SR-22 for an Unsatisfied Judgment in Texas

What is our services?

Here is what applies:

• How long you need itTexas requires the SR-22 to be maintained for two years from the date of your most recent conviction, or from the date judgment was rendered against you. Not three years, and not two years from the day you file.
• The clock does not restart when you fileThe two years run from the conviction, not from the filing. The department states it directly: file a year after your conviction and you carry the certificate for one more year, not two more. A new qualifying conviction can extend the requirement.
• Who files itYour insurance carrier files the certificate with the department. Not every insurance company offers SR-22 filings — the department says so on its own page — so the company you have now may not be able to do it.
• How long processing takesAllow up to 21 business days for the department to process an SR-22. Reinstatement fees paid online through License Eligibility process in roughly 24 to 48 hours; the compliance documents are the slow part. Plan around the three weeks rather than being surprised by it.
• Your insurance card will not doA policy card or declarations page does not substitute for the SR-22. The certificate is a separate filing your carrier transmits to the department under the Safety Responsibility Act.
• If the policy lapsesYour driver license or driving privilege is re-suspended, and you need a new SR-22 plus a $100 reinstatement fee to get it back. Continuity is the part you control.
• If you do not own a vehicleYou still have to file. A Texas non-owner SR-22 policy satisfies the requirement and is usually the cheapest way to do it.
• If you were actually insured at the timeYou may not owe a filing at all. If you had coverage on the date of the citation, your carrier can send a letter on company letterhead by fax, email or mail, and the department will review it. Allow 21 days.

Minimum coverage required: Texas’s minimum liability limits are 30/60/25 — $30,000 bodily injury per person, $60,000 bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 property damage per accident (Texas Transportation Code ch. 601 / Texas Dept of Insurance).

Source: Texas Department of Public Safety — Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate (SR-22). See also Texas Department of Public Safety — Reinstating your Driver License or Driving Privilege.