I am required to get an SR22 in Texas. What is it and how does it work?

Anne

Houston TX

An SR22 in Texas is a certificate that shows proof that you have the required liability insurance in Texas. This Sr22 form is filed with the Texas Department of Public Safety by your car insurance company. This proof of financial responsibility certificate are usually required for those who have been convicted of major moving violation such as DUI/DWI or driving without car insurance.

This SR22 form is submitted by your insurance company to the Texas DPS guaranteeing that you have the minimum liability insurance required by the state. In the event that your SR22 in Texas has been canceled, terminated or lapsed, your car insurance company will notify the Texas DPS and as a result, your license will be suspended.

SR22 in Texas are normally required to be maintained for a period of 2 years from the date of the conviction. SR22 filing is needed as part of the reinstatement process to have your driving privileges back. If you are required to carry an SR22 in the state of Texas, I suggest that you contact the Texas DPS and ask them the SR22 requirements and how long you are required to carry it.

Car insurance companies differ with their underwriting guidelines and insurance ratings. So if you are looking for a cheap SR22 in Texas, I suggest that you shop around first to make sure you are getting the best deal in the market. You can get SR22 quotes online and compare prices from different car insurance companies by just filling up one online form just like you see above this page. All you need to do is to wait for the result and compare the prices that suits your insurance needs and budget.

How do I remove my Texas SR22 auto insurance filing from my record?

Emily

Glad you asked.

Texas SR22 auto insurance is something that you have to file with whatever car insurance company that you are with for the three or five, or however many years you ended up with, that you are required by the state to show proof of auto insurance for your car. If you fail to file it during that period of time, or your car insurance policy gets cancelled or it doesn’t get renewed, then until you can get your SR22 filing for car insurance back, your license will be suspended. This is a hassle, especially since in most cases you are required to pay a reinstatement fee. All in all, the removal of your SR22 car insurance should be taken seriously and should not be something that you do until the required time period has ended, or you decide that you will not be driving until it does.

Now, when you remove the SR22 form from your insurance policy, your car insurance company has to file another form, which is called the SR26. The SR26 gets filed whether your period is over or not, but if you want to continue having insurance with a company and also want to have an SR26 filed, then you have to show them some kind of proof that you are no longer required to have it. If the SR26 form is filed and you do still have to have Texas SR22 auto insurance, then your license gets suspended.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

For how long are you required to have SR 22 filing done?

Adam

Excellent question, Adam.

The truth is that the necessity and length of the SR 22 filing process depends on a number of factors. The SR 22 filing requirement is one that comes after you have been convicted for something such as driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence of mind altering drugs (which also comes with even heavier penalties, along with the drunk driving), and driving without proof of financial responsibility; the requirement becomes even more strict when any of these actions result in a car accident. If you are simply caught from being pulled over by a police officer, then the requirements are less strict.

The first factor that affects how long you have to do SR 22 filing is your possession of a license. Normally, if you are required to file an SR 22 form, then you must first have had your driver’s license suspended. Sometimes the suspension lasts for a certain amount of time before you are able to reinstate it with SR 22 auto insurance coverage proof. Other times, it is only suspended until you pay a fee (which varies from state to state) and provide the DMV with your SR 22 form. The key to all of this is that the period during which you are required to do SR 22 filing applies whether or not you have a driver’s license. Theoretically, you could simply choose to take the bus for three years after your license was first suspended before reinstating it. If you did this, then you would never have to pay for expensive SR 22 auto insurance coverage.

The other factor that affects your SR 22 filing requirement is the number of times you have committed the offense in question. For example, if this is your second time getting thrown in jail for driving while intoxicated, then the amount of time you have to file an SR 22 form lengthens considerably. The normal amount for most first time cases is three years. For drunk driving, though, it is five years in most states. The second time you are caught drunk driving, that number of years doubles to ten years. The third time, it doubles again, to twenty years.

Cheers.

Fashun Guadarrama.