La. OMV Offices in Lake Charles and Sulphur still closed; online solutions offered

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) -The Offices of Motor Vehicles in Lake Charles and Sulphur remain closed for now, because their buildings were seriously damaged in the hurricanes. No definite timeline on when the offices will open again. But, much of your OMV personal business can be taken care of online and you may wind up liking it better.

Much driver business can be taken care of online by visiting the expresslane.org site including driver’s license and vehicle registration renewal and many other things. There are some things that must be done in person, in which case, OMV Public Information Director Matthew Boudreaux says you can go online and book an appointment at offices that are open.

“What that has allowed us to do through this pandemic is to shorten people’s wait times. They’re not waiting outside. They’re able to socially distance themselves from others and it’s getting people in and out quickly. You know, a lot of the complaints were, ‘Oh, I sat at the DMV or OMV for two hours.’ That’s not happening any more with our appointments,” said Boudreaux.

A temporary instructional permit is an example of something one must get in person.

“There are some things that have to be taken care of in the office. The first time someone gets a credential, it has to be taken care of in the office,” said Boudreaux.

Boudreaux says the Lake Charles and Sulphur offices will reopen, though they don’t know when.

“We did open the DeQuincy office, it’s open by appointment only. So, you go to express lane dot org. You click on the book appointment icon, and you can set yourself up an appointment there. The other two offices remain closed. I don’t have a timeline. I can assure you we are working to get them reopened,” he said.

Offices in Jennings and Kinder are among those open in this area. Boudreaux encourages people to visit their social media sites: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates and questions. And many needs can be handled at for-profit public tag agencies, though there are extra costs.

Boudreaux suggests those who don’t have a computer or smart phone get a relative or friend to help them or go to the library.

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