Using COMPASS
About
The "Help" menu, at the top of the page within COMPASS, has instructions on how to search DMV records. It explains how to use the links to move among the license, registration, title, and insurance search features.
Search Types
Name
COMPASS will key on the first 5 letters of the last name, the first 3 of the middle name, and the middle initial. It will not recognize leading titles (Mr., Ms., Mrs.) nor will it recognize trailing ones such as Senior, Junior, III.
Corporation
Corporation and organization names are entered exactly as they appear on paper. For example, Springfield Oil Company will be entered as:
Springfield Oil Inc
Last name: Springfield
First Name: Oil
Middle Initial: I
Advanced Search
The standard search criteria are the first 5 letters of the last name, the first 3 of the first name, and the middle initial.
Using the standard search to perform a common last name search returns hundreds of records or more. For example, searching Green, Joh returns about 20,000 records.
Advanced Search allows you to significantly reduce this number by adding additional information to your search. For example, if you have a middle initial, such as J, and performed the search as, Green, John, this results in 27 records, which is much less than using the standard search.
The date of Birth (DOB) is also important. The inclusion of the correct DOB should have returned one unique result, with or without the inclusion of the middle initial.
Practice Records
We offer a collection of fictitious records you may use for practice. Feel free to use COMPASS to search for and view these records:
CLIENT ID | NAME | DATE OF BIRTH |
932915101 | DIAL,TEST | 3/5/1978 |
933620758 | DIAL,TEST,A | 8/11/1962 |
618295969 | DIAL,TEST,C | 1/1/1901 |
783665298 | DIAL,TEST,D | 2/2/1958 |
458333143 | DIAL,TEST,E | 3/5/1968 |
109585973 | DIAL,TEST,F | 4/1/1964 |
910833731 | DIAL,TEST,G | 7/5/1967 |
211749489 | DIAL,TEST,I | 3/24/1992 |
315435810 | DIAL,TEST,I | 8/5/2000 |
759540829 | DIAL,TEST,I | 6/30/1985 |
822947028 | DIAL,TEST,I | 12/14/2003 |
887631548 | DIAL,TEST,I | 9/4/2001 |
622418134 | DIAL,TEST,I | 1/27/2005 |
833473797 | DIAL,TEST,N | 2/20/1970 |
799034717 | DIAL,TEST,S | 11/8/1955 |
967651027 | DIAL,TEST,S | 9/21/1961 |
532430521 | DIAL,TEST,S | 7/18/1930 |
435798808 | DIAL,TEST,S | 7/16/1929 |
310781922 | DIAL,TEST,S | 11/9/1986 |
222609646 | DIAL,TEST,S | 12/18/1978 |
124450332 | DIAL,TEST,SAMPLEMIDDLENAME | 2/24/1965 |
845878982 | DIAL,TEST,T | 8/8/1984 |
283683173 | DIAL,TEST,W | 2/5/1982 |
879135703 | DIAL,TEST,X | 7/27/1991 |
114455602 | DIAL,TEST,X | 10/22/1987 |
Troubleshooting
Forgot Password
If you're registered for Self-Service Password reset, you can reset it. If you're not registered, then you must contact the COMPASS Help Desk.
Unable to Log In
If you’re unable to log in to COMPASS, please do the following:
- Close all your browsers.
- Open one browser window.
- Return to VPASS at https://secap.dmv.ny.gov/vpass/.
- If anything auto-populates in the username and/or password fields, delete it and manually reenter your information.
- If the issue persists, you may also need to try logging in using a different browser or a different device. You might also need to have your cache/cookies/temporary files deleted from your browser.
- If the steps above fail, contact the COMPASS Help Desk.
Locked User ID
If you try to log in more than three attempts with an incorrect password, your user ID will become locked. If you receive an error that you have exceeded the allowed number of password attempts, follow the instructions on the screen. If you are registered for Self-Service Password reset, you will be able to reset your password. If you are not registered, then you must contact the COMPASS Help Desk.
Other COMPASS Problems
Please send us an email or call us with your user ID. If you send an email, please do not include your login password.