What To Do If Your Driver’s License is Suspended
- Call the Department of Motor Vehicles in your home state to find out why your license is suspended. They can tell you what you need to do to get your license reinstated. In Missouri, call the Department of Revenue (DOR) at (573) 751-4475 in Jefferson City, MO. That is the headquarters of the Missouri Department of Motor Vehicles.
- If you can’t get through to the DOR on the phone, you can email the Drivers License Bureau of the DOR at [email protected]
- If you can’t call or email the DOR, go in person to a local Department of Motor Vehicles office to find out why your license is suspended, and what you need to do to get it reinstated.
- Ask the DOR or DMV if you are eligible for reinstatement of your driver’s license.
- If you are NOT eligible for reinstatement, you may be able to apply for a Limited Driving Privilege (“Hardship License”). A Hardship License allows you to drive to and from work, school, the grocery store, or to drop off your kids at daycare. You will NOT be eligible for a Hardship License if you have any old unpaid traffic tickets.
- If you are eligible for reinstatement of your driver’s license, ask the DOR what you need to do to get reinstated. You might just need to re-take your driver’s license exam and pay a reinstatement fee. Or you might have some old speeding tickets that you forgot to pay. (Nowadays, many courts put a hold on your license instead of issuing an arrest warrant when you fail to appear in court or fail to pay a fine for a speeding ticket.)
- Hire a traffic ticket lawyer to get your old tickets amended to a non-moving, no-point infraction so you won’t have any more points added to your driving record. After you pay the fines & court costs, the DOR will release the hold on your license.
- The DMV may require you to get a “Release” or “Compliance Order” from the court after you pay the fines & court costs for your speeding tickets. Take that Release or Compliance Order to the DMV, pay the reinstatement fee, and they will reinstate your license.
- If you pleaded guilty to a ticket that caused your license to be suspended, you can hire an attorney to withdraw your plea and get your ticket reduced to a no-point infraction. Then the points will be removed from your driving record, which may be enough to lift the suspension of your license.
PLEASE NOTE: Everyone’s situation is different, and there are many different reasons why your Missouri driver’s license could be suspended or revoked. Only the DMV can tell you for sure why you are suspended, and what you need to do to get reinstated.
What Is Required To Get Your License Reinstated?
The requirements for driver’s license reinstatement vary depending on why your license was suspended or revoked.
You might have to do one or more of the following tasks before you can get your driver’s license reinstated in Missouri:
- Pay a reinstatement fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles
- Get old speeding tickets amended to non-moving, no-point infractions, then pay the fines and court costs for those tickets
- Re-take the driving exam or written exam
- Pay off unpaid child support payments
- Show proof that you obtained an ignition interlock device for your vehicle
- Show proof that you completed SATOP class
- File an SR-22 form to prove you have liability insurance on your vehicle
- Get a Release or Compliance Letter from the court after you pay the fines & court costs and send that to the Department of Motor Vehicles
Why Is Your Driver’s License Suspended or Revoked?
Here are some common reasons why your driver’s license can be suspended or revoked in Missouri:
- Too many points on your driving record (8 points within 18 months will cause your license to be suspended for 30 days; 12 points within 12 months will cause your license to be revoked for 1 year) Here is the Missouri DMV’s list of how many points are added to your record for Missouri traffic violations.
- Driving a vehicle that is not insured
- Accident while driving uninsured vehicle and you failed to pay for victim’s damages
- Failure to appear in court for a traffic ticket
- Unpaid child support
- DWI conviction
- Refusal to submit to an alcohol or drug test
- Failed to pass the required driving test or written exa
- Diagnosed with medical condition that prevents you from getting driver’s license
- Conviction for Minor in Possession (MIP) of alcohol or drugs under the Abuse & Lose law
- You didn’t file an accident report
- You have a 5-year or 10-year license denial of driving privileges
- You stole motor fuel
A Conviction For Driving While Suspended Stays On Your Driving Record Forever
If you plead guilty to Driving While Suspended, the conviction stays on your record forever and can not be expunged. Before you plead guilty, consult an attorney to see if they can get your Driving While Suspended ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation.
Here is a list of tickets that stay on your driving record forever:
- Driving Without Insurance
- DWI
- DUI
- Excessive BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)
- No Driver’s License (state, not municipal)
- Vehicular Manslaughter
- Vehicular Injury
- Vehicular Homicide
- Violation of Interlock Device
- MIP (Minor in Possession of Alcohol)
- Driving While Suspended or Revoked
- Leaving the Scene of An Accident (State, not Municipal)
- Driving Without a License (State, not Municipal)
- Driving Motorcycle Without Permit/Endorsement
An Attorney Can Help Get Your Driver’s License Reinstated
Here’s how an attorney can help get your license reinstated:
- Your attorney can get your old unpaid tickets reduced to non-moving, no-point infractions so you won’t have more points added to your record.
- An attorney may be able to cancel a warrant, so you can pay the fines & court costs and get your license reinstated.
- Your attorney can withdraw your plea (if you already pleaded guilty but changed your mind later) and get your ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point infraction. This will remove existing points that are on your record, and possibly lift the suspension of your license (depending on how many points still remain on your driving record).
An experienced traffic ticket lawyer can give you a flat-fee price quote for legal representation, as well as an estimate of the fines and court costs you will have to pay.
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For a free consultation about your Driving While Suspended ticket, or to discuss how to get your Missouri driver’s license reinstated, contact St. Louis Traffic Law Attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or [email protected]