NEW YORK — Nearly 150,000 New York drivers are at imminent risk of having their driver’s licenses suspended due to a longstanding COVID-19 policy, the state’s DMV warned Thursday.
The pandemic rule in question allowed motorists to postpone, but not skip, their eye exam in order to renew it. If your license expired between March 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021 and you renewed online by certifying this requirement yourself, you are one of those affected. Submit your new eye exam requirement or risk immediate suspension, DMV says.
The DMV has issued notices to affected drivers for the past two years, but has recently increased the urgency of the messages over time.
Don’t want your license suspended? Here’s what you need to do:
First, take a vision test. It must be one that certifies that your vision can “keep our roads safe,” says the DMV.
- If you pass an eye exam from an approved provider (find an exam location now), you do not have to submit your eye exam results, the provider will enter the results for you.
- If you pass an eye exam from a provider who is not approved to be on the DMV Vision Registry, your provider must complete a Vision Examination Report (MV-619) and you must submit it to DMV.
Second, submit your full report.
- Electronically: Complete and submit a short web form using information from your Comprehensive Vision Screening Report (MV-619).
- By Mail: Send nothing other than your completed MV-619 to this address: Office of Licensing Production, PO Box 2688-ESP, Albany, NY 12220-0668, Attn: Vision Registry
You can also get tested at your local DMV. Learn more here.