The FR-19 does the job an SR-22 does elsewhere
Most coverage reports reach the MVA without your help, because insurers send them electronically. The trouble starts when the MVA's records show a gap. At that point the agency opens a case and wants an FR-19, the Maryland Insurance Certification.
You cannot sign it yourself. Maryland Auto Insurance, the state-created insurer, says in its FAQ that only the insurer or an authorized agent can issue one. It certifies that the vehicle carried Maryland liability coverage on the exact dates the MVA asked about.
Agents file it through the myMVA eFR-19 portal using your case number and the VIN, title or tag number. The MVA says the record is changed in real time once the agent submits.
Maryland suspends the car's registration the day coverage lapses
Under Transportation Article § 17-106, a lapse suspends the vehicle's registration back to the lapse date. That suspension takes effect no later than 60 days after the MVA is told. Insurers must report final cancellations to the MVA right away, electronically.
The registration stays suspended until two things happen. New coverage has to be shown on a form certified by an insurer or insurance producer, and any uninsured penalty has to be paid. Once notified, you have 48 hours to surrender the registration and plates. Miss that, and the MVA can suspend your driver's license until they come back.
How the $7-a-day uninsured penalty adds up
The MVA's fee schedule sets the uninsured penalty at $200 for the first 1 to 30 days. Each day after that adds $7, up to $3,500 per year. Leave it unpaid for 120 days and the registration is cancelled. Your file then goes to the Central Collection Unit, which adds 17%.
Think the notice is wrong? The penalties page says to have your insurer correct and resubmit the FR-19. Corrected information can cut or erase the penalty. If you dropped coverage on purpose, return the plates, since keeping them uninsured keeps the penalty running.
Liability limits the certified policy has to meet
The MVA's insurance requirements page lists $30,000 per injured person and $60,000 per crash for bodily injury. Property damage has a $15,000 floor. Those numbers apply even when the car sits parked.
Section 17-103 adds that the policy must come from an insurer authorized to write it in Maryland. The MVA adds that only companies licensed and approved in Maryland can insure a car registered here.
When standard insurers say no: Maryland Auto Insurance
Refused or cancelled by two or more companies? Maryland Auto Insurance is the fund the MVA points to, though it does not run it. Its FAQ lists the eligibility rules set by state law. You must live in Maryland and own a Maryland-registered car or hold a Maryland license. You also need a cancellation for a reason other than unpaid premium, or refusals from two standard insurers.
For a high-risk policy, this fund is the state's own answer. You cannot owe it any unpaid premium from an earlier policy.