Reinstating a Suspended or Revoked Texas Driver License, and the SR-22, in 2026

Start with the License Eligibility page

DPS's reinstatement page sends every suspended, revoked, cancelled or denied driver to the License Eligibility page on Texas.gov to learn what must be submitted. It lists each enforcement action, the compliance items, the fees, and whether the record shows eligible; once every item has been processed and any mandatory period has ended, the status changes to eligible. Fees paid online post immediately with a $5.75 convenience fee, which DPS calls the quickest way.

The four reinstatement fees

From DPS's reinstatement fees FAQ. Each action type carries its own fee, so an ALR plus a safety responsibility suspension costs $225, and a new conviction after payment adds a new fee. By mail a personal check, cashier's check or money order for the full amount, with the driver's full name, license number, date of birth and the code, goes to Texas Department of Public Safety, Attn: Central Cash Receiving (CCR), PO Box 15999, Austin, TX 78761-5999, with 21 business days of processing. Driver license offices cannot take these payments. Delinquent child support revocations carry no reinstatement fee.

Where compliance documents go

Documents without a fee, or after an online payment, go by mail to Texas Department of Public Safety, Enforcement and Compliance Service, PO Box 4087, Austin, TX 78773-0320, by fax to (512) 424-2848, or by email to driver.improvement@dps.texas.gov as PDF files, each marked with the full name, date of birth and license number and, if available, a copy of the suspension notice; DPS asks for 21 business days. Documents mailed with a fee go to Central Cash Receiving at PO Box 15999 instead. DPS's enforcement actions chart (form DL-176) lists every suspension and revocation.

The SR-22 certificate

DPS's SR-22 page describes the Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate: a filing by an insurer, under Transportation Code Chapter 601, certifying the minimum liability coverage of $30,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $60,000 for two or more, and $25,000 for property damage in one crash, with the insurer notifying DPS automatically if it is cancelled, terminated or lapses. It is required after a suspension for a crash, a second or later conviction for no motor vehicle liability insurance, a civil judgment, a security deposit for a crash suspension, and after convictions such as DWI, drug offenses and driving while license invalid, and it is kept two years from the conviction or judgment date; a certificate filed a year late still ends two years after the conviction, and a new conviction extends it. An insurance card or policy is not accepted in place of it, not every insurer offers one, and a driver without a vehicle buys a Texas non-owner SR-22 policy. Reinstatement takes the SR-22 on file plus the $100 fee; a lapse re-suspends the license and the registration and takes a new certificate and another $100. DPS's SR-22 FAQ says processing takes up to 21 business days and the status shows on the eligibility page.

The other suspensions DPS explains

Driving while license invalid. A mandatory DWLI follows a conviction for that offense, lasts up to two years, allows no departmental hearing and requires an SR-22 for two years; a departmental DWLI is the 90-day suspension for a conviction or a crash while the license was invalid, with a hearing available within 20 days of the notice online, by fax to (512) 424-2501, email or mail to ECS, PO Box 4087, Austin, TX 78773. Both take a $100 fee before any renewal. DPS's DWLI FAQ has the details.

Failure to appear or pay. Under the program on DPS's FTA/FTP page, a renewal is denied while a court reports an unanswered citation or unpaid judgment; the driver settles with each reporting court, checks the status at texasfailuretoappear.com or Omnibase Services at 1-800-686-0570, and the record updates three to five business days after the court reports compliance.

Delinquent child support. The Attorney General or a court orders the revocation or denial, which lasts until an order vacating or staying it reaches DPS; no reinstatement fee applies and no occupational license is available, per DPS's child support page.

Medical revocations. Revoked as incapable, for not answering the Medical Advisory Board, or for a required test not taken: $100 plus the board's approval, current medical information or the exams, on the medical conditions guide. Truancy convictions for students 12 to 19 with an offense date from September 1, 2015 suspend the license up to 180 days or to the end of the school year, and earlier truancy records were expunged under House Bill 2398, per DPS's truancy page.

Questions about reinstatement

How do I find out what I owe?

On DPS's License Eligibility page at Texas.gov, which lists the compliance items and fees for each enforcement action, takes payment, and shows the status as eligible once everything has cleared and the suspension period has ended.

Can a reinstatement fee be reduced or paid in installments?

No. DPS says Texas law does not allow these fees to be reduced, waived or paid in installments, no program helps pay them, and disabled veterans pay them too. Every fee must be paid in full before any license is applied for, renewed or upgraded, occupational and interlock licenses included.

What is an SR-22 and how long do I keep it?

A certificate filed by an insurer with DPS, under Transportation Code Chapter 601, showing the minimum liability coverage of $30,000 per person, $60,000 per crash and $25,000 property damage; it is kept two years from the most recent conviction or judgment, and an insurance card or policy is not accepted in its place. A driver without a vehicle buys a Texas non-owner SR-22 policy.

What if the SR-22 lapses?

The insurer notifies DPS automatically, the license and the vehicle registration can be suspended again, and reinstatement takes a new SR-22 and another $100 fee.

I had insurance when I was cited for none. Do I still need an SR-22?

No, for a second or later no-insurance conviction: the insurer sends a letter on company letterhead confirming coverage on that date, by fax to (512) 424-2848, email to Driver Improvement or mail to ECS, PO Box 4087, Austin, TX 78773, and DPS waives the SR-22 within about 21 days.

What is a departmental DWLI?

A 90-day suspension DPS imposes when a driver is convicted of an offense or involved in a crash while the license is already suspended, revoked, denied or cancelled, under Transportation Code Section 521.292, even without a ticket for driving while invalid; a hearing may be requested within 20 days of the notice. A mandatory DWLI, after a conviction for that specific offense, can last up to two years, carries no hearing and requires an SR-22 for two years.