California DMV Introduces e-Checks to Online Payment Options

Californians can now use e-checks, or EFTs, to pay for vehicle registration fees, announced the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). These checks will make doing business easier for many of the citizens who take advantage of the DMV Web site. "We're providing our customers with yet another easy way to do business with us using their home computers at the most convenient time for them, "said DMV Director George Valverde.

In the same way as debit cards, the fees will be electronically taken from specified accounts. Customers will be asked to type their checking account number and bank routing number in the spaces provided on the screen.

So far, only Internet vehicle registration renewals can be paid for using e-checks, but officials say that by the end of the year they will be available for driver license renewals and personal license plate reservations. "The Internet is increasingly becoming a part of daily living for ... Californians," said Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, Sunne Wright McPeak, which oversees DMV.

The DMV has been working to improve its Web site, and e-checks are just the latest convenience. 2.2 million online registrations have been placed this year on the DMV Web site, with 8 million registrations since 2000. Since the removal of the $4 "convenience fee" two years ago, the number of online transactions per month has tripled.