The DMV website doesn't recognize my Social Security Number

Factual Questions
1

So, because of COVID, the “good old days” of being able to waltz into a DMV and sit there for 5 hours and get your errand done are gone; nowadays, you have to go online and make an appointment to visit a DMV, and they suck so bad that all the DMVs I checked are booked up, apparently, for a long time?

What I’m trying to do is renew my license, which is expired. The thing is: if you renew it for only 2 years rather than 7 (the max), you can do it online and they’ll send it to you in the mail, so you don’t have to go in or anything.

But here’s the kicker: the DMV website says “Enter your SSN or Driver’s License Number to ID yourself” (one is enough, you don’t need both), but I don’t know my old Driver’s License Number and it won’t recognize my SSN, even though I’m not making any mistake when I type it in.

So I’m screwed. The DMV hotline is just a voice message saying “No one’s here to help you, go online, screw you, have a nice day.”

Because of COVID and the fact that the website won’t recognize my SSN and the fact that the DMV, as it was long before COVID, is a bunch of idiots who don’t give a **** about anyone and won’t help you, I’m being screwed out of getting my license renewed.

Basically, I think I’m gonna just drive without a valid license. I’m perfectly good at driving, I know all the laws and procedures, I’ve been driving 20 years, I have insurance, etc etc.

It’s not my fault that COVID happened (it’s China’s fault :wink: ), and it’s not my fault the DMV website is screwed up and the DMV are apathetic idiots (when has that not been true?)

The Libertarians believe we shouldn’t even have to have a license from Uncle Sam to drive cars.

If I get caught, I’ll either get fined or I’ll get a few weeks or months in jail. To me, that’s not such a biggie.

Let me know if you have any answers.

Peace Out.

2

I’m not sure how insurable you’re going to be without a valid license. Driving around without a valid license and insurance is, IIRC, an arrestable offense. Besides that, what are you going to do/use for other things that require a valid ID?

Tripler
Is your passport up to date?

3

Book one of those “far in the future” appointments. That way there will only be a limited period you are driving without a current license and you can point to the future appointment and your trouble with the website as mitigating circumstances if you should be stopped without a valid license.

4

Spaces, dashes or nothing between parts of your SSN?
Some of these web forms are remarkably picky.

5

I can’t explain why they won’t accept your SSNO, but I’d suggest you could try to find your old Drivers License number. There are many places it might have been recorded. When did you last have auto insurance? Call your insurer, they probably have it in their records. Do you have a copy of any old vehicle registration? That sometimes has it. Anywhere that may have required you to provide proof of identification - a doctor’s office? Do you have accounts with any car rental agencies?

7

Temporarily closing as the Straight Dope Message Board generally frowns upon and won’t allow discussions of illegal acts.

A GQ mod may override me later.