Definition
Also commonly referred to as proof of financial responsibility, an SR-22 is essentially a form provided by your California car insurance company to the California Department of Motor Vehicles with details to the effect that you have a valid and active car insurance policy with them. This filing allows the local DMV be able to keep themselves up to date with your auto insurance status since your auto insurance provider is charged with the responsibility to report any lapse in the policy or cancelation. This is also necessary when the DMV goes to give an individual, driving privileges if a valid and active insurance policy is present. The law in California stipulates that a SR-22 policy last for a period of 3 years in which time, if the policy apses or is canceled then your license is suspended until you provide proof that you have another active SR-22 policy. This will require you to pay a California DMV fee for the process.
Reasons
SR-22 filing forms in California are usually for the purposes of proving one has a valid insurance policy after someone is involved in an accident and he or she does not have the minimum liability insurance required by the state or having been booked for Driving Under the Influence (DUI). In this case, the license of the party involved is suspended and the only way to get it reinstated is to provide the proof of financial responsibility via the SR-22. If it is active and all other requirements by the California DMV have been fulfilled, then the license may be reinstated. However, in the case of the DUI, one may be required to enroll in a DUI course or complete it, in addition to the SR-22 proof.
Cost
Getting an SR-22 is not that complicated or expensive. By itself, it costs about $20 payable as a one-off fee. However, the bulk of the cost is in the actual California car insurance policy it is embedded in. this means that the actual cost is not that accurate because car insurance policies are not standardized. In addition, since one cannot be separated from the other, it is logical just to estimate the cost of the SR-22 at whatever you are paying for the policy plus $20. Other costs that you may have added on to your car insurance are reinstatement fees of about $55 to the DMV and DUI course completion or enrollment costs if any.
It has become easy in the recent past to apply free SR-22 quotes online. This saves up your time and resources in trying to research for such information. Most California car insurance companies, car insurance brokers, or independent car insurance agents have this valuable information but you do not have to give them a visit. You can simply enter you zip here and get the information within no time. It is that easy.
