Dealing with the DMV

As a relatively new resident to the state of Maryland, last week I had the less-than-enjoyable task of getting a new driver's license and changing the registration on my car. The whole process started back in March when I started researching what exactly was required to get a new license and registration. It's different in each state, but in Maryland, I found out I would need a state safety inspection, proof of ownership of the car, proof of insurance and a standard application form to get Maryland license plates. To get a Maryland license, the Web site said I would need my birth certificate, another form of identification (such as a passport) and two examples of proof that I lived at the address I was claiming was my home.I started rounding up documents, had my mom mail me my birth certificate, asked the leasing office for a copy of my lease, scrounged around for a piece of mail from a government agency. So far I hadn't spent a dime.Then I took my car for inspection.Turns out my baby needed two new tires and the rear cylinders replaced to the tune of $530-ish. Ouch.But once that was done, I had everything I needed to go to the MVA last week. I was secretly dreading this trip, fearing that I would be stuck waiting forever and that I'd be told I was missing something even though I did my research.Long story short, the actual MVA process went pretty smoothly. I probably only waited about 15 or 20 minutes even though the place was packed. And now I can say I'm the owner of a new license with a pretty decent picture (much better than my passport!) and my car's sporting new plates.Do you have any DMV success or horror stories? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments! As a relatively new resident to the state of Maryland, last week I had the less-than-enjoyable task of getting a new driver's license and changing the registration on my car. The whole process started back in March when I started researching what exactly was required to get a new license and registration. It's different in each state, but in Maryland, I found out I would need a state safety inspection, proof of ownership of the car, proof of insurance and a standard application form to get Maryland license plates. To get a Maryland license, the Web site said I would need my birth certificate, another form of identification (such as a passport) and two examples of proof that I lived at the address I was claiming was my home.I started rounding up documents, had my mom mail me my birth certificate, asked the leasing office for a copy of my lease, scrounged around for a piece of mail from a government agency. So far I hadn't spent a dime.Then I took my car for inspection.Turns out my baby needed two new tires and the rear cylinders replaced to the tune of $530-ish. Ouch.But once that was done, I had everything I needed to go to the MVA last week. I was secretly dreading this trip, fearing that I would be stuck waiting forever and that I'd be told I was missing something even though I did my research.Long story short, the actual MVA process went pretty smoothly. I probably only waited about 15 or 20 minutes even though the place was packed. And now I can say I'm the owner of a new license with a pretty decent picture (much better than my passport!) and my car's sporting new plates.Do you have any DMV success or horror stories? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!