By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Those who wait until the last minute to renew their motor vehicle registration now have another avenue to get it done: the Internet.
The city of Honolulus new Web site service, which began in mid-November, allows Net users to renew on-line and pay via credit card.
A $1.50 fee is charged for each motor vehicle renewal transaction.
"We did a quiet opening to make sure everything is running smoothly before we really started publicizing it," said city Information Technology director Courtney Harrington.
A vehicle owner must provide the cars identification number and license number, as well as a credit card number to pay for the registration. Transactions are made on a secure line.
The online service is only available for vehicle registration renewals and not for vehicle owners moving to Hawaii. Vehicle owners with outstanding traffic fines or child support payments are not allowed to renew their motor vehicle registration through the city computer program.
Harrington hopes the Internet customer service site will handle about 5 to 10 percent of Oahus 45,000 vehicle renewals monthly. Currently, about half of the vehicle renewal forms are mailed back to the city, while other applicants register at satellite city halls.
A validated registration and vehicle sticker will be mailed to the vehicle owner within five working days. Beginning next month, customers will be able to renew vehicle registrations over a touchtone phone, Harrington said.
Motor vehicle registration renewal online is available at www.hiplates.com.
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