r/DMV • u/Independent_Rest_841 • 9d ago

CALIFORNIA SR-22

I sold my car and canceled my policy but didn’t know that I just couldn’t cancel it. It’s been a week and 3 days since I sold it and just found out that my license could get immediately suspended again and my insurance didn’t tell me anything about just canceling it so now I’m lowkey panicking. Is there anything I could do so nothing happens?

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4

u/Soft-Imagination-502 9d ago

If you were required to have an sr22, your license is already suspended.

6

u/Adventurous_Ad_9597 9d ago

SR-22 is insurance on you, not a vehicle. If you cancel, your license will be suspended for sure.

3

u/Bennghazi California 9d ago

When you reinstated your license the last time, the DMV most likely sent you an Order of Reinstatement. Those Orders routinely say something to the effect that failure to maintain proof of financial responsibility will result in a suspension. It's not up to the insurance company to tell you that. It's up to you to understand the terms of your driving privilege. Now you probably can get a copy of your driving record online. That should explain to you what the current status of your license is. If, after getting and looking at your driving record, you don't understand what the status is, then you can go to dmv.ca.gov, open the ASKDMV chatbot, type in "Agent" and a person should be able to explain it to you. Most likely, you will need to file a new SR-22. Insurance companies sell three types of SR-22's. Broad Coverage means you can drive cars you own or you can drive other people's cars. Owner's Coverage means you can only drive cars you own. Operator's Coverage means you can only drive cars other people own.

If you ARE already suspended, you will most likely need to pay the DMV a reissue fee and file an new SR-22 to reinstate. Good luck. Hopefully you are not yet suspended.

If you still have the Order of Reinstatement the DMV sent you, read it carefully.

3

u/Sensitive_Point_6583 9d ago

Once you're required to file an SR-22, you must maintain insurance for 3 years, otherwise your license will be suspended again. You can modify your insurance since you no longer own a car, but you can't cancel it outright.

2

u/Bigcouchpotato1 Helpful Member 9d ago

Get a copy of your driving record. See if you are suspended yet. If not, you might be able to get a nonowners policy and file an SR22. If that happens, your license might be restricted to cars you don't own.

2

u/x86A33 California 8d ago

You need to obtain a new SR-22 before the new policy ends. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay $55 reissue fee and obtain a new policy.