle transactions. Currently there are more than 700,000 expired driver’s licenses/ID cards and 1.9 million expired vehicle registrations.
All Secretary of State departments and offices will be open for business on June 1. The reopening dates and locations for Driver Services facilities statewide are as follows:
June 1 – Monday through Saturday facilities (Chicago North, Chicago South and Chicago West) will open Monday, June 1. Expanded hours of operations are Monday 7:30 to 2 p.m.,
Tuesday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Springfield-Dirksen facility hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the first two months through July 31, these facilities will ONLY serve:
· New drivers (most will be 16-year-old driver applicants)
· Customers with expired driver’s licenses and ID cards
· Vehicle transactions Note: Chicago Central located at the James R. Thompson Center and Chicago Loop Express located at 69 W. Washington will reopen July 1 because these buildings will not be opened to the public until that date. June 2 – Tuesday through Saturday facilities (Chicagoland suburban area) will open Tuesday, June 2. Expanded hours of operation for Chicagoland area facilities are Tuesday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For the first two months through July 31, these facilities will ONLY serve:
· New drivers (most will be 16-year-old driver applicants)
· Customers with expired driver’s licenses and ID cards
· Vehicle transactions June 2 – Tuesday through Saturday facilities (all Driver Services facilities statewide outside Chicago metro area) will open Tuesday, June 2. Hours of operation are Tuesday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to noon. For the first two months through July 31, these facilities will ONLY serve:
· New drivers (most will be 16-year-old driver applicants)
· Customers with expired driver’s licenses and ID cards
· Vehicle transactions
For all other services, please refer to the various departments listed on www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
“Throughout this pandemic, my commitment has been to do everything we can to help protect the health and safety of our residents and my employees, while providing services to the people of Illinois,” said White. “This reopening plan adheres to this commitment.”
Protective Safety Measures
Customers and Secretary of State employees will be required to wear face masks unless a medical condition prohibits the safe use of a mask. Plexiglass dividers have been installed at all work stations and tape has been applied to the floor in 6-foot intervals to follow social distancing guidelines, limiting the number of customers inside a facility at one time.
For drive tests, employees will wear a face mask and a face shield due to the close proximity with the customer inside the vehicle. Customers will be required to wear face masks unless medically unable. Disposable plastic will be used to cover the vehicle seats during the drive test and then discarded immediately after the conclusion of the drive test.
Online Services Still Encouraged
White continues to encourage residents to go to www.cyberdriveillinois.com to take advantage of many online services – such as renewing vehicle registration stickers – from the comfort of their own home. People who conduct online transactions will avoid waiting in line at a facility. Some of these online services include:
· renewing a vehicle registration;
· obtaining a duplicate driver’s license or ID card;
· obtaining a driving record abstract;
· renewing a driver’s license through the Safe Driver Renewal program.
Since March 17, through online services, the office has issued more than 775,000 vehicle registration stickers, 350,000 titles and 200,000 driver’s licenses/IDs.
90-Day Extensions for Driver’s License/ID and Vehicle Registration
White is reminding customers that his office extended expiration dates by at least 90 days after the governor’s June 1 disaster proclamation executive order ends. This extension will ensure driver’s licenses, ID cards and vehicle registrations remain valid and will help alleviate the initial rush of customers visiting the reopened facilities.
REAL ID Federal Extension
White also reminded the public that the federal government extended the REAL ID deadline by one year until October 1, 2021. White had petitioned the federal government for this extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People with valid U.S. passports are encouraged to consider delaying their visit to a facility to apply for a REAL ID until their driver’s license is near its expiration date.
Historical Background
Following Governor JB Pritzker’s Stay-at-Home order, White closed Driver Services facilities to the public on March 17. His office has continued to serve the public through online services, which increased by more than 50 percent during the office closures.
