DMV closures in Arctic leave some without IDs December 17th, 2020 |
When the local Department of Motor Vehicles shut down in Utqiaġvik earlier this year due to the pandemic, many local residents were left scrambling with the decision to weigh traveling to Anchorage or going without identification.
Utqiaġvik s DMV, run through a contract with the state, has been closed or restricted to minimum in-person service for months. This creates a problem for residents with expiring identification, or that need to be issued IDs, for reasons outside of driving.
Typically, Alaska residents are required to renew their license every five years. Once in 10 years, residents are able to avoid in-person license renewal at the DMV, and instead renew online. For many that have previously renewed online and didn t anticipate a global pandemic the restriction creates a host of other issues.