The Vehicle Registration & Licensing offices at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center (WHCC) and in Waimea are closed today, Monday, March 23rd. The WHCC office is expected to be open on Tuesday, March 24th. The Mayor’s office has not released a reopening date for Waimea. The Hawaii County website (hawaiicounty.gov) will update with details. The Mayor’s offices noted that service will be limited for the next two weeks at all Vehicle Registration and Licensing offices for at least the next two weeks.
Vehicle registration renewals may be done online or via kiosks at Safeway stores in Kona and Hilo or the Foodland in Waimea. Renewals may be mailed County of Hawaii, Motor Vehicle Registration, 101 Pauahi Street, #5, Hilo HI 96720. An online form is at https://mvr.ehawaii.gov/renewals/lookup.html?county=hawaii
Driver’s license or State ID renewals for those issued after May 1, 2014, may be mailed to 349 Kapi’olani Street, Hilo, HI 96720. Duplicate license requests may also be sent by mail. The county web site has the application detail and forms. www.hawaiicounty.gov/departments/finance/vehicle-registration-licensing
License-holders who are 72 or older and renewed on or after January 1, 2018 may also renew by mail. Eligible applicants may request a renewal by mail packet through email to: renewals@hawaiicounty.gov. The mail-in renewal option will also be available for people aged 72 and older who were issued a state ID on or after May 1, 2014. The state ID is good for eight years.
The County says they are offering automatic 60-day extensions for driver’s licenses, state IDs, and learner’s permits that expire in March, April, or May 2020 (valid in Hawai‘i only).
The TSA requires a “Gold Star” compliant Driver’s License or State ID for travel after October 1, 2020, but the County notes that several other kinds of identification are acceptable to TSA if you do not have a “Gold Star” ID:
These include:
- US Passport or US Passport Card
- DHS Trusted Traveler Card (Global Entry, Nexus, Sentri, Fast)
- US Department of Defense ID (including ID’s issued to dependents)
- Permanent Resident Card
- Border Crossing Card
- DHS Designated Enhanced Driver’s License
- Federally Recognized Tribal-Issued Card
- HSPS-12 PIV Card, Foreign Government-Issued Passport
- Canadian Provincial Driver’s License
- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Card
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (1-766)
- US Merchant Mariner Credential.