The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic – much to the frustration of New Jerseyans who need to obtain a driver’s license or car registration.

State officials have not said how long the MVC offices will remain closed, but driver’s license, registrations and temporary tags have been extended until July 31. But there are some people who need the services the MVC provides immediately.

Under the watchful eye of her husband Jean and their two sons, Sandra Morel practices driving at the Rahway test track. Morel had been set to take her road test for her license in April, but it was delayed. The family says that Morel having a license would be a huge help.

“When I’m not home, she will be the person helping with my kids, picking them up from school,” says Jean.

MVC spokesman Bill Connolly says that the agency is aware of the backlog, but says that testing will have to wait to keep everyone safe.

Another issue some are dealing with is getting a vehicle registered that was bought in a private sale. This cannot happen right now.

John Bruno recently bought an F150 truck after wanting to retire his old Ram pick-up. He says that he wants to know why he can’t register the truck online.

“What’s the contingency plan for this if there is one?” he asks. “Going forward there should be much better planning.”

 

Car dealerships can hand out temporary registrations. But private sales are different.

"These sorts of transactions greatly increase the risk of fraud, necessitating additional security measures that are extremely difficult to implement without requiring an in-person visit to our agencies,” Connolly said in a statement.

Finally, several truck drivers tell News 12 that they are driving with expired commercial driver licenses (CDLs) since those need to be renewed in-person.

Connolly says, “Commercial driver licenses – including med cert and endorsements – that expire between March 1 and June 30 have been extended to June 30, 2020.”

Connolly also says that the agency is looking at all types of transactions and where possible will be moving them online – but he says that in some cases it is not feasible and customers will have to wait.