Dealing with the Icelandic DMV

I (Finnur) went to the Icelandic equivalent of the US department of motor vehicles (DMV) to get a new driver’s licence issued. My old one is probably somewhere in our container heading to Iceland, but I never got the international credit-card style licence (like Hrefna did before we left) so it was time to get a new one anyway.

The experience was a bit surreal, being used to the US DMV which is infamous for slow service. Basically, I was greeted by a kiosk as I entered, where they do first-level triaging (are you here for a passport? a driver’s license? collections? registering your elf? etc). I selected “driver’s license” and the kiosk spews out a number printed on a piece of paper. I take my number, and as I start walking towards an empty chair to wait I check my number but before I have time to read it (“Ding!”) my number is up!! I’ve been in the building less than 30 seconds (!!). I think this is a new record. 🙂

The whole process was dead simple (probably since my old license is still valid): I give my social security number*, I hand over a passport style photo, sign a piece of paper and get back the piece of paper with my number on it so I can pay my fee to a cashier. And sure enough, just as I start heading for another empty waiting chair, I hear another “ding”! I didn’t have enough time to sit down — my number is up again. I must admit I was a little disoriented at the fast service and wish I had timed the whole thing from entry to exit because I think I spent less than 5 minutes in the building.

Small societies sure have some benefits… 🙂

* Social security numbers (SSN) are not secrets in Iceland, so knowing someone’s SSN doesn’t compromise anything — and in fact you often need them to make transactions (transferring money to someone through online banking, for example).