DIAL-IN search accounts

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What is a DIAL-IN search account and who can get one?

If you regularly need to search DMV records for driver license, registration, vehicle (title) or insurance information, then DIAL-IN is the service you need. Our typical clients include attorneys, insurance and private investigators, process servers and building/site security personnel.

See Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) for more information about permissible uses of DMV records.

 

How do I apply for an account?

You should complete form Motor Vehicle Record Search Account Application (PDF) (MV-15D). The instructions are on the form.

Send the form to:

Data Services - New Search Account
NYS Department of Motor Vehicles
6 Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY  12228



How will I know my application has been accepted?

We will review your application. If you application is not complete, we will return your application with an explanation that will give you more instructions.

If your application is complete,  we will create an account for you. We will send you your account number and password. Your seven-digit account number will never change. You will enter this account number when you log in to the DIAL-IN system.


 
Are there fees for using a DIAL-IN search account?

According to the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law, we must charge a fee to search DMV records. Private persons, commercial organizations, and not-for-profit organizations must pay a search fee.  There is a fee of $7.00 for each search that you make with the DIAL-IN service.

There are some organizations that are exempt from search fees. Any public organization, its officers, a volunteer fire company, a volunteer ambulance service, or a legal aid bureau or society or other private entity acting pursuant to section 722 of the New York State County Law, that makes a search for a public purpose, is exempt from the search fee.


How do I pay DIAL-IN Search Account fees?

Paying customers must include a deposit with the application. Your first deposit must be enough to pay for two months of searches. When we accept your application, your deposit is added to your new account balance. When you make a search, we subtract the search fee from your account balance.

Payment by credit card is NOT available at this time.

You can use your account to pay for the mail-order searches and the online searches. If you must pay a fee for the service, your account records will reflect your debits and your credits and show your account balance.  For more information, please visit our Escrow Accounts page.


What business records must I keep to document the searches I perform?

The business records you keep must exist prior to the search you perform and must establish the business purpose of the search.

Common examples of business records include invoices, retainer agreements, employment applications, consent forms, accident reports, and surveillance reports and numerous other types of records.  The Terms of Service of your Search Account require you to maintain these records and to provide them to DMV when requested.


Will DMV contact me about the searches I perform using my DIAL-IN Search Account?

Yes, DMV may ask you about a DIAL-IN search you performed. We inquire about searches to monitor compliance with the DIAL-IN Terms of Service.

You must respond to the inquiry whether or not you have business records that support your search. Your response will be considered an incomplete reply if you do not give us the business records.  You can complete an inquiry at any time if you send us the requested acceptable business records.

If you performed the search on behalf of a client, you will need to show permissible use of your client, and your client –agent relationship.

If you personally did not perform the search we have inquired about, please check with the other users of your DIAL-IN account to see if one of them performed the search. If none of the known users performed the search, contact us immediately.

If you do not respond to our inquiry about a DIAL-IN search, your search privileges will be suspended until you respond.


Will you tell a motorist if I searched his records?

Yes. Records of searches are public records. If a motorist asks the DMV if his records were searched, the DMV supplies him with

  • the name and business address of the DIAL-IN account holder, and
  • the time, date and search criteria used to search for the records.


We do not disclose the DIAL-IN account numbers of the account holder that performed the search.


How do I contact DMV about my Dial-in Search Account?

You can contact us at:

NYSDMV DIAL-IN Accounts
Room 231
6 Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12228
(518) 473-2137

e-mail: [email protected]

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