About the New York State DMV

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New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

Our Mission and Vision

Mission

Our mission is to safely, securely, and professionally drive you forward.

Vision

Our vision is to shatter perceptions of the DMV.

Our Core Values

Inclusion | Empowerment | Innovation | Respect | Integrity

Our Leadership

Leading DMV Forward

The leadership of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is focused on providing best-in-class service to the millions of customers who rely on our agency to drive them forward. Nearly every New Yorker interacts with the DMV and for many, our agency is their gateway to New York State government. To ensure that everyone has an exceptional experience, DMV’s leadership works hard to exemplify our core values — inclusion, integrity, respect, empowerment, and innovation — and instill them in our workforce.

Meet Our Leadership

A historical photo of a DMV employee in business attire handing a license plate to a customer at a DMV counter with stacks of license plates on a table in the foreground.

Our History A History of Service DMV has been keeping New Yorkers safe since 1961.

The year was 1959, and New Yorkers were being asked to make a change in the State’s Constitution. An amendment had been proposed to deal with one of the biggest phenomenon of the 1950’s – the explosive growth of the automobile. New Yorkers agreed a change was needed and voted to approve the creation of a separate Department of Motor Vehicles. Two years later in 1961, the new Department of Motor Vehicles was in place and the DMV has been keeping New Yorkers safe by regulating drivers and their vehicles ever since.