PennDOT Customers Reminded to Use Caution When Renewing License, Registration Online

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today reminds its customers to exercise caution while renewing their driver’s license or vehicle registration online, and to make sure that they’re on PennDOT’s official Driver and Vehicle Services website, www.dmv.pa.gov, for making these transactions.

For the safety of our customers’ identities, PennDOT will never ask for, nor accept, any identity documents over the internet or over text messages for any reason. Any website or text message claiming to provide this service is not affiliated with PennDOT. As such, customers should not submit any images of personal documents to such websites or texts as they will not be transmitted to PennDOT and could be used for fraudulent purposes.

“PennDOT is proud to provide our customers with comprehensive online services, like vehicle and driver’s license renewal, address changes, and much more,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “However, it’s important that customers ensure that they are on PennDOT’s official site before completing a transaction.”

Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.

Additionally, third-party websites can appear “official,” and often pay search engines to appear at the top of search results for common terms, like “renew vehicle registration” or “driver’s license.” Many third-party sites charge additional fees for completing transactions – there are no additional service or convenience fees for completing online transactions on PennDOT’s website.

There are a few simple tips to help customers ensure that they are visiting PennDOT’s official website:

• Rather than using a search engine to reach the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website, enter the web address (www.dmv.pa.gov) directly into your browser’s address bar.
• PennDOT does not charge any additional service or transaction fees for completing online transactions. If you are charged any additional fees, you aren’t on the PennDOT website.
• Look for the words “An Official Pennsylvania Government Website” in the top left corner. Many commonwealth websites display these words as an additional security measure.

If a customer has concerns about a third-party website, they can contact the PA Attorney General Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555 or visit their website.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation.