Vehicle Registration & Licensing Offices in Kona and Waimea Closed March 23
March 23, 2020
Vehicle Registration & Licensing Offices in Kona and Waimea Closed March 23
The Vehicle Registration & Licensing (VRL) offices at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center (WHCC) and in Waimea will be closed on Monday, March 23rd. The WHCC VRL office is expected to be open on Tuesday, March 24th. Please check our website to confirm. Please anticipate that limited service may be offered for the next two weeks at most of our offices.
To minimize the potential spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) within Hawai‘i County, there are alternate ways to renew your vehicle registration or driver’s license that do not require an in-person visit:
What is your County government doing to help?
We recognize that getting a “Gold Star” compliant driver’s license or state ID is important to many of you wanting to be able to travel after October 1, 2020; however, please be aware there are several other types of identification that TSA will accept.
These include:
Be advised that TSA has revised their current policy, and are accepting expired Driver’s Licenses and State ID’s, so long as they haven’t been expired for more than 90 days.
The interior lobbies of all our Vehicle Registration & Licensing offices will be restricted to only those customers that are performing transactions at the window. All customers waiting to be serviced will need to wait outside the lobbies and adhere to social distancing norms. The recommended spacing between customers is 6 feet apart. We will be moving to an appointment system in the near future.
Additionally, we highly encourage the following courtesies to fellow customers:
For further information, please call the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division at 961-8351.
The Vehicle Registration & Licensing (VRL) offices at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center (WHCC) and in Waimea will be closed on Monday, March 23rd. The WHCC VRL office is expected to be open on Tuesday, March 24th. Please check our website to confirm. Please anticipate that limited service may be offered for the next two weeks at most of our offices.
To minimize the potential spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) within Hawai‘i County, there are alternate ways to renew your vehicle registration or driver’s license that do not require an in-person visit:
- Vehicle registration renewals:
- Mail in renewals: (2) use the online application forms: or
- Visit our kiosks.
- Driver’s License or State ID’s renewals (issued after May 1, 2014) can be mailed in to 349 Kapi‘olani St., Hilo, HI 96720. Duplicate license requests will also be accepted by mail. Please see our website at www.hawaiicounty.gov/departments/finance/vehicle-registration-licensing for application details and forms. 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.
What is your County government doing to help?
- We are offering 60-day automatic extension for driver’s licenses, state IDs, and learner’s permits that are expiring in March, April, or May 2020 (valid in Hawai‘i only).
- We are offering extended hours of operation, including several Saturday dates, once the COVID-19 crisis has passed.
We recognize that getting a “Gold Star” compliant driver’s license or state ID is important to many of you wanting to be able to travel after October 1, 2020; however, please be aware there are several other types of identification that TSA will accept.
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.
Be advised that TSA has revised their current policy, and are accepting expired Driver’s Licenses and State ID’s, so long as they haven’t been expired for more than 90 days.
The interior lobbies of all our Vehicle Registration & Licensing offices will be restricted to only those customers that are performing transactions at the window. All customers waiting to be serviced will need to wait outside the lobbies and adhere to social distancing norms. The recommended spacing between customers is 6 feet apart. We will be moving to an appointment system in the near future.
Additionally, we highly encourage the following courtesies to fellow customers:
- While you can legally renew your driver’s licenses or state ID within 6 months of the expiration, please consider renewing only if it’s expired or will be expiring within the next 21 days, so that we can prioritize service to those with the most urgent renewal needs.
- If you happen to be in a line outside one of our offices, please try to allow adequate spacing for “social distancing” between customers.
- If you are not feeling well or have recently traveled anywhere outside Hawai‘i, please make sure you’ve completed a minimum of 14 days of self-isolation and have no flu-like symptoms before scheduling an in-person office visit.
- Please consider postponing special requests, such as ordering customized “vanity” license plates.
For further information, please call the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division at 961-8351.