If your driver’s license is suspended or taken away in Chicago, it can impact almost everything you do. It can make it hard to get to work, take your kids to school, buy groceries, or get to your doctor’s appointments. That said, it’s easy to understand why someone with a suspended or revoked license would want to get it back. But getting your driver’s license reinstated in Illinois can be confusing and sometimes difficult.
Friends, family, lawyers, and even the Illinois Secretary of State often give different advice. In this blog, our Chicago license reinstatement attorneys will clear up the confusion and help you understand what you need to do.
Common Causes of License Suspensions in Chicago
A driver’s license suspension or revocation lasts for a set amount of time. When that time is over, you must pay a reinstatement fee to get your license back. In Illinois, licenses are often suspended for reasons like having too many unpaid traffic tickets in a year, not paying tickets, not showing up to court, or getting arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The amount of time for which a license revocation lasts is open-ended. In other words, your license is taken away with no set date for getting it back. In Illinois, common reasons for a license revocation include a DUI conviction and certain other criminal convictions.
A suspension or revocation can happen for more than one reason at the same time. To get your license back, you must fix every problem first so you can qualify for a hearing.
How Can I Get My Suspended Illinois License Reinstated?
There isn’t one single set of rules for getting your suspended or revoked license back. The steps you need to take depend on why your license was taken away and your driving history. In general, you will need to:
- Meet any requirements set forth by the judge
- Pay a reinstatement fee
Getting a suspended license back can be complicated, and there are several steps involved. For example, if you want your license back after a DUI conviction, you must:
- Keep a clean driving record: You must show that you have not had new driving violations.
- Get an alcohol and drug evaluation: If the evaluation shows you have a substance abuse problem, you must provide proof that you completed treatment.
- Take a substance abuse education program: This is required even if you don’t need treatment.
- Meet with a Secretary of State hearing officer: You’ll have to attend a hearing about your case.
- Show proof of insurance: You must file documents proving you have the required insurance (SR-22).
- Pay the required fees: This includes a $500 reinstatement fee and an application fee. If you request a formal hearing, you also must pay a $50 non-refundable filing fee.
- Pass all required tests: You will need to pass the driving test, written test, and vision test.
Your driver’s license isn’t officially reinstated until the Secretary of State’s office updates your driving record to show it. Losing your license isn’t the end of the world, but the penalties are serious enough to make most people think twice about breaking the rules again. The best way to avoid all this trouble is to drive safely.
Which Kind of Hearing Will I Have to Attend?
The Secretary of State has two kinds of hearings: formal hearings and informal hearings. You usually need a formal hearing when:
- The revocation involved a death
- You have more than one revocation or suspension from a single DUI
- You want to change or cancel a court order about the revocation
- You’re applying for reinstatement from another state
- Your Monitoring Device Driving Permit was canceled, and you now want a Restricted Driving Permit or a hardship license
How Long Does a License Reinstatement Take in Illinois?
If the Secretary of State allows you to have a hardship license or a restricted driving permit, you will also be bestowed a list of conditions that you must meet and submit proof of before your permit can be issued. It is important to keep in mind that you have to satisfy every single requirement and submit proof as quickly as possible. Once you have completed the requirements and submitted them to the Secretary of State, it should take roughly three to five weeks for you to receive your physical permit in the post.
If, however, your license is fully reinstated, the requirements are not as demanding. For example, you’ll need to purchase an SR-22 insurance policy and pay all of your reinstatement fees. Once these requirements are completed, you typically get your license back in two to three business days.
In Illinois, if you are approved for a restricted driving permit, you have 90 days after the hearing order to finish all the required steps. If you were approved for full reinstatement, you must complete those requirements within one year of the hearing order.
A Chicago Driver’s License Reinstatement Attorney Can Help
Getting your Illinois driver’s license back can be tough. There are a lot of steps to think about. You have to set up either an informal or formal hearing, show that losing your license causes hardship in your daily life, and prove that you’re no longer a risk to public safety. You also need to understand the costs you’ll have to pay during the reinstatement process.
An experienced Chicago license reinstatement lawyer can guide you through the hearing process and speak up for you to help you get your license back. Contact Fabbrini Law Group today to learn how we can help.
In Illinois, if you get more than three traffic tickets in one year, the Secretary of State can suspend or revoke your driver’s license. How long your license is suspended depends on how many points were assigned to the traffic violation for which you were convicted. For example:
- 55 points: Reckless driving
- 10 points: Making an improper turn at an intersection
- 20 points: Not obeying a traffic light
Some violations can cause your license to be suspended or revoked right away. These include driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, having cannabis in the car when it’s not allowed, or driving without the required insurance.
No matter why you lost your license, the experienced Chicago license reinstatement lawyers at Fabbrini Law Group can help you get it back. With 65 years of combined experience helping people across Illinois restore their driving privileges, our attorneys are ready to help you, too.
To schedule a confidential legal consultation with one of our experienced Chicago license reinstatement attorneys, call us at (312) 494-3131 or reach out through our online contact form to find out how we can help.