COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles will soon offer self-service electronic kiosks inside grocery stores, including one in the Columbia area.
The kiosks known as “SCDMV Express” will allow customers to complete certain DMV transactions any time the store is open, eliminating the need to visit an SCDMV branch office.
The kiosks are scheduled to launch in November at three locations across South Carolina, with more sites to be added in the future to support customer demand.
The first three locations are:
- Publix Grocery Store at Thornblade Village, 411 The Parkway in Greer
- Kroger Marketplace at Killian Crossing, 1028 Roberts Branch Parkway in Columbia
- Publix Grocery Store in The Market at Cane Bay, 1724 State Road in Summerville.
The goal is to add another customer service platform, in addition to SCDMV’s 66 branch offices and services available on the agency’s website SCDMVonline.com.
“We are really excited about providing the opportunity to allow customers to obtain DMV services without coming into the DMV,” said Kevin Shwedo, executive director of the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.
The SCDMV Express kiosks will be yellow and blue, and look similar to an ATM. The kiosks are fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
Through the kiosks, customers can obtain a replacement vehicle registration and obtain their license plate registration decal, assuming they have completed payment of required county personal property taxes on the vehicle.
Those customers wishing to renew a vehicle registration can scan the barcode on the renewal notice, pay the fees with a credit or debit card, and print the registration and decal from the the kiosk.
Additional types of DMV transactions are expected to be added to SCDMV Express in the future.
The SCDMV is working with Intellectual Technology, Inc., a private vendor that provides similar services in more than a dozen states. ITI is the owner and operator of the equipment.
According to SCDMV, no state tax dollars are being spent to provide this additional service.
Customers can learn more about the kiosks at SCDMVexpress.com.
The SCDMV website also provides live data about wait times for the 66 branch offices, so customers can know in advance of leaving their home about the anticipated wait time at their local branch.
