Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Monday announced that 28 easy-to-use self-service stations have been placed in Meijer stores across Michigan to allow customers to renew their vehicle plate and registration in minutes. In the weeks ahead, more Meijer locations will be getting the self-service stations.
"Meijer stores are a favorite shopping spot for many Michiganders, and now many of them will also be a place where you can complete Secretary of State transactions, such as renewing your tabs," Benson said. "We're very pleased to partner with Meijer to bring this convenience to our mutual customers."
Residents don't need to have their renewal packet with them to renew their registration at a self-service station. Eligible vehicles can be renewed with only the plate number and the last four digits of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
Self-service stations offer renewals for automobiles, motorcycles and watercraft. The kiosks can print auto and motorcycle tabs. Watercraft tabs are mailed to customers. The new machines will add numerous driver-related transactions once the Michigan Department of State completes the second portion of its computer system upgrade in March 2021.
Self-service stations have been installed at the following Meijer stores to date:
Auburn Hills 800 Brown Road
Battle Creek 2191 Columbia Ave. W
Battle Creek 6405 B Drive N
Belleville 9701 Belleville Road
Big Rapids 15400 Waldron Way
Cadillac 8605 34 Road
Chesterfield 27255 23 Mile Road
Clinton Township 40445 S. Groesbeck Highway
Commerce Township 1703 Haggerty Highway
Detroit 1301 W. Eight Mile Road
Detroit 21431 Grand River Ave.
Escanaba 505 N. 26th St.
Fraser 34835 Utica Road
Gaylord 250 Meijer Drive
Grand Rapids 1540 28th St. SE
Greenville 606 S. Greenville West Drive
Kalamazoo 6660 W. Main St.
Lincoln Park 3710 Dix Highway
Ludington 3900 W. US-10
Madison Heights 1005 E. 13 Mile Road
Marysville 205 S. Range Road
Mount Pleasant 1015 Pickard St.
Muskegon 700 W. Norton Ave.
Portage 5121 S. Westnedge Ave.
Rochester Hills 3175 S. Rochester Road
Roseville 30800 Little Mack Ave.
Shelby Township 15055 Hall Road
Southfield 28800 Telegraph Road
For an up-to-date listing of all of the locations statewide with the new self-service stations, visit Michigan.gov/SOSSelfService. Many of the kiosks are available to customers 24/7.
"We are pleased to partner with the Secretary of State on this initiative, as these new kiosks provide a great opportunity for our customers to enjoy another level of the one-stop shopping experience our stores offer," said Vik Srinivasan, senior vice president of properties and real estate for Meijer. "The ability to check an extra errand off their list during a shopping trip will allow our customers to gain more time in their busy days."
The Department of State began installing new machines in October to replace unreliable old kiosks that were often broken and ran out of tabs or printed blank tabs. The new self-service stations have proven to be dependable and the improved technology allows more user-friendly features such as offering transactions in English, Spanish and Arabic. Customers have completed more than 200,000 transactions on the new kiosks since the upgrade project began.
The department has contracted with vendor Intellectual Technology Inc. (ITI) on the new stations, which are being provided at no cost to the state. Customers pay a technology service fee of $3.95 for every vehicle renewed at a self-service station. Transactions normally take less than two minutes.
Many of the new machines accept cash, which was not an option on the old kiosks. The new stations also accept American Express credit cards in addition to Discover, MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards. Transactions on the new self-service stations offer ATM-level security and 24/7/365 technical support is available by phone for customers.
The new self-service stations are part of a system-wide overhaul being carried out by Benson and her team. Other work includes expanding appointments at branches, redesigning renewal mailings to better support and prepare customers, and improving self-service options such as the Secretary of State website. Appointments are available at all branch offices and customers who do need to visit a branch are encouraged to plan ahead by visiting Michigan.gov/SOSAppointments or by calling 888-SOS-MICH to schedule one.
Published: Wed, Feb 26, 2020
