How to get your license back after a DUI in Mississippi
Getting a license back after a DUI is an agency process, not a court one: the steps below are the ones the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Driver Service Bureau lists, in its order, each quoted from the agency's own page. Requirements differ by offense, blood-alcohol level, refusal, and prior record; the state's wording controls.
Steps the state lists
- 1
Serve the suspension (120 days for a first DUI conviction) unless the court orders an interlock-restricted license
The Driver Service Bureau states a first DUI conviction suspends a Class R license for 120 days absent a court order for the ignition interlock-restricted license; a second conviction within five years brings a 1-year suspension. Suspensions for nonadjudications and convictions start 21 days from the date the court order was entered. To continue driving instead of the suspension, the court can order the driver to obtain the ignition interlock restricted license.
What the source says
“Upon conviction of a DUI, 1st offense, a Class R license will be suspended for 120 days, absent a court order for the ignition interlock-restricted license.”
- 2
Attend and complete the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP)
The Driver Service Bureau states that attendance and completion of MASEP is required after a first DUI conviction, along with proof of insurance for three years. The DSB FAQ states a license remains suspended after fines are paid until MASEP is completed and the $175 reinstatement fee is paid.
What the source says
“Attendance and completion of the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) is required, along with proof of insurance for three years.”
- 3
Provide proof of insurance
The DSB FAQ states the Driver Service Bureau must have proof of current insurance because the driver was cited for a DUI offense; proof is provided at a local Driver Service Bureau location when paying the reinstatement fee. Miss. Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1, Rule 16.1 (in the state record) requires proof of financial responsibility (SR-22 or the like) in effect for not less than three years after an Implied Consent suspension.
What the source says
“To provide proof of insurance, you will need to go to a local Driver Service Bureau location and pay the reinstatement fee of $175.00 required by state law.”
- 4
Pay the $175 DUI reinstatement fee
The DSB Reinstatement page lists 'DUI reinstatement $175.00' and states mailed payments must be a certified cashier's check or money order (personal checks not accepted); the DUI Department page lists the $175.00 reinstatement fee to a regular license after an Implied Consent suspension has been served. Fees can also be paid online through Driver Self-Service.
What the source says
“Mail payment as a certified cashier's check or money order. Personal checks will not be accepted. Type Fee Suspension Citation $100.00 FTA reinstatement $100.00 FTP reinstatement $100.00 DUI reinstatement $175.00”
- 5
Interlock-restricted drivers: submit proof of eligibility for an unrestricted license
Under Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31(8), to reinstate a license not restricted to interlock-equipped vehicles the person must submit proof of eligibility to the Department of Public Safety, which may be a court order indicating completion of sentence or a final order of nonadjudication; absent a court order, proof of completion of an alcohol safety program under § 63-11-32 if ordered, payment of the reinstatement fee under § 63-1-46(1)(a) and the license fee under § 63-1-43, a certificate of liability insurance or proof of financial responsibility, and a vendor declaration of no interlock incidents in the last thirty days.
What the source says
“In order to reinstate a form of driver's license that is not restricted to operation of an ignition-interlock equipped vehicle, the person must submit proof to the Department of Public Safety to substantiate the person's eligibility for an unrestricted license”
Official reinstatement page: Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Driver Service Bureau
Conditions that travel with reinstatement
| Reinstatement fee | $175 |
|---|---|
| SR-22 / financial-responsibility filing | Yes · 3 years — Mississippi SR-22 requirements |
| Ignition interlock | Mississippi interlock rule |
| Required program | Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) |
| Driving during the suspension | Ignition-interlock restricted license (Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31); no hardship license for DUI |
| Re-examination | Knowledge test: required in some cases · road test: not addressed by the agency |
Required program: Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP)
The Driver Service Bureau states attendance and completion of MASEP is required after a first DUI conviction and lists 'MS Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP)' with a contact number under its resources. Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31(7) makes a person eligible for an unrestricted license when the person has completed an alcohol safety education program as provided in § 63-11-32 and satisfied the other conditions of the sentence or nonadjudication. The DSB pages do not state which entity administers MASEP.
“Attendance and completion of the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) is required, along with proof of insurance for three years.”
Driving during the suspension: Ignition-interlock restricted license (Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31); no hardship license for DUI
The Driver Service Bureau states that a court may order installation of an ignition-interlock device for every vehicle operated by a person convicted or non-adjudicated, that the interlock-restricted license should be required by the court in a written order, and that the device is installed before the suspension takes effect. A person who installs a device must obtain an ignition-interlock restricted license: the person must be otherwise qualified to drive, submit proof that a device was installed and is operating on all vehicles operated, and bring the vehicle to the Department of Public Safety for verification. Fees listed: $175.00 ignition-interlock fee when obtaining the restricted license and $56.00 for the restricted license. The DSB FAQ states hardship licenses are not available from the Driver Service Bureau for drivers affected by DUI.
“A person who installs an ignition-interlock device must obtain an ignition-interlock restricted license. In order to obtain an ignition-interlock restricted license, a person must be otherwise qualified to operate a motor vehicle”
When the interlock can be removed
Compliance-based, with proof submitted to the Department of Public Safety and the court able to extend the period. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31(8)(e)(i), a person driving under an interlock-restricted license must provide a declaration from the vendor, on a DPS-approved form, certifying none of the following in the last thirty days: an attempt to start the vehicle with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more, failure to take or pass any required retest, or failure to appear at the vendor for maintenance, repair, calibration, monitoring, inspection, or replacement. Under § 63-11-31(9) the court may extend the interlock-restricted period if the person had a violation in the last thirty days. Under § 63-11-31(7), eligibility for an unrestricted license requires completion of the alcohol safety education program and all other conditions of the sentence; under (11) a person who voluntarily obtained the restricted license may convert at any time to another license for which the person qualifies. Removal costs: § 63-11-31(2) places installation and operation costs on the person unless indigent; the Interlock Device Fund pays vendors up to $50 for removal for indigent offenders (state record). No general removal fee cap is stated.
Compliance period: last thirty (30) days with no start attempt at 0.04 or more, no failed or missed retest, and no missed vendor appointment (vendor declaration)
“a declaration from the vendor, in a form provided or approved by the Department of Public Safety, certifying that there have been none of the following incidents in the last thirty (30) days: 1. An attempt to start the vehicle with a breath alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more”
Will you have to retake the test? Re-examination in Mississippi
Some states hand the license back once the conditions are met; others treat a revoked or long-withdrawn license as expired and issue a new one only after the knowledge test, the road test or a vision screening is passed again. The rules below are the licensing agency's own, one per test.
| Knowledge (written) test | Required in some cases Reinstatement after an implied-consent or DUI suspension is described as paying the $175 reinstatement fee, completing MASEP and filing proof of insurance, with no test. The Driver Service Bureau requires the knowledge exam again only when a Mississippi license has been expired for more than 60 months. What the source says“If a Mississippi resident's driver's license has been expired for more than 60 months, they must retake the knowledge exam.” |
|---|---|
| Road (driving) test | Not addressed by the agency No Driver Service Bureau page mentions a road test for reinstatement, and the expired-license rule names only the knowledge exam. The DUI page describes reinstatement to a regular license as the $175 fee once the implied-consent suspension has been served. What the source says“Reinstatement fee to a regular driver’s license after a suspension related to the Implied Consent Law has been served: $175.00” |
| Vision screening | Not addressed by the agency The reinstatement pages do not mention vision. An eye exam is listed with the knowledge exam for an original Class R applicant aged 17 or older. What the source says“Must pass the knowledge and eye exam and present all applicable required documents.” |
What triggers a re-test
Expiry, not the suspension: a Mississippi license expired for more than 60 months requires the knowledge exam again. A DUI suspension ends with the reinstatement fee, MASEP completion and three years of proof of insurance, and no page ties a test to a revocation.
“Attendance and completion of the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) is required, along with proof of insurance for three years.”- Testing fee
- $24 — the fee for a 4-year Class R (regular) license, original or renewal; an 8-year Class R license is $47; no separate knowledge-exam fee is listed, and the $175 implied-consent reinstatement fee is separate
What the source says
“$24.00 4 Year Regular Original / Renewal Class R”
- Where to take it
- driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov — at a Driver License Station; the Driver Service Bureau's pages link to its online appointment system, and reinstatement fees can be paid online or at a station
- Official driver manual
- Mississippi Driver's License Manual
Questions about re-testing in Mississippi
- Does a Mississippi DUI suspension mean retaking the knowledge exam?
- Not by itself. The Driver Service Bureau's DUI page describes reinstatement to a regular license after an implied-consent suspension as paying the $175 reinstatement fee, with MASEP completion and three years of proof of insurance required after a conviction. The knowledge exam comes back only when a Mississippi license has been expired for more than 60 months.
- Is a road test required after a suspension?
- No Driver Service Bureau page states one. The expired-license rule names only the knowledge exam, and the Class R page notes that applicants 17 and older are not required to file the road-testing waiver affidavit that 16-year-olds file.
- What does a new Class R license cost?
- The Driver Service Bureau fee table lists $24 for a 4-year regular Class R license (original or renewal) and $47 for an 8-year one. The ignition-interlock-restricted license is $56 and the implied-consent reinstatement fee is $175.
Reinstatement knowledge check: Mississippi
Ten questions on the rules this site cites for the state — the figures the licensing agency and the statute state, with a link to where each one is stated. The order changes every time.
This is not the agency's knowledge test and does not predict it; it checks the rules cited on this site.
Questions about reinstatement in Mississippi
- What does Mississippi require to reinstate a license after a first DUI?
- The Mississippi Driver Service Bureau states a first DUI conviction brings a 120-day Class R suspension (starting 21 days after the court order) unless the court orders an interlock-restricted license; attendance and completion of the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) is required along with proof of insurance for three years, and a $175.00 reinstatement fee is paid to the Driver Service Bureau after the Implied Consent suspension is served.
- Is a hardship license available after a DUI in Mississippi?
- No. The Driver Service Bureau's FAQ states hardship licenses are not available from the Driver Service Bureau for drivers affected by DUI. The alternative described by the DSB is the ignition-interlock restricted license under Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31, which the court orders in writing; the driver installs the device, has DPS verify the installation, and pays a $175.00 interlock fee and a $56.00 restricted-license fee.
- How does an interlock-restricted driver get an unrestricted Mississippi license?
- Under Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31(8), the person submits proof of eligibility to the Department of Public Safety: a court order showing completion of the sentence, or proof of completing the alcohol safety program if ordered, payment of the reinstatement and license fees, proof of insurance, and a vendor declaration that in the last thirty days there was no start attempt at 0.04 or more, no failed or missed retest, and no missed vendor appointment. The court may extend the period for a violation in the last thirty days.
Sources
- MS DPS Driver Service Bureau – DUI Department (suspension periods, MASEP, interlock-restricted license, fees)
- MS DPS Driver Service Bureau – Reinstatement (fee table; payment method)
- MS DPS Driver Service Bureau – FAQ: DUI Offenses and Driving Privileges (PDF, 8/26/2025)
- MS Legislature – SB 2663 (2018 Regular Session, As Sent to Governor; approved) — last enacted text of Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-31 (interlock-restricted license; reinstatement proof; court extension)
- MS Secretary of State – Miss. Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1, Rule 16.1 Proof of Financial Responsibility (from the state record)