The SR-22 is gone here, but the GU-1338 is not
The DMV says it plainly on its GU-1338 page: Rhode Island has dropped the SR-22 requirement. The GU-1338 FAQ repeats that the state no longer requires SR-22s.
One insurer-filed certificate survives. The GU-1338, the Special Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate, comes from an insurer authorized in the state. It covers dealers, taxis, school buses, leasing companies, driving schools and similar plate types. It also covers anyone under 18 registering a car in their own name.
Teen owners: what goes on the filing
Per the GU-1338 FAQ, a minor's filing lists full name, date of birth, and the vehicle's year, make and full VIN. It also shows the insurer, policy number and effective date. The insurer sends it to the Financial Responsibility Office in Cranston by email, fax or mail.
Turning 18 ends the requirement. Your insurer can send an SR-26 saying you are no longer a minor. You can also call or email that office yourself.
An SR-26 cancels every plate on the certificate
An SR-26 is the insurer's cancellation notice. The DMV's GU-1338 page says that once one is processed, all vehicles and plate types on that GU-1338 cancel on the stated date. If no new policy arrives before then, you owe a reinstatement fee to get the plates back.
DMV rules on compulsory insurance set registration reinstatement at $250 per vehicle. A driver's license reinstatement costs $150 under the same rule. Removed a car from the policy? Cancel its plates online first to avoid that charge.
RIIVS flags an uninsured VIN after four weeks
Rhode Island matches every registered VIN against insurer data in its Insurance Verification Program. Four straight weeks without a match triggers a Request for Insurance Verification letter. Your insurer or agent fixes it by submitting the policy electronically to RIIVS.
Ignore it and a Revocation Notice follows. You have ten days from the notice date to ask for a hearing in writing. Restoring the registration takes proof of insurance, a signed affidavit and $253.50.
Then comes a 12-month monitoring period. Any failed check during it means immediate revocation and a block on your license.
Penalties for driving uninsured, and DUI fees
Section 31-47-9 sets suspensions for knowingly driving without coverage. A first offense brings up to three months and a $100 to $500 fine. A second brings six months and $500. A third brings up to a year and $1,000.
The DMV adjudication fee table lists license reinstatement at $153.50. Reinstatement after a DUI or chemical test refusal costs $353.50. Both figures include a $3.50 technology surcharge.
Proof without owning a car
Insurance ID cards follow the DMV's compulsory insurance rule. When you own no vehicle, the card can read named operator in place of a vehicle description. That card is how a non-owner policy shows up here.
Policies must meet Section 31-47-2: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property. A $75,000 combined single limit also qualifies. The same rule lets owners deposit cash or securities with the state and receive a certificate.