All About The California State SR-22 Certificate Of Automobile Insurance Process

As a resident of the state of California, you are legally required to carry a liability insurance policy on all of your cars. If you are involved in an accident where you are found to be at fault and did not have an insurance policy in place, then the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requires that you obtain an SR-22 Certificate of Automobile Insurance before you can legally drive your car again.

If you need to obtain an SR-22 certificate, here is all of the information you need to know about the process:

SR-22 Certificate of Automobile Insurance Basics

After your car accident, the only way that you will be permitted to drive again in California is to purchase automobile insurance and provide the DMV with an additional SR-22 Certificate of Automobile Insurance. Since you were already involved in an accident without insurance, you can expect that your new premium will likely cost more than your previous premium did, and you will also pay the added cost to your insurance company for them to issue you an SR-22 certificate. Once you pay your premium and for the certificate, then your auto insurance agent will electronically submit your SR-22 to the California DMV for you. Once this step has been completed, then it is legal for you to drive your car again.

Obtaining Multiple SR-22 Certificates

If you have a spouse or a minor child driving your vehicle who is also required to submit an SR-22 certificate before they can drive again, then you need to have your insurance agent issue a separate SR-22 certificate to each person. As you can imagine, you will need to pay a separate fee for each of the certificates that your family needs to obtain. It isn't possible for multiple drivers to be included on the same SR-22 certificate.

Discontinuing Your SR-22 Certificate

Finally, when the time comes that you are no longer require to have an SR-22 certificate, you should contact your automobile insurance agent and ask them to cancel it. Your insurance agent will revoke the SR-22 certificate and electronically notify the state of California's DMV for you. To avoid needing to obtain an SR-22 certificate in the future, always ensure that you are driving vehicles covered with a basic liability insurance policy. If a vehicle doesn't have the proper insurance, then you should not drive it or you risk being in another accident and incurring a lot of costs. Contact a business, such as Angel Auto Insurance, for more information.   


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