BOSTON -- As sure as death and taxes, every driver in the state has to show up at the Registry of Motor Vehicles at least once each decade. However, that trip may soon be a little bit different as the RMV is forced to respond to budget cuts.

Within the next few months, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles will close 11 branches and move some of their operations to five additional government highway buildings to alleviate traffic at the remaining 23 offices, which will also be given technological face-lifts, the RMV said. Most changes will occur between July and September, and the Chinatown branch will close at the end of the year.

"This is an important step in sharing resources and best practices to reduce waste and duplication," registrar Rachel Kaprielian said in a prepared release. "We are cutting one of the agency's largest expenses while preserving core services."

The change will save an estimated $1.7 million each year because RMV branches are curently housed in expensive non-government buildings instead of existing government facilities, such as MassHighway and Massachusetts Turnpike Authority toll plazas, the RMV said. Shifting services to these government buildings will save money because they have lower overhead costs.

Branches expected to close include Lowell, North Attleboro and Framingham, and services will shift to existing buildings, including the Massachusetts Charlton Turnpike Center and the MTA Natick Service Plaza, the RMV said. About 21 percent of RMV users will be affected.

Click here for a state map with RMV office changes.

The RMV will continue to ease traffic by getting customers out of the office and onto their computers with 18 transactions available online, such as ordering a free FastLane transponder, the RMV said. Self-serve kiosks offering online transactions will also be made available in some of the busier branches.

Executive Office of Transportation spokesman Colin Durrant said online services are "dramatically cheaper" than the same services in RMV offices.

"You're not paying people," he said. "That's where most of the savings come from."

Although some RMV employees will be laid off, some will be transferred, Durrant said.

"Closures and free rent have helped minimize the effect on staffing," he said.

Click here for an interactive map that includes RMV office hours and updated licensing and registration wait times.