SR-22 Quick Facts
The SR-22, or Certificate of Financial Responsibility, is a state-mandated insurance filing that is used to track a driver’s compliance to the state’s financial responsibility laws. The state notifies drivers directly of their requirements to file the certificate. The filing notification includes the amount of time the driver must carry the filing. In many cases, the filing requirement can range from three to five years.
Drivers that fail to comply with the filing requirements or that cancel their insurance policies during the required SR-22 period are subject to immediate and indefinite suspension of their driving privileges, along with revocation of their vehicle registrations.
- The SR-22 is an inexpensive filing that is attached, or endorsed to the auto insurance policy. While the violations that caused the SR-22 requirement can cause a vast increase to the insurance policy, the cost of the SR-22 is rather inexpensive, costing no more than $20 per filing.
- Not all auto insurance carriers offer the SR-22 filing, so you may have to shop for a new auto insurance carrier to secure this Certificate of Financial Responsibility.
- Like auto insurance, SR-22 filings are state-specific certificates designed to meet the requesting state’s insurance and filing requirements. As a result, an SR-22 filing for one state may not meet the demands and requirements of another.
- Some states do not require SR-22 filings even after serious traffic violations. However, these states recognize out-of-state SR-22 filings and require drivers to maintain the filings, if so required by another state.
These states include:
- Delaware
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
The states of North Carolina and New York do not utilize nor recognize SR-22 filings. If you have an out-of-state demand for an SR-22 filing, you will not be able to secure the certificate in these states. You will have to maintain a policy in the state that demands the SR-22 filing or petition the court to life the filing requirement. Moving out-of-state does not automatically eliminate the SR-22 requirement.