Does The DMV Take Apple Pay

With more and more businesses and government institutions going cashless, does your local DMV office support digital payment solutions, like Apple Pay? After all, the DMV isn’t going to work for free, ranging from as little as $1 for online processing fees or notary services, all the way to $100 or more for registering a new vehicle. Of course, the fees for each will differ from state to state, but if you don’t have paper money on you, does the DMV take Apple Pay?

Well, unfortunately, there hasn’t been a standardized acceptance of Apple Pay or other digital payment options across the board, across all state DMVs. Some states are leading the way in modernizing their payment systems and may take Apple Pay. Meanwhile, for others, be sure to have some cash, a check, or a credit/debit card on you, just in case. So, here is all you need to know about whether or not your local or state DMV office take Apple Pay.

1) What Are The Most Common Accepted Payment Methods

Most DMV locations, even in rural or suburban areas, generally accept more traditional and established payment options. We can’t list them all here, but with more than 7,000+ individual DMV offices cataloged in our database, check out our DMV location finder tool to learn more about specific offices. Otherwise, the most commonly accepted payment methods include:

• Cash – Almost every single DMV office across the United States accepts cash. It’s a universally accepted payment method, and it doesn’t often require any extra processing fees. Although, depending on how you view paper money, it might not always be the most convenient option, more so when you need to pay larger amounts.
• Checks – Many DMV locations – though, not all – still accept personal and cashier’s checks. I do think that checks are a highly secure way to transfer money, but they’re definitely more on the inconvenient side. Processing checks can take time, and there’s always a risk of your checks bouncing, which leads to more complications with the DMV.
• Credit & Debit Cards – Thankfully, most DMV locations accept major debit and credit cards, like Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. This is my personal favorite way to pay for anything, not just at the DMV. It’s convenient and quick, though some DMV offices might charge you a small processing fee for using either a credit or debit card.

2) Do DMVs Accept Digital Payment Options?

These days, it’s common to see more and more folks using digital payment solutions, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and so on. For most people, they generally exceed more old-school payment options, particularly when it comes to security, convenience, and speed. And, you could also make your payments in a contactless manner, which was a big deal back when COVID-19 was widespread.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned briefly earlier, the acceptance of digital payment solutions like Apple Pay is not as consistent between states. In fact, even within the same state, each DMV office, between counties, doesn’t guarantee support for Apple Pay, either. This is because a digital wallet – like Apple Pay – requires unique point-of-sale systems that are compatible with NFC payments, which not all DMV locations have implemented just yet.

For example, states such as California have led the way forward in accepting more modern payment solutions, such as digital wallets. At select locations in either state, you’d be able to pay for DMV services with Apple Pay (among others). Thankfully, other states are taking notes, and they’re gradually rolling out or have launched pilot programs at specific DMV locations that now accept Apple Pay.

3) How To Find Out If Your Local DMV Office Takes Apple Pay?

Thankfully, if you’re not sure whether your local DMV office does or doesn’t take Apple Pay, there are ways you can check this:

1. Most DMV websites have an FAQ section outlining the various payment methods accepted at their offices. See if Apple Pay is listed anywhere here.
2. Or, you can also call the DMV office directly. You could ask whether or not they support Apple Pay, particularly if the DMV’s website isn’t updated regularly.
3. Alternatively, you could also rely on directory listing services like ours, where we’ve cataloged an extensive database of thousands of DMV offices, and their respective payment options.

Alas, if the DMV office that you’ve dropped by doesn’t support Apple Pay, make sure you have other monies elsewhere to pay for those DMV services. Whether it’s cash, check, or a credit or debit card, or even other digital payment options, such as Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

If you are dealing with the DMV online, such as renewing your driver’s license online, the DMV might also accept online payments. Some DMV locations even offer pre-payment options or let you mail your payments to the DMV if you’d rather not carry any cash on you.

4) Which State DMVs Do Or Don’t Take Apple Pay

To make things easier for you, I’ve done a bit of research and made this table to help you figure out which state DMVs do or don’t take Apple Pay. Two very important things to note, though… 1) While this generally covers the entire state’s DMV, specific locations might have a different policy when it comes to Apple Pay, and 2) I’ll try to keep this table up-to-date, but some DMVs might have changed their supported payment options in that time, so do double-check to make sure.

With that in mind, here’s whether or not each state’s DMV accepts Apple Pay, or otherwise: