The reason on your MVD notice sets the end date
MVD's future financial responsibility page gives each case its own clock.
- Alcohol or drug revocation: 3 years from the end date of the revocation.
- Court DUI conviction or a refused test: 3 years from the end date of the suspension.
- No-insurance violations under A.R.S. 28-4135: 3 years from the date you become eligible to reinstate.
- Unpaid crash judgment: the whole term of the judgment, plus 2 full years after it is satisfied.
- SIIRDL, the special interlock restricted license: for the whole restricted period.
One exception matters. A SIIRDL issued because of Admin Per Se does not need an SR-22.
Arizona removes the requirement on its own
When your time is done, MVD drops the requirement automatically and you take no action. Your insurer can keep filing after that, so cancel the filing with them directly. The statute behind it, A.R.S. 28-4088, lets the director waive proof three years after it was required.
That law also blocks a shortcut. Say you surrender your license to end the proof early. Reapply within three years and you must restore proof for the rest of the period.
You can check your status on AZ MVD Now under Compliance Issues Timeline. MVD can also release someone who no longer lives in Arizona, though judgments are not eligible.
A dropped policy means an immediate suspension risk
Your insurer must tell MVD if the policy cancels or lapses, and MVD can then suspend you right away. Under A.R.S. 28-4148, insurers report cancellations within seven days of processing them. The insurer must also tell you the department was notified.
To recover, get a new SR-22 filed electronically and pay the $10 suspension fee online or at an MVD or Third Party office.
Revoked licenses cost a little more
The fee law, A.R.S. 28-3002, sets reinstatement at ten dollars after a suspension and twenty after a revocation. An Admin Per Se case adds fifty dollars.
Revocation also needs paperwork first. You mail form 99-0139 to the Driver Improvement Unit, and approval gives you one year to finish. An age-based application fee from $10 to $25 is added, per MVD's revocation and suspension page. Personal checks are not accepted.
No car, or a deposit in place of insurance
Without a vehicle, MVD says you need a non-owner policy, and that insurer files the SR-22 the same way. Our non-owner SR-22 guide explains the policy.
The other route is cash. A.R.S. 28-4084 lets the State Treasurer certify a $40,000 deposit in cash or certificates of deposit. The Treasurer accepts it only with evidence of no unsatisfied judgments in your county.
Policies issued or renewed from July 1, 2020 must carry the A.R.S. 28-4009 limits. Those are $25,000 for one person hurt, $50,000 for two or more people, and $15,000 for property.