Michigan Secretary of State expands branch hours, walk-in flexibility
LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Secretary of State is expanding the hours its branches will be open to include more time for appointments while also increasing flexibility for walk-in times.
Currently open between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the week, branches will now open earlier and stay open later on select days.
Additionally, most driver's licenses and state IDs with an expiration after July 1 can be renewed online and won't require residents to visit a branch.
Sec. Jocelyn Benson said the updates to SOS policy were the product of bipartisan legislation crafted between her department and the state House of Representatives.
The new hours for SOS branches will take place between July 19 to Sept. 30. They will include:
- All offices will remain open until 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays,
- All offices will open at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
Residents will be able to schedule visits at these times online, by phone, or in-person, beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday - when the extra hours for the following week are made available.
While the online appointment system remains in place, anyone who shows up to a branch unannounced will have staff serve them "if there is availability." If there is no availability, they will be told when the next opening is and be asked to wait or come back.
"The extra office hours will provide in-person service to 120,000 additional Michiganders, and the technology upgrade will enable hundreds of thousands of residents to renew their licenses and IDs from the comfort of their own home," Benson said.
According to Benson, the average time an appointment has taken is just 20 minutes.
A technology upgrade also enables residents to renew their license or ID online. Updates to photo IDs are now required every 12 years instead of every eight years.