Texas SR22 Insurance

The SR-22 insurance is an endorsement to your liability coverage, a proof that you have at least the minimum required insurance policy in Texas. An SR-22 requirement is ruled by the court and usually is the result of you being caught driving while intoxicated, without a valid license or without insurance. This article will give you some insight on what you need to do if you must get such a policy.

SR-22 filing term in Texas

The most common procedure in Texas says that you have to keep the SR-22 for three years. Depending on the seriousness of your offense, the court may rule a longer term.

Your responsibilities

The Texan rules and regulations regarding SR-22 responsibilities are in line with the federal guidelines. Here are the main points you should be aware of:

• Your insurer has to be notified of your SR-22 requirement.
• Your policy must remain active throughout the required period. The insurer has to report eventual lapses of your insurance and the DMV will have your driver's license revoked immediately. Moreover, the three years filing period will start all-over again.
• The minimum liability insurance in Texas is of 30/60/25.
• Inform your insurer of any changes in your mailing address. If you move out of Texas, you will have to keep the Texas minimum liability insurance even if the requirements in the new state are lower.

What to do when the filing term is over

Once the required filing period is over, you might have to specifically ask for a regular policy. Most insurers will usually keep track of your driving history changes and adjust your premiums down to the normal level after the three years, but you should ask for it, just to be on the safe side. The insurer cannot be held liable for the extra charges, so you might be billed at the higher price even though you no longer need SR-22.

Final tips

Always go for electronic filing. Some companies offer to do it for free and others will charge a measly $15 – either way it's well worth it. The process is much less tedious and almost instant – after filing the form it propagates in the system in 12 to 24 hours. Mailing it in, on the other hand, may get your driver's license reinstated in as much as two weeks.

Pay by credit card or money order to ensure immediate processing. Don't bother with mailing in a check, as the whole process may take up to one extra week. It takes time for it to physically reach your insurer's headquarters, then some extra time for it to be processed. Someone has to take it out of the envelope and forward to the accounting department, then someone else has to contact the bank and have the funds cleared.