State officials are expecting an influx of 105,000 new applicants for driver’s licenses over the next six months after a new law allowing undocumented residents to obtain licenses took effect Saturday, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
In anticipation of the surge, the agency has increased staffing, added road test operations in many locations, extended working hours at RMV service centers, and starting Wednesday will offer “two new temporary road test sites” in Lynn and Revere, the RMV said.
”Having the ability to have a driver’s license enables them to operate in our communities, operate in our economy, take their families and friends to doctors, visit friends and family,” Registrar Colleen Ogilvie said during a news briefing Monday in Brockton, according to footage posted by WBZ-TV.
“So in terms of public safety, we think that’s an important aspect of the process, that they go through the credentialing process,” Ogilvie said.
State Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca said, “We’ve worked hard for a process that’s built on trust with our community in accordance with the law that was passed.”
“And the proof will be in how we implement this,” she said.
Applicants will need to present “proof of identity, proof of date of birth, and documents proving Massachusetts residency,” according to the RMV. A list of acceptable documents is available online at Mass.Gov/WFMA.
The new law, dubbed the “Work and Family Mobility Act,” was passed last June after Massachusetts legislators voted to override a veto from then-governor Charlie Baker, who said the measure could threaten election security, among other concerns.
The law took effect July 1, allowing undocumented residents to apply for learner’s permits, take road tests, and eventually obtain driver’s licenses without having to provide proof of immigration status.
Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia have similar laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The RMV has spent months preparing to implement the new law. Some of the changes include:
- Making materials available in 15 languages and interpreters available in more than 100 languages.
- Hiring 139 additional service center workers. Other departments have added two to eight people each, depending on the role, and the RMV’s contact center is also working to hire 40 more people.
- Extending hours at some locations to include Saturdays and evening hours.
- More than doubling the number of road test examiners by hiring 77 new examiners.
- Adding temporary road test sites in Lynn and Revere and expanding hours for road testing at some locations.
Those sites will offer tests by appointment, and customers can register online at Mass.Gov/myRMV, officials said.
The Lynn site is located at the DCR Connery Skating Rink at 190 Shephard St., and the Revere site is located at the DCR Cronin Skating Rink at 870 Revere Beach Parkway, according to the statement.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.