Long lines create exasperation for those waiting at Nevada DMV

New Las Vegas resident Kerry Welsh was seeking to change his vehicle registration from California to Nevada on Saturday when he got a rude awakening at the state Department of Motor Vehicles’ West Flamingo road location.

“It is literally impossible for a new resident like myself to get a driver’s license or car registration,” he said Saturday after viewing the line outside the office.

Last month, the DMV made Saturday walk-in hours available for Nevada motorists who have new vehicle registrations or transactions that can’t be addressed online.

But the 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. window — and the need for social distancing requirements — makes a normally long wait that much longer.

Welsh said his attempts to sign up for an appointment online were also fruitless.

“They don’t have appointments available until March,” he said. “This is a complete meltdown.”

The West Flamingo DMV office wasn’t the only facility with a long line, as at least one person reported a similar experience at the Henderson DMV facility, posting on social media that she got up at 4 a.m. in order to get in line.

Denise Allen and her best friends parked at the Henderson DMV on American Pacific Drive at 5:20 a.m. and she estimated there were nearly 1,000 people waiting in a line that snaked through the parking lot and down nearly a quarter-mile to the nearby railroad tracks.

“They had people working the line by 7am and security there too,” she said in a message Saturday night. “They made sure everyone had correct paperwork, they then give you a slip with a time on it when you can come back.”

Allen and her friends, who were registering their cars, had a return time of 9:15 a.m. and Allen said they were headed home before 9:30 a.m.

“I must say for the scary long line it was well done, well organized and efficient. I was very happy with the end results,” she wrote. “I was really glad we got there when we did and we were not at the end of the line.”

Attempts to reach DMV officials for comment about the lines were unsuccessful Saturday.

The following transactions may be completed without an appointment during Saturday hours:

— Original registration on a newly purchased vehicle that cannot be registered online, including private party sales, out-of-state dealer sales, mopeds, motor homes and trailers.

— Driver’s license, ID or registration renewals that cannot be completed online. This includes vehicles with emissions exemptions, active-duty military tax exemptions and insurance reinstatements.

— Transfers of out-of-state licenses or IDs. New residents can transfer their vehicle registration at the same time.

Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter. Review-Journal reporter Sabrina Schnur contributed to this report.