(WXYZ) — Michigan Secretary of State offices will now allow people to schedule appointments in-person, SOS Jocelyn Benson announced on Wednesday.
Currently, Michiganders can call ahead at 888-SOS-MICH or schedule an appointment online at https://michigan.gov/sos. Now, they can also stop by an office to speak with staff.
According to the state, those who arrive unannounced will be served immediately if there is availability, and tell them when the next opening is. You can either wait inside or come back.
“Right now anyone can access in-person services at our 130 branch offices by walking up, calling ahead or going online to schedule a visit, and no matter what they choose every Michigander is now provided accurate information on when they will be served and the certainty that their office visit will take on average just 20 minutes,” Benson said in a release. “This operating model moves the department forward, and I want to thank members of the Michigan House of Representatives who worked with us to craft bipartisan legislation in support of it and our post-pandemic plan to continue providing convenient and efficient in-person services for all Michiganders.”
Michiganders can schedule office visits online at Michigan.gov/SOS, by calling 888-SOS-MICH, or by stopping by an office to speak with staff. When residents arrive at offices unannounced staff serve them immediately if there is availability, tell them when the next opening is and invite them to wait inside or come back, or assist them to schedule a return visit at a convenient time for them, often the next day.
On top of that, SOS branches will soon open earlier and close later to address the backlog of the pandemic. From July 19 to Sept. 30, all offices will stay open until 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, and open at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Also, most driver's licenses and state IDs that expire on or after July 1 can be renewed without an office visit.
“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 added in a release. “We have a strong plan in place to provide an abundance of in-person office availability in coming months, to work through the transaction backlog created by the pandemic, and to improve upon our service-driven operating model that provides the convenient, efficient and equitable service that Michiganders have sought and deserved for decades.”
