Going to the DMV? Woodstock Secretary of State office still requiring appointments

Residents needing to visit Secretary of State driver service facilities in the McHenry County area should still make appointments or try to accomplish their goals online, according the state agency.

At the facility in Woodstock, appointments are necessary for service. Woodstock is one of four Secretary of State facilities that is a part of the state department’s pilot program using appointments at the offices rather than walk-ins.

“Our facilities are quite busy now because of heavy customer volume from the pandemic,” Secretary of State spokesman Dave Druker said. “As a result, we encourage as many people as possible to see what services they can do online, or to make appointments if they need to come in, for example, a drive test.”

If residents come into the Woodstock facility without an appointment, Druker said they will likely be directed to another facility.

Secretary of State facilities in Lake Zurich, Melrose Park and Midlothian also require appointments, and Druker said they plan to expand the number of locations accepting appointments soon.

People who are elderly, pregnant or disabled will not be turned away, however, and will be served when an employee becomes available.

Secretary of State offices still are taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their often crowded facilities.

“We limit the number of people in a facility and try to maintain social distancing in the line outside,” Druker said. “In addition, we are constantly looking for more services to do online. The goal is to reduce as much as possible the number of people who need to come to our facilities.”

Many tasks people often come into Secretary of State offices and wait in long lines for can be accomplished online.

Driver’s license and state ID renewal can be done online in some situations. Address changes, licenses plate renewals and license plate sticker renewals can all be done online as well.

Expired licenses and IDs have remained valid since the pandemic began in March 2020. However, they must be renewed by Aug. 1 or they will become invalid.

Illinois residents can visit cyberdriveillinois.com for information and to make appointments to visit the Woodstock and Lake Zurich facilities.