The five Illinois records that call for financial responsibility insurance
Springfield does not call it an SR-22 requirement first. The Secretary of State's SR-22 page calls it Financial Responsibility Insurance. It applies to safety responsibility suspensions, which follow an uninsured crash, and to unsatisfied judgment suspensions.
Revocations and mandatory insurance supervisions are on the list too. So is anyone with three or more convictions for mandatory insurance violations.
A revocation can reach your plates as well. Under 625 ILCS 5/7-304, the state suspends the registration of every vehicle you own. The exception: you give proof for 3 years on each of those vehicles.
Renewing 45 days early is the Illinois rule that catches drivers
The insurance must be maintained for three years, per the state SR-22 page. Paying on the due date is not good enough here. Renew the SR-22 policy at least 45 days before it ends, or the state can suspend you again over the insurance.
The reason is a second deadline on the insurer's side. If the company has no renewal 15 days before expiration, the law makes it notify the Secretary of State. Set your renewal payment for six or seven weeks before the end date.
An SR-26 notice means a fresh suspension in Springfield
When the SR-22 expires or is cancelled, the insurer sends the Safety and Financial Responsibility Section an SR-26 Cancellation Certificate. Once that notice arrives, the state suspends your driving record. That suspension cannot be removed until the insurance filing has been reinstated.
The filing itself is electronic. Section 7-315 lets proof come from the electronic certificate of a carrier authorized in Illinois. The certificate cannot be canceled without 15 days' prior electronic notice to the state. If you own no car, the same section allows an operator's policy, which is how a non-owner SR-22 works.
Illinois charges a separate fee for each suspension type
The reinstatement fee list sets a $100 fee for each mandatory insurance conviction suspension. An uninsured accident suspension and an unsatisfied judgment suspension cost $70 each.
A DUI statutory summary suspension costs $250 the first time and $500 for each later one. Revocations cost $500 each. All reinstatement fees must be paid before a new license is issued. The office also has to receive your SR22 certificate or an out of state insurance waiver.
The 25/50/20 floor, or a $70,000 deposit instead
The Illinois Department of Insurance sets bodily injury limits of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. Property damage liability must be at least $20,000 per accident.
Insurance is not the only proof the state takes. You can leave $70,000, in cash or in securities, on deposit with the Illinois State Treasurer. A surety bond, or a real estate bond approved by a court of record, also qualifies. Our SR-22 bond guide covers how bonds differ from a policy.