Georgia SR-22 requirements after a DUI

Which filing, and what triggers it

Form: SR-22

DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24(1) requires proof of liability insurance by certification from an authorized insurance company, filed on form SR-22, titled 'GEORGIA SAFETY RESPONSIBILITY INSURANCE CERTIFICATE'; the rule prescribes the form's contents (insured, case number, license number, policy number, effective date, vehicles, insurer signature) and says it must be green and machine-printed. The rule also refers to the insurer's cancellation notice as Form SR-26. DDS's reinstatement FAQs for other suspension types call the Georgia certificate the SR-22A and say the insurer may fax the documentation directly to DDS; no DDS page describes an electronic filing channel for DUI SR-22s.

“Proof of liability insurance must be made by certification from an authorized insurance company that the violator has in ... a valid liability insurance policy covering the required time span, said certification to filed on form SR-22 as specified below.”

What triggers it

Conviction, on reinstatement. DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24 provides that reinstatement of a license suspended for a conviction under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391 (DUI) requires an SR-22 filed and maintained for three years from the date of conviction. O.C.G.A. § 33-7-16(a), as enacted by SB 121, separately bars anyone convicted of DUI (BAC 0.08 or higher, drugs or other intoxicating substances) under § 40-6-391 or an equivalent law of another state from operating a vehicle in Georgia without the increased coverage; the bill applies to convictions on or after its May 14, 2025 effective date, and defines 'conviction' as a jury finding of guilty, a guilty plea or a nolo contendere plea. No DDS page or rule states an SR-22 requirement for an administrative (implied-consent/refusal) suspension without a conviction, and DDS's DUI (First Offense) FAQ does not list the SR-22 among its reinstatement steps.

“Reinstatement of driver’s licenses suspended for convictions under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391 will require an SR-22 to be filed and maintained for three (3) years from the date of conviction.”

How long it stays on file, and from when

3 years, counted from the date of conviction.

Three years from the date of conviction. DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24 says the SR-22 must be filed and maintained for three (3) years from the date of conviction, and O.C.G.A. § 33-7-16(c) (SB 121) requires the increased coverage to be maintained 'uninterrupted for a period of three years from the date of conviction'. The SR-22 form prescribed by the rule states the certification continues until cancelled or terminated under Georgia's financial-responsibility laws.

“shall maintain no less than such coverage uninterrupted for a period of three years from the date of conviction.”

If the policy is cancelled or lapses

DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24(4) requires the insurer to give DDS thirty days' notice before an acceptable termination or cancellation, with Form SR-26 received at least thirty days before the cancellation's effective date; under (3) an SR-22 not marked 'premium financed' is treated as paid in full and DDS will not accept an SR-26 for non-payment of premium — the policy must remain in effect for the statutorily required time; under (5) an SR-26 based on non-payment of additional premiums is not acceptable; under (2) a premium-financed SR-22 is accepted only after an initial 'Paid in Full' filing for six months, and may not be cancelled for non-payment within 180 days. § 33-7-16(c) requires the coverage to be maintained uninterrupted. DDS's reinstatement FAQ for repeat no-insurance suspensions states that when the insurer reports an SR-22A cancellation during the three years, DDS cancels the driver's license; no DDS page says the same specifically for DUI, and none states whether the three-year period restarts.

“The Department must be given thirty (30) days’ notice by the insurance carrier prior to acceptable termination or cancellation. The Department must be in receipt of Form SR-26 at least thirty (30) days before the ... date of cancellation.”

Non-owner and out-of-state policies

Neither DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24 nor O.C.G.A. § 33-7-16 (SB 121) addresses a non-owner or operator's policy for a DUI SR-22; the rule's form lists vehicle fields and says to attach a list if the space for covered vehicles is insufficient, and Rule .24(6) allows an employer to furnish proof on behalf of an employee operator (with a license restriction to the employer's vehicles). DDS's reinstatement FAQ for second or subsequent no-insurance suspensions states that a customer who does not own a vehicle must purchase and maintain an SR-22A non-owner's policy for three years from the conviction date, but that page concerns O.C.G.A. § 40-6-10 suspensions, not DUI.

“If a customer does not own a vehicle, they must purchase a SR-22A Non-Owner’s Insurance Policy, is still mandatory.”

DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24(1) requires the certification to come from 'an authorized insurance company' and does not say whether an insurer licensed only in another state, or a filing for a driver who has moved out of Georgia, is accepted. O.C.G.A. § 33-7-16(a) applies the coverage requirement to a person convicted under § 40-6-391 'or an equivalent law in another state' who operates a vehicle in Georgia (out-of-state convictions, not out-of-state insurers). DDS's FAQ for repeat no-insurance suspensions says out-of-state SR-22 policies must be presented with a payment receipt and proof of a policy at Georgia minimum limits, but that page is not about DUI.

“Out of state SR-22 insurance policies must be presented with a receipt showing valid payment to the insurance company and proof of maintaining a policy with minimum Georgia coverage limits. You must maintain this coverage for three (3) years.”

Liability limits the filing certifies

Minimum limits: 50/100/50

First DUI conviction: not less than $50,000 bodily injury or death of one person, $100,000 for all persons, and $50,000 property damage, per accident (DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24(7); O.C.G.A. § 33-7-16(a)). Second or subsequent conviction: $100,000 / $300,000 / $100,000 (Rule .24(8); § 33-7-16(b)). The SR-22 form itself certifies these limits. These exceed the ordinary minimums: § 33-7-16(d) says the DUI coverages apply in lieu of the minimum coverage under O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11, and DDS Rule 375-3-3-.02(8) (probationary-license SR-22) states $25,000 / $50,000 / $25,000. Although SB 121's summary title refers to uninsured-motorist coverage, the as-passed text imposes no uninsured-motorist or PIP component.

“(a) Not less than $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident; (b) Not less than $100,000 for bodily injury to or death of all persons in any one accident; and (c) Not less than $50,000 for loss of, damage to, or destruction of property in any one accident.”

How the filing is confirmed

DDS states that reinstatement requirements vary by suspension type, conviction and number of offenses, and that the fastest way to see them is to sign in to Online Services (or the DDS 2 GO app) to check license status and view step-by-step reinstatement instructions based on the driver's record. DDS's reinstatement FAQs say the insurer may fax the SR-22 documentation directly to DDS. DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24 is the DDS document that describes the DUI SR-22 filing; no DDS web page explains it.

Agency page: dds.georgia.gov

“The fastest way to see the requirements for your situation is to sign in to Online Services, where you can check your license status and view step-by-step reinstatement instructions.”

Financial-responsibility statute

O.C.G.A. § 33-7-16 (added by SB 121, 2025 Ga. Laws Act 287, signed and effective May 14, 2025) and O.C.G.A. § 40-6-10(a)(1.3); implemented by DDS Rule 375-3-3-.24 (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs.), adopted under O.C.G.A. §§ 40-5-4, 40-5-63 and 33-7-16

“(c) Any individual who is required to obtain the motor vehicle liability coverage provided for in subsection (a) or (b) of this Code section shall maintain no less than such coverage uninterrupted for a period of three years from the date of conviction.”