1Hours

Day	Hours
Monday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday	9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (opens one hour late)
Thursday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday	Closed

The Wednesday late opening catches people out — every other weekday this office opens at 8:00 AM, but on Wednesdays the doors open at 9:00 AM. Plan around it if you are aiming for a first-thing visit. Weekends are always closed, and state holidays can change hours — see our California DMV holidays guide and confirm on the official San Bernardino office page before you go. One more timing note that matters here: knowledge/written tests are generally not offered after 4:30 PM statewide, so if you are coming for a permit test, do not book the last slot of the day and expect to test. And because Wednesday opens an hour late, it is the one weekday where the 8:00 AM early-bird play does not exist — plan drive-test days and appointment days around that.

A stale-directory warning, specific to this office: at least one third-party listing gives only vague “usually 8–5” hours and omits the Wednesday 9:00 AM start entirely. If a page you are reading does not mention the Wednesday late opening, it has not been verified against the official office page — trust the hours above, dated October 24, 2026, instead.

2Services at this office

San Bernardino is a full-service field office — the county seat’s main DMV. Per the official DMV office page, this location offers:

Licensing Services — driver licenses (new, renewal, replacement), ID cards, and REAL ID applications. REAL ID remains the single biggest reason people still visit in person: the first application requires an office visit with original documents. Start your application online first to get a confirmation code — it shortens the counter time considerably. See our REAL ID appointment guide. California also issues AB 60 driver licenses regardless of immigration status — the DMV accepts a foreign passport or the matrícula consular as an identity document, and these cards are marked “Federal Limits Apply,” meaning they cannot be used for federal purposes like boarding flights. That is statewide law, handled at this counter like at any other office.

Testing — knowledge (written) tests and behind-the-wheel drive tests. Drive-test appointments are a separate appointment type in the official scheduler from regular office visits; booking the wrong type is one of the most common mistakes. Motorcycle skills-test availability is not itemized for this office, so confirm inside the scheduler rather than assuming. See our driving test appointment guide and driving test tips.

Title Transfers — private-party sales, family transfers, and out-of-state titles. Bring the signed title, smog certification where required, and odometer disclosure. Our title transfer guide covers the paperwork. Moving a car with out-of-state plates into California? Expect a VIN verification step — REG 31 — at the office.

Registration — new vehicle registrations, renewals that cannot be completed online, and planned non-operation (PNO) filings for vehicles going into storage. Note the counter-service change: the DMV now routes simple vehicle registration renewals, eligible driver’s license renewals, and driver/vehicle record-copy requests through out-of-office options only — no counter service for them. Check whether your task needs a visit at all before booking.

Plates, Permits, & Placards — replacement license plates, temporary operating permits, and disabled person placards (see our disabled placard guide).

Replace Lost/Stolen/Damaged — duplicate driver licenses, registration cards, and vehicle titles.

Records — driver and vehicle record requests. Note the out-of-office rule above: simple record-copy requests go through online, kiosk, phone, or mail options rather than the counter.

Request miscellaneous original documents — less common document requests handled at the counter, for paperwork that does not fit the standard categories.

Self Service Terminals — this office has a self-serve kiosk for quick registration services with no appointment and no line. If your task is kiosk-eligible, it is the fastest way in and out of this building — and two more DMV kiosks sit inside San Bernardino grocery stores with evening and weekend hours (below). Full details in our DMV kiosk guide.

Payments accepted: per dmv.ca.gov — Cash, Check, Credit Card, Debit Card, Digital Wallet, and Money order. Phone: the DMV’s statewide line is 1-800-777-0133 (automated 24/7; live representatives Monday–Friday 8 AM–5 PM). Individual field offices do not publish direct numbers — anything claiming to be the San Bernardino office’s private line is a third-party listing. More in our DMV phone number guide.

3Booking an appointment here

Go to the official DMV appointment scheduler. Choose your appointment type: field-office visit for licenses, ID, registration and most counter services, or behind-the-wheel drive test for the road test. These are separate queues — pick the wrong one and you will be rebooked. Search by ZIP (92404) or “San Bernardino” and pick the Waterman Avenue office — not the IBC office on Carnegie Drive, and not a business partner. Booking is free — the DMV never charges to make an appointment. Any site charging a booking fee is not the DMV. Prefer phone? Call 1-800-777-0133 (automated 24/7; live reps Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM).

Booking difficulty — honest notes: this is the county seat’s main office, serving San Bernardino’s roughly 222,000 residents plus Highland, Colton, Rialto, Grand Terrace, Muscoy, and the wider valley — so appointment slots here are competed for. If San Bernardino shows no availability, run the same scheduler search for Redlands, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, or Victorville — the other Inland Empire offices, all bookable in the same scheduling system. And check back: cancellations open slots. If appointments are full on the day, check the official office page on the morning of your visit for the current same-day check-in option. For the full walkthrough — which type to pick, what to do when nothing is available — see our California DMV appointment guide.

One booking trap to avoid: the San Bernardino IBC. It is a separate facility in the same city with different hours (7 AM–4 PM, Wednesday 8 AM–4 PM). If you book the IBC expecting field-office hours or services, you will arrive at the wrong building on the wrong schedule. The comparison table in the next section keeps the two San Bernardino sites apart.

4Nearby DMV offices

San Bernardino IBC — 473 East Carnegie Dr Ste. 125, San Bernardino, CA 92408 (same city, different facility; earlier hours Mon–Tue and Thu–Fri 7 AM–4 PM, Wed 8 AM–4 PM). The in-city alternative when the field office’s scheduler is full — but check its hours separately, because it closes an hour before the field office.

Redlands — 1659 W Lugonia Avenue, Redlands, CA 92374 (full-service field office; no kiosk badge on its official page). The east alternative for Redlands, Yucaipa, and Beaumont-area drivers — and the natural backup when the county-seat office is booked out.

Fontana — 8026 Hemlock Ave, Fontana, CA 92336 (full-service field office, kiosk available). The west alternative, and the kiosk-equipped backup: if your task is kiosk-eligible, Fontana’s on-site kiosk works the same way San Bernardino’s does.

Rancho Cucamonga — 8629 Hellman Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 (full-service field office, kiosk available). The far-west alternative for the western Inland Empire; same standard hours, same 9 services, same payment methods as San Bernardino.

Victorville — 14855 Corta Drive, Victorville, CA 92395 (full-service field office; no kiosk badge on its official page). The High Desert fallback — worth the drive only when the valley offices are all booked, or if you live in the Victorville/Hesperia/Apple Valley area already.

Rialto — no field office. Rialto residents use the San Bernardino office (or Fontana), and the Superior Grocers kiosk at 151 W. Baseline Ave. covers kiosk-eligible tasks. Colton — also no field office on dmv.ca.gov; Colton residents are served geographically by the San Bernardino office. Neither city belongs in an office comparison table, and any directory that lists a “Rialto DMV office” address is repeating unverified data.

Which office should you pick? Any of these handles the same full-service work — choose by drive time and whether you need a kiosk:

Office	Hours	Kiosk	Best for
San Bernardino (Waterman Ave)	Mon–Tue/Thu–Fri 8–5, Wed 9–5	Yes	County seat’s main office; drive tests; kiosk-eligible tasks
San Bernardino IBC (Carnegie Dr)	Mon–Tue/Thu–Fri 7–4, Wed 8–4	No	Earlier hours; in-city backup — different facility
Redlands	Mon–Tue/Thu–Fri 8–5, Wed 9–5	No	East alternative; backup when San Bernardino is full
Fontana	Mon–Tue/Thu–Fri 8–5, Wed 9–5	Yes	West alternative; kiosk-eligible tasks
Rancho Cucamonga	Mon–Tue/Thu–Fri 8–5, Wed 9–5	Yes	Far-west alternative; kiosk-eligible tasks
Victorville	Mon–Tue/Thu–Fri 8–5, Wed 9–5	No	High Desert fallback

Hours above per the official DMV office pages (all follow the standard Mon–Tue/Thu–Fri 8–5, Wed 9–5 pattern except the San Bernardino IBC’s and the Fontana Commercial Drive Test Center’s earlier schedules).

5Frequently asked questions

Office: San Bernardino DMV Field Office, 1310 N Waterman Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92404

The Inland Empire’s county-seat office: why San Bernardino anchors the region

San Bernardino is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The city counted 222,101 residents in the 2020 census, making it the 18th-most populous city in California, and the Riverside–San Bernardino metropolitan area counts 4.74 million residents — the 12th-largest metro in the nation. The city is described as the economic, cultural, and political hub of the San Bernardino Valley, sharing that distinction for the wider Inland Empire with Riverside, and it is home to California State University, San Bernardino.

The county context is what makes this office busy. San Bernardino County’s other large cities by the same 2020 census: Fontana 208,393; Ontario 175,265; Rancho Cucamonga 174,453; Victorville 134,810; Rialto 104,026; Redlands 73,168; Colton 53,909; Barstow 25,415. The Waterman Avenue office is the county seat’s flagship, but it does not serve San Bernardino alone — it is the natural office for Highland, Colton, Rialto, Grand Terrace, and Muscoy, and the fallback for the whole valley when neighboring offices are booked out.

What makes San Bernardino different from a single-office city is the second site: the San Bernardino IBC on Carnegie Drive, in the same city, with earlier 7–4 hours. Two DMV sites in one city sounds like double capacity, but they are different facilities with different schedules — and confusing them is the most San-Bernardino-specific mistake a visitor can make. Book the Waterman Avenue field office for general services and drive tests; treat the IBC as a separate, earlier-hours option, not as “the other San Bernardino DMV” with the same hours.

The bottom line for planning: if you live anywhere in the valley — San Bernardino, Highland, Colton, Rialto, Grand Terrace, or Redlands when Redlands is full — this is the office the region’s geography points you to first, with Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga as the western backups and Victorville as the High Desert fallback. Book, do not walk in, and do not confuse the field office with the IBC.

Drive test at San Bernardino: what to expect

San Bernardino offers behind-the-wheel drive tests — “Testing” is on the office’s official service list, and drive-test appointments are booked as a separate type in the official scheduler. Here is how to prepare for this specific office, honestly.

First, what we will not claim: no street-by-street examiner route is published here, because no verified turn-by-turn route text exists for this office. Directory listings that claim to know “the route” are practice guesses, not examiner paths — examiners vary the route. Practice in the streets around the Waterman Avenue office and in residential areas generally: that is where test-takers most often lose points, not on wide arterials.

What examiners score everywhere in California: proper mirror and blind-spot checks before every lane change, full stops behind limit lines, correct following distance, speed matched to conditions (not just the posted limit), and pedestrian awareness at every crosswalk and intersection. Your car must qualify: valid registration, current insurance, working brake lights, turn signals, horn, and mirrors — the examiner checks before you leave the lot. You must bring a licensed driver age 25 or older if you are a minor; they wait at the office while you test. Booking the test: choose the behind-the-wheel drive-test appointment type (not a regular office visit), search ZIP 92404, and select San Bernardino. Test slots go faster than regular appointments — book as early as the scheduler allows. Our drive-test appointment guide walks through the whole process, and our driving test tips cover the full preparation checklist.

Motorcycle note: motorcycle skills-test availability is not itemized for San Bernardino on the official office page. Treat third-party claims about motorcycle testing here as unverified and confirm the exact test type inside the scheduler before you count on it. See our motorcycle license guide for how the M1 process works. And after a failed test, a waiting period applies before retesting and attempts are limited — the scheduler shows when you can rebook; do not rely on a number from a forum post.

What visitors report: an honest section with no invented numbers

This section deliberately prints no star rating and no review count for the San Bernardino office. The reason is simple: no credible, current rating figure could be verified from two independent sources. The directories that do show numbers recycle old anecdotal reviews from 2021–2023, and a live rating snapshot is not a fact — it changes every day and cannot be re-verified on build day. Printing a stale number would be exactly the kind of fake precision this site exists to correct, so we print none.

What can be said honestly, from the consistent pattern across busy urban offices: this is a high-volume county-seat office, and the visitor experience splits sharply by preparation. Appointment holders who arrive at opening with complete documents routinely describe smooth visits; midday walk-ins describe the classic DMV experience — packed lobbies and long waits. The practical takeaway from visitor sentiment everywhere, and the only takeaway we will assert here: appointments beat walk-ins decisively; 8:00 AM arrivals move fastest; missing documents turns one visit into two. Your outcome here is mostly determined before you arrive — by whether you booked and when you show up.

One more honest note: do not trust any page that ranks San Bernardino against Redlands, Fontana, or Rancho Cucamonga by “busyness” with numbers. No reliable comparative wait data exists for these offices. The correct comparison method is the live one: check each office’s wait display on dmv.ca.gov on the morning of your visit, and pick from the table above by drive time and kiosk need — not by a ranked list someone invented.

Parking, transit & getting there

By car: the office sits on N Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino. No official source describes this office’s parking lot — not its size, not its capacity, not its street-parking rules — so we will not guess at spaces. The reliable play is the same as at every busy office: arrive at or before the 8:00 AM opening, and allow time to park. If your task is kiosk-eligible, the self-serve kiosk inside the office skips the lot, the lobby, and the line entirely (more below).

By bus: this office is reachable by public transit, and the useful fact is specific. The San Bernardino Transit Center (SBTC) at 599 W. Rialto Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92401 is the city’s transit hub — Omnitrans routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 15, 215, 290, 305, and the sbX Green Line, plus Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line and IE-OC Line, and connections to RTA, Pass Transit, Mountain Transit, and Victor Valley Transit. Most useful for this office: Omnitrans Route 305 (San Bernardino–Waterman–Grand Terrace) runs from SBTC along Waterman Avenue — stops listed on omnitrans.org include Waterman/Barton, Waterman/Commercial, Waterman/Caroline, Waterman/Hospitality, Waterman/Vanderbilt, Waterman/Park Center, Waterman/Orange Show Road, Waterman/Central Ave, Waterman/Mill, and Waterman/Valley — every 60 minutes, Monday through Sunday.

The honest limit: no source confirms which Route 305 stop is closest to 1310 N Waterman Avenue, or any walking distance from a stop to the office door — so we print no “get off here, walk this far” instruction. Take Route 305 along Waterman Avenue from SBTC and check the Omnitrans trip planner for the stop nearest 1310 N Waterman Avenue before you travel. Buses run hourly, so build in buffer time. Route 4’s Highland/Baseline loop (via Highland at Waterman and Baseline at Waterman) may help Highland-area readers on the same planner-check basis. Driving beats transit for most Inland Empire trips to this suburban arterial office — say so plainly, and treat the bus as a viable but slow option, not an itinerary.

Skip the trip: kiosks and online options

Before driving to 1310 N Waterman Avenue, check whether your task even needs a counter. The DMV now routes simple vehicle registration renewals, eligible driver’s license renewals, and driver/vehicle record-copy requests through out-of-office options only — no counter service for them. On-site kiosk: the San Bernardino office has a self-serve kiosk — no appointment, typically no line — handling registration renewals, planned non-operation filings, and record requests. Kiosk services vary by location, and kiosks do not issue REAL ID, do not run drive tests or knowledge tests, and do not issue first-time licenses.

Three kiosks serve San Bernardino proper (the on-site kiosk plus two grocery-store kiosks), with more in the immediate cluster — all from official DMV kiosk listings: Ralphs in San Bernardino — 4444 University Pkwy., San Bernardino, CA 92407 — Monday–Sunday 6:00 AM–1:00 AM. The latest-night option in the city. Superior Grocers in San Bernardino — 1108 West 2nd St., San Bernardino, CA 92410 — Monday–Sunday 7:00 AM–10:00 PM. Superior Grocers in Rialto — 151 W. Baseline Ave., Rialto, CA 92376 — Monday–Sunday 7:00 AM–10:00 PM. The Rialto answer for Rialto residents: no office, but a kiosk. Further cluster kiosks: Ralphs in Fontana — 16225 Sierra Lakes Pkwy., Fontana, CA 92336 — Monday–Sunday 6:00 AM–1:00 AM; Superior Grocers in Fontana — 16055 Foothill Blvd., Fontana, CA 92335 — Monday–Sunday 6:00 AM–10:00 PM. Evening and weekend hours the field office does not have — if your registration renewal cannot wait for office hours, the Ralphs kiosk on University Parkway is the San Bernardino answer. The DMV kiosk guide has the full breakdown of what kiosks can and cannot do.

Authorized DMV partners in San Bernardino (registration-service businesses listed on official DMV partner pages — names, addresses, and phones per dmv.ca.gov): Marsep Income Tax Services LLC — 4210 N Sierra Way, San Bernardino, CA 92407 — 1-909-991-4908 — Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–6:00 PM, Sat 9:00 AM–3:00 PM. RAPC Auto Sales LLC — 1233 E Lynwood Dr, San Bernardino, CA 92404 — 1-909-804-0090 — Tue–Wed 10:00 AM–6:00 PM, Thu 10:00 AM–5:00 PM, Fri 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, Sat 2:00 PM–5:00 PM. H.E. Vehicle Registration — 363 W 6th St Ste 15, San Bernardino, CA 92401 — 1-909-571-5663. DNS Services (Rialto) — 881 E Foothill Blvd, Rialto, CA 92376 — 1-909-841-2839. Partner caution: these are authorized private businesses, and per the DMV they “may apply additional fees” on top of state fees — ask the price before you hand over paperwork. Partners are not DMV offices, and they cannot substitute for one when your task needs a counter, a test, or a REAL ID.

What to bring

Missing paperwork is the most expensive mistake at a busy county-seat office — it turns one visit into two, and the second trip costs you another morning. Match your visit to the checklist:

REAL ID (first application): one proof of identity (valid passport or birth certificate), one proof of Social Security number, and two proofs of California residency — originals or certified copies, no photocopies. Start the application online first for a confirmation code. Full list in our REAL ID guide.

AB 60 license: California issues driver licenses regardless of immigration status. The DMV accepts a foreign passport or the matrícula consular as an identity document, plus California residency proofs. The card is marked “Federal Limits Apply” — it will not work for federal purposes like boarding a flight. Bring originals of everything.

Driver license renewal: your current license, renewal notice if you received one, and payment. Many renewals do not require a visit at all — check eligibility online first.

Vehicle registration / title work: the title or registration card, smog certification where required, odometer disclosure for transfers, and payment for fees. Out-of-state or foreign-registered vehicles need a VIN verification (REG 31) — done at the office.

Teen permit / license: the minor plus a parent or guardian, proof of driver-education completion, and identity/residency documents.

Knowledge test: arrive before mid-afternoon — written tests are generally not offered after 4:30 PM. Our knowledge test guide covers what is on it.

The master packing list is our DMV documents checklist — run through it the night before.

Best and worst times to visit

Best: arriving at the 8:00 AM opening. The first hour is the fastest-moving of the day at busy offices — the standard play per reviewer sentiment is to be in line as the doors open. Good: mid-afternoon (around 2:00–3:30 PM) on Tue–Thu, after the lunch rush clears. Avoid cutting it close to 4:30 PM if you need a knowledge test. General pattern, not measured data: at every busy DMV, midday walk-in lines run longest on Mondays, Fridays, days around month-end, and the day after a holiday. If your schedule flexes, aim around them — but an appointment at any hour beats a walk-in at the “best” hour.

Wednesday quirk: the office opens at 9:00 AM, not 8:00 — do not show up at 8:00 expecting the early-bird advantage. Inland Empire wrinkle: this is a car-dependent region and the office sits on a busy arterial — on a morning when valley traffic is heavy, the mid-afternoon window is often calmer than the 8 AM rush, because you are not racing traffic and the DMV line at the same time. Appointments beat everything: an appointment at any hour beats a walk-in at the “best” hour. More on timing strategy in our DMV wait times guide — including how to use the live wait display on dmv.ca.gov on the morning of your visit instead of trusting any printed minute count.

Sources used: dmv.ca.gov (San Bernardino field office page — address, hours, services, kiosk, payments, partner and kiosk listings; San Bernardino IBC, Redlands, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, and Victorville office pages — addresses, hours, kiosk status; statewide scheduler and 1-800-777-0133 line), Wikipedia (San Bernardino, California — 2020 census population, county-seat status, metro population, county-city populations), omnitrans.org (Route 305 Waterman Avenue service, hourly frequency; Route 4 Highland/Baseline loop; San Bernardino Transit Center hub routes), dmvcalifornia.us (appointment guide, checked against dmv.ca.gov October 2026 — third-party, used only for question framing), stateregstoday.com and xtreet.com (stale-competitor examples only — not cited as authorities).

Official office page: dmv.ca.gov/portal/field-office/san-bernardino/

Last verified against dmv.ca.gov: October 24, 2026