Nevada first state to use 'e-checks' at DMV

(Appeal Capitol Bureau)

According to Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles officials, it looks and works like a check, but it's a paperless alternative to pay for driver's license and vehicle registration renewals.

DMV Director Ginny Lewis said DMV is the first Nevada agency to implement e-check technology.

"It's a fast, safe and convenient way to handle payments," she said.

It's also cheaper than credit cards, where the fees can be several dollars for each transaction.

Electronic checks, she said, can be processed for less than a dollar.

For now, electronic checks are offered as a payment choice on line at www.dmv.org but, Lewis said, it will also be offered within a couple of months at self-service kiosks.

A total of 258 customers used e-checking to pay their renewal fees the first day - more than 1,000 during the first week.

At the same time, DMV officials have announced they are reducing fees charged noncommercial driver's licenses by 50 cents. That change was made by the 2005 Legislature to enable the DMV's self-service kiosks to accept cash for driver's license renewals instead of credit or debit cards.