Florida SR-22 Auto Insurance Facts For License Reinstatement

Florida Form SR22 is the name of the document that provides verification of required insurance for drivers with a suspended license. Depending on the circumstances, court ordered suspensions have different conditions for the insurance, such as, coverage limits, compliance period, and payment terms. An assigned case number, appearing in the Motor Vehicle Report (MVR), matches insurance policies to drivers requiring SR22. Keep in mind, that a qualified policy may be a car insurance policy, motorcycle policy, or an operator’s policy where there is no vehicle to insure.

Uninsured drivers causing an accident with property damage only, require a Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability (PDL) policy, with limits of $10,000 for each. This policy type is paid in full for six months with no option to cancel, has a compliance period of two years, and a case number that begins with 2. When people are injured by an uninsured driver, Bodily Injury Liability (BIL), of $10,000 per person and $20,000 per accident, in addition to 10,000 PIP / PDL is required. This policy type can be cancelled, and the compliance period is three years. Driver license suspension will follow a canceled SR22 insurance policy, unless a new qualified policy has replaced the cancelled one.

After a policy begins, Insurance companies have up to 15 days to electronically submit (file) SR22 to the Florida Bureau of Financial Responsibility. The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), usually will not reinstate a driver license until the electronic filing has been received. The entire process is fast and efficient, with the right company, and license reinstatement can be obtained within two days. However, some companies, will generate a “hard copy” for the policyholder, immediately after purchase, and some clerks at local DMV offices will reinstate a license when presented the certificate in person. This is the only way a license could be reinstated the same day a qualified policy is purchased.

in October 2007 Florida Form FR44 replaced Form SR22 for DUI drivers only. The SR22 filing is only acceptable on a Florida insurance policy and a $15.00 filing fee is added to the cost. Multiple SR22’s, or FR44 and SR22, are not issued on the same driver. A new FR44 filing will supersede an existing SR22 requirement. Form SR26 is used to report a policy that cancels which has the SR22 filing. Since June 30 2009 all filings must be done electronically by the insurance company on behalf of the policyholder. The older pink forms given to policyholders, to physically present to the DMV, are no longer sufficient. All SR22 case numbers begin with a one, two, or three, indicating different requirements.

Florida SR22 insurance facts, accurate and updated, are essential information for insurance agents and policyholders. Remember that the SR22 is the mechanism by which proof of insurance is established, and the insurance policy itself is basically the same with or without the SR22. Just like any other insurance policy, how much SR22 insurance costs for each driver depends on the varied and detailed information gathered in the quoting process. Here is one last fact many policyholders have found very helpful: For a number of reasons a scooter, insured on a motorcycle policy, costs far less than a qualifying auto insurance policy or operator’s policy that insures no vehicle at all.