BILLINGS — MVD Express opened its first Montana storefront in Billings Monday, providing another place to register vehicles and renew government-issued identification.
Located at 900 S. 24th St. #4, the New Mexico-based document processing company has been working with the state of Montana since October 2017.
“We have been here for the last two years doing titles for dealers, but now we’re open for retail business. This is our first retail location,” said MVD Chief Operating Officer Candido Alarid.
The goal of the company is to take pressure off state workers during the run up to the REAL ID deadline of October 2020.
"We are hoping to at least get a third of their (the state's) business to help try and alleviate that," Alarid said. "They are kind of hamstrung with their budget. It's hard for them to open up new stores and hire a lot more people. So, we have a great partnership with the Department of Justice to be able to help that overflow."
After the 2020 deadline, Montanans without a REAL ID will not be able to fly from an airport or enter federal buildings and military bases. (Passports work to grant access to these locations if a person does not have a Real ID.)
MVD Express offers most of the same services as the regular DMV office with the benefit of being open on Saturdays.
For vehicles, the company can process registration, title, duplicate titles and temporary tags.
The business also processes ID cards, driver's license renewal and replacement, and REAL ID cards.
The services at MVD are not county specific, meaning someone who is not a resident of Yellowstone County can get their license renewed during a trip to Billings.
A flat processing fee of $34.99 will be charged to every transaction at MVD Express. Fees charged by the state for processing still apply. Staff said the fee will not increase if a person needs multiple documents processed. For example: if a person needs to get a REAL ID and register their vehicle, the fee will stay at $34.99.
A Montana REAL ID card costs $50 or $25, depending on the renewal date. At MVD Express, including the processing fee, your total bill would be $84.99 or $59.99.
Alarid said the business plans to open up locations across Montana in the coming months.
“We’ll be opening up in Bozeman in a few months. Then move on to Kalispell and Missoula and hopefully Great Falls. We’re hoping to make a great impact on the state and help get all these REAL ID’s done before the October 2020 deadline.”
For more information on obtaining a REAL ID and the documents required, visit mtrealid.gov.
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