The former driver’s services facility on Dirksen Parkway will reopen as the Springfield Secretary of State’s Flagship Center. The change also means several other sites in the city will close.
Secretary Alexi Giannoulias said it will showcase the efficiencies generated by modernization initiatives.
“Our continued effort to modernize the office allows us to not only improve the customer experience, but consolidate operations, which allows us to provide better service to residents,” he said.
The Flagship Center is located at 2701 S. Dirksen Parkway, which closed in July 2022 for renovations and repairs, including a replacement of the building’s HVAC system. The Flagship will sport a new look, streamlined services with cross-trained employees and new services from other Secretary of State departments not commonly found in Illinois DMVs, according to an announcement.
The site will open to the public on Monday, May 5, at 2 p.m.
Smaller Offices Relocating to Flagship
In addition, the Secretary of State’s Office is relocating staff and operations at three smaller Springfield facilities to the Flagship Center.
• The office located at 316 N. Klein Street is now closed.
• The Vehicle Services Department, located in the Howlett Building, 501 S. 2nd Street, Room 312, on the Capitol Complex grounds, is closed.
• On Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m. – the facility located at 1650 Wabash Avenue will close.
The new center will provide drivers and vehicle services from a single counter designed to reduce wait times and get customers out the door faster, according to the Secretary of State. The facility also includes a Fast Lane kiosk and services from the office’s Business, Index, Personnel and Administrative Hearings departments all under one roof.
At 42,000 square feet, the Springfield Flagship Center is much larger than existing DMV facilities in Springfield, which were prone to longer wait times because of their smaller size and layouts.
A more efficient flow for transaction processing is anticipated by serving customers with express service needs, such as driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals.
The Flagship Center will offer a hybrid system of both walk-in and appointment services from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will also participate in the office’s REAL ID Saturday program, offering REAL ID appointment-only services from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through May 31. Appointments can be made by visiting www.ilsos.gov or calling 800-252-8980.
New Services offered at the Springfield Flagship Center include:
Administrative Hearings & Reinstatements: Both formal and informal hearings for drivers whose privileges have been suspended or revoked for a single DUI and assorted other violations; and reinstatement fee payments.
Business Services: In-person expedited services; obtaining certified copies of business records; filing documents, including articles of incorporation and amendments for corporations and various types of LLCs; filing reinstatements to return their business to good standing; and filing trademarks with the office.
Index Services: Walk-in service for customers obtaining apostilles and certificates of authority for foreign use documents. Due to the sensitive nature of the documents being certified, customers must provide physical original copies and services are not offered digitally.
Personnel Services: Employment testing required for most entry-level and all DMV employees. The office will also offer a hub of public-use computers for those with limited access or need assistance to submit job applications.
Fast-Lane Kiosk: Renew driver’s licenses, state IDs and purchase vehicle stickers in less than two minutes. The kiosk prints vehicle registration stickers and temporary identification documents for customers immediately on site.
