MVD undergoing 4-day shutdown to replace obsolete computer system

PHOENIX — The Arizona Motor Vehicle Division is undergoing a complete shutdown to install a new computer system later this week.

Replacing the obsolete system will require all MVD services to shut down from Friday at 5 p.m. through Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Transportation said in a press release.

The shutdown is a total interruption to all services provided at MVD offices, through authorized third-party providers and online.

Arizonans who are registering to vote will need to use paper forms from Friday through Tuesday.

“Because the online voter registration system uses MVD records to confirm the identity of the person registering to vote, voters will be unable to use ServiceArizona.com to register to vote during the outage,” Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in a press release.

“We expect online services to resume no later than April 21.”

Although the MVD is shutting down for the four-day period, the coronavirus outbreak has provided delays in the Arizona Travel ID deadline by a full year. Arizona driver licenses set to expire between March 1 and Sept. 1 have also had those expiration dates extended by six months, the MVD said in a release.

The MVD has planned for the new computer system for nearly five years and is required because the current platform used by MVD has elements that are more than 35 years old and are no longer sustainable, the release said.

The new system is expected to help broaden the services of the MVD online. In addition, the MVD will fulfill much of its services by mail. That includes documents such as titles, registrations and all license plates, meaning they will no longer be available at MVD or third-party locations.

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