What is SR22 Insurance?

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What is SR22 Insurance?

Find out why people need SR22 insurance, how it works, and much more.

This is an example of an SR22 certificate.

What is SR22 insurance? It's a high-risk insurance certificate - also called a financial responsibility form.

If you’ve never heard of it before, you’ll likely wonder what SR22 insurance is and what it’s for. It’s is a high-risk insurance certificate – also called a financial responsibility form. The form is an endorsement to an auto or non-owner insurance policy. Most states require you to file an SR22 document to reinstate your license after suspension for a traffic violation. A court may order you to carry high-risk SR22 insurance for other reasons. You can file an SR22 certificate if you own a vehicle or if you don’t. Depending on the situation, states require you to carry this insurance for 1 to 5 years.

What is SR22 insurance? You may have never heard of the term unless circumstances lead to your having a suspended driver’s license. SR-22 is also called AAMVA Uniform Financial Responsibility Form. It’s a document that an insurance provider, licensed in your state, submits to the DMV to reinstate your license.

NOTE: Florida and Virginia require an SR22 certificate for non-alcohol or drug-related violations and another type of certificate (FR44) for DUI/DWI violations.

What does SR22 insurance do?

Every state requires licensed drivers with a registered vehicle to carry liability insurance. These auto insurance policies must have a minimum amount of coverage for bodily injury and property damage. Why does your state require liability insurance? It’s so every driver is responsible for injury or property damage if they cause an accident. That is the principle of financial responsibility.

After a license suspension, the state wants a guarantee that the high-risk driver will have liability coverage in exchange for license reinstatement. That guarantee, or proof of financial responsibility, is what SR22 insurance provides.

Don’t let your SR22 policy lapse

In most cases, your state will require you to keep SR22 insurance in force for 1-3 years after license reinstatement. The insurance underwriter monitors your SR22 insurance policy. If the policy lapses, they immediately submit an SR26 form to the state DMV, and that results in repeat suspension of your license.

Let UltraCar Insurance know if you anticipate having late SR22 payments during the pandemic. We’ll help you get in touch with your insurance carrier to discuss a payment plan with you.

Owner and Non-Owner SR22 Insurance

There are two types of SR22 insurance for license reinstatement.

Owner/Owner-Operator SR22

People who own a registered vehicle require an owner/owner-operator policy. You can even get SR22 motorcycle insurance in most states.

What happens if you sell your car before your requirement has ended? A common misconception is that you can stop making payments on your SR22 policy if you sell your vehicle. But this is not true. You still have to maintain SR22 insurance until the state no longer requires it. Therefore, to comply with your SR22 requirement, contact your insurance provider to convert to a Non Owner SR22 policy before selling your car.

Non Owner SR22

Can you buy SR22 insurance without a vehicle? Yes! If you don’t own a car, you’ll need a non owner policy with an SR22 endorsement.

Reasons for SR22 insurance

Several circumstances can lead to your having to carry high-risk insurance.

Uninsured Driving

Driving without insurance is one of the most common reasons for license suspension. It not only puts you and your passengers at risk, but it also puts other people at risk. Besides getting a ticket for this, you can end up with a license suspension. You’ll have a probationary suspension period between 30 to 90 days, assuming no additional violations occurred. So it’s crucial to make sure your auto insurance is always current.

What if you don’t own a car? If you’re driving a borrowed vehicle and an officer pulls you over, you can get a ticket if the owner doesn’t carry insurance. Before driving anyone’s car, always verify two questions: 1. Do you have auto insurance? 2. Is there a valid insurance ID card in the glove compartment?

Other Reasons for SR-22 Insurance

  • Court-ordered child support or other legal judgment
  • Accumulating too many points (tickets) on your driving record
  • A DUI or DWI conviction
  • Driving without a license or with a suspended license
  • Uninsured at-fault accident

Can I cancel my SR22 insurance if I move to another state?

If your state requires you to carry SR22 insurance and you move to another state, don’t stop making your payments. Even if you move, this requirement remains in effect. Other states honor this insurance requirement of your state. Before moving out of state, contact your agent with your new address to stay in compliance with your high-risk insurance requirement.

Call UltraCar Insurance for answers to what is SR22 insurance. Our agents are licensed in 34 states, offering low-cost SR22 quotes to individuals and business owners. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation or click the quote button to get started!

SR22 Insurance FAQ

SR-22 is a high-risk insurance certificate states require to reinstate a suspended driver’s license. It’s also called an AAMVA Uniform Financial Responsibility Form. Drivers who need SR-22 insurance may have driving records with one or more violations that led to a license suspension. Other non-traffic-related issues may also require an SR-22 filing, even if you have a clean driving record. Forgetting to show up to court, pay a fine, or meet your child support obligations are other reasons people need to obtain high-risk insurance.

Attaching an SR-22 form to your auto or non-owner insurance policy and filing the form with your state DMV allows you to restore your driving privileges and get back on the road.

SR-22 insurance is available in two forms. Owner-operator policies are for vehicle owners, and non-owner or operator policies are for drivers who don’t own a vehicle.

Sometimes people have misconceptions about SR-22 insurance. A high-risk insurance certificate does not take the place of auto insurance. It’s a financial responsibility form that guarantees you meet your state’s minimum insurance coverage for license reinstatement. Your auto insurance policy backs up the SR-22 certificate you file with your state DMV.

Most drivers carrying high-risk SR-22 insurance have higher insurance premiums because their driving histories indicate they are more likely to submit claims.

SR-22 insurance is a financial responsibility form that proves you meet your state’s minimum mandated insurance coverage. Minimum coverage requirements vary somewhat between states. States want assurance that high-risk drivers have continuous liability coverage for a specific time as a condition for license reinstatement. Other reasons such as legal judgments sometimes require individuals to obtain SR-22 insurance.

Most states require every driver to maintain liability insurance to pay for bodily injury or property damage. SR-22 insurance must also include this minimum amount of coverage, but some states require SR-22 policyholders to have higher minimum coverage. The SR-22 insurance certificate is an endorsement to your insurance policy, which guarantees that you fulfill these state requirements.

What are reasons for SR-22 insurance? States require drivers to carry SR-22 insurance when they want to reinstate their license after a suspension. People often get a license suspension if they accumulate excessive demerit points on their driving record within a specific time. Likewise, states will require drivers to carry SR-22 insurance if they drive without insurance or a valid license. Most states also require you to maintain an SR-22 filing if you have a license suspension for DUI or DWI. Florida and Virginia, however, use a separate insurance filing called FR-44 for alcohol and drug-related motor vehicle violations.

Other times people need SR-22 insurance are to comply with a court order or other legal judgment not related to motor vehicle violations.

Say you’re an SR-22 insurance certificate holder and moving to another state. In that case, you should not cancel your insurance policy or stop making payments. If you do, your current state’s DMV will suspend your license. When you have a suspended license in one state, that information is available to all other states, and they will not issue you a new driver’s license.

Most states require drivers to carry SR-22 insurance for three to five years. So continue making payments for the duration of your requirement. You’ll have to follow specific steps to ensure compliance when moving, and the solution is to get an SR-22 out-of-state insurance filing. Drivers with active SR-22 filings must contact their insurance providers before moving to another state so they can get a cross-state SR-22 insurance filing. Not every insurance provider can perform them, but UltraCar Insurance provides  SR-22 filings in 34 states, making it likely that we can help you.

There are notable differences between non-owner and SR-22 auto insurance coverage. Both insurance certificates serve the same purpose: helping drivers with suspended licenses get license reinstatement. However, the primary difference between them is that a non-owner SR-22 certificate is for drivers who don’t own a vehicle.

Let’s assume you occasionally borrow a friend’s car if necessary, but have a recent license suspension after multiple traffic violations. To be able to drive her vehicle legally again, you’ll need to file a non-owners SR-22 certificate to reinstate your license.

This article was last updated on April 6th, 2023 by