Virginia keeps two certificates on file: SR-22 and FR-44
Your conviction decides which insurer filing Virginia DMV wants. The DMV certification page ties the SR-22 to unsatisfied judgments and uninsured motor vehicle suspensions. A missed proof request under insurance monitoring, or a falsified insurance certification, also puts you on that list.
Some suspensions after a criminal conviction need it too. They include manslaughter tied to driving, perjury or a false statement to DMV, and motor vehicle felonies. So does leaving a crash with injuries without stopping to identify yourself.
Insurers can file electronically, which places the certification directly on your DMV record.
Caught uninsured: a $600 fee and three years of SR-22
An owner found without insurance loses both driving and vehicle registration privileges, per the DMV insurance requirements page. To get them back, you pay a $600 non-compliance fee and keep an SR-22 on file for three years. A reinstatement fee is added if one applies to your record.
The policy behind the certificate must meet the state minimum. For policies effective on or after Jan. 1, 2025, that is $50,000 for one injured person, $100,000 per crash and $25,000 for property damage. Policies that began from 2022 through 2024 used $30,000, $60,000 and $20,000.
After a DUI, the FR-44 doubles your liability limits
The FR-44 replaces the SR-22 after a conviction for driving under the influence of intoxicants or drugs, or maiming while under the influence. Driving while your license is forfeited for one of those convictions counts too. A matching conviction under federal law or another state's law is treated the same way.
Coverage on an FR-44 must be double the SR-22 limits written in Code of Virginia section 46.2-472. That applies to convictions on or after January 1, 2008. Our FR-44 guide explains the form itself.
DMV put a STOP on the record of anyone who missed the January 1, 2009 FR-44 deadline. It blocks driver transactions such as a renewal, though vehicle registration still works.
What DMV charges before your privileges return
Virginia sorts its charges by purpose on the DMV reinstatement fee page. The reinstatement fee restores the privilege to drive and register after a suspension. A separate statutory or noncompliance fee covers running an uninsured motor vehicle on the highways. Each second or later suspension or revocation order adds $5.
The license reinstatement page puts reinstatement fees between $145 and $220, depending on the suspension. It also lets you send DMV the insurer's certification without visiting a customer service center.
When coverage stops before your registration ends
Liability coverage that terminates or cancels mid-registration leaves you three choices under the DMV insurance rules. Reinsure the vehicle, deactivate the license plates, or permanently surrender the plates to DMV. Skipping all three is how owners land in the uninsured suspension above.
Self-insurance and surety bonds exist here, but DMV describes them as special options for owners of business vehicles.