It usually starts with a BMV letter asking for a COC
Indiana asks for a Certificate of Compliance before it ever asks for an SR22. The BMV's proof page lists when that request comes. A crash report reaching the BMV is one trigger.
Others are a pointable moving violation within one year of two others, or a misdemeanor or felony traffic offense. So is any pointable violation after an earlier no-proof suspension.
The card you show a police officer is not sent to the BMV. A letter arrives by mail instead. Your insurer must file the COC electronically within ninety days of that mailing, or your privileges are suspended. The Department of Insurance describes the COC as a form your agent files after an accident or traffic violation.
When a COC will not work, the SR22 stays the suspension
Some drivers cannot produce a COC for the date in question. Then, says the reinstatement page, the insurer must submit an SR22 instead. The SR22 stays the insurance suspension.
Keep it for 180 consecutive days with no lapses, and that suspension terminates. A court-ordered suspension can also be stayed by obtaining SR22 coverage. The BMV does not accept policy documents from drivers, so the filing has to come from the company.
An SR26 restarts the trouble
An Indiana SR22 cannot be cancelled without prior notice to the BMV. If the BMV receives an SR26, the cancellation notice, your privileges are suspended. The same happens if no effective SR22 is on file at any point in the required period.
That suspension lasts until a new SR22 shows coverage, or the requirement period runs out. Insurers send SR22, SR26, SR50 and COC forms through the BMV's electronic EIFS system.
Moving out of Indiana mid-requirement
Out-of-state residents can file the Out of State Residency Affidavit. It waives the SR50 or a 3-year or 5-year SR22 requirement. Move back before the end date, and you must meet the insurance requirement until it expires.
The affidavit has limits. It does not touch the SR22 tied to Specialized Driving Privileges, or a suspension stayed with an SR22. Those stays need the SR22 kept no matter where you live.
Fees on your record and the 25/50/25 floor
Indiana's minimum is 25/50/25. That is $25,000 for injury or death of one person and $50,000 for two or more. Property damage needs $25,000 per accident.
The exact fee for each suspension appears on your official driving record, which costs $4. The forms page takes fees online, by phone, at a 24-hour kiosk, or by mail. No-insurance reinstatement fees are waived for some paroled, non-violent offenders who work or train for 3 years.