If you need to renew your driver’s license or take a driver’s examination, you’ll need an appointment.

Unbeknownst to many Flathead drivers, the state Motor Vehicle Division began requiring scheduled customer appointments at the Kalispell driver exam station the end of May.

“Kalispell is the busiest exam station in Northwestern Montana,” DMV Administrator Brenda Nordlund said in a prepared statement. “We strive to provide quality customer service in a time-efficient and positive manner. Appointment scheduling will help us provide better service to each and every customer.”

Nordlund said feedback has been positive from customers who use appointment scheduling now offered in many Montana cities, including Billings, Bozeman, Columbus, Glendive, Great Falls, Hardin, Helena, Kalispell, Miles City, Missoula, Red Lodge, Sidney, Superior and Townsend.

Carol Beck-Edgar of Bigfork is among the satisfied customers in this area. She recently emailed the Daily Inter Lake to say that “customer service lives at the DMV!”

She related her own experience, noting she chose to renew her license online.

“My appointment was at 1:10 p.m. I arrived a few minutes early and was asked to fill out one form,” Beck-Edgar wrote. “I was told that once I had filled out the form, I should go into the next room and take a seat. I didn’t even sit down. I took the eye test, had my picture taken (awful! that hasn’t changed), paid $43 and was on my way in 10 minutes or so.” 

The majority of appointments may be scheduled online. 

Appointments such as knowledge and road tests, out-of-state license transfers, license renewals, Stage I and II vehicle identification number inspections and completion of some types of the driver education programs may be scheduled by going online to www.doj.mt.gov/driving.

Appointments for Stage III vehicle identification inspections must be scheduled through the Motor Vehicle Division Customer Service Center at 1-866-450-8034.

Customers are encouraged to check the Driver Services section of the Department of Justice website, which offers details about required documentation, fees and other important information people need to know before scheduling their appointments.

“We know that our customers are busy, and many have to take time off work to come to our offices,” said Kristine Thatcher, Driver License bureau chief. “As we’ve seen at other scheduled exam stations, it saves people time and helps everything run smoothly when they arrive at an appointment with everything they need,”

People who do not have computer access should call the Customer Service Center toll free at 1-866-450-8034 to schedule an appointment.