How do I get my license back after a DWI DUI in Minnesota?
If your license is revoked due to a DWI/DUI in Minnesota, you’re probably wondering what you need to do to get back on the road as soon as possible. Depending on your exact situation, there are a few different options available to you, and they all have different hoops that you will be required to jump through.
In certain situations, you can just choose not to drive. For this to apply, your license needs to be revoked for 2 years or fewer. If it is any longer than that, you don’t have the option to just sit out the revocation period. More on that below. If you do choose to not drive during the revocation period, you will still be required to pay the $680 reinstatement fee and take the written test on chapters 7 & 8 of the Minnesota Driver’s manual prior to your license being reinstated.
If driving is a must for you, there are other options. In some situations, you may be eligible for a work permit. If that is the case, you will need to pay the $680 reinstatement fee and take the written test mentioned above. You will also need to fill out an application for a new license and meet with an evaluator to go over your work schedule and set up the work permit so that you know when you are allowed to drive.
Not everyone is eligible for a work permit. If you don’t qualify for that, you must get on ignition interlock if you want to drive during your revocation period. To get on ignition interlock, you must go through the following steps: get ignition interlock installed in your vehicle from one of the state approved vendors; talk to your insurance and have them send over an SR-22 document to the Department of Public Safety (The SR-22 is proof that the insurance company will insure a “high risk” driver); pay the $680 reinstatement fee and take the written test mentioned above; and fill out an application for a new license.
Once all of this is done and the paperwork is processed you will be allowed to drive using the ignition interlock device.
If your license is taken for 3 years or more, you are cancelled. As mentioned above, you are not allowed to just sit the revocation period out when you are cancelled. In order to get your license back when cancelled, you have to follow the steps listed in the previous paragraph, along with the following: get a chemical health assessment done and provide the Department of Public Safety with proof of the assessment and proof that you are working on the treatment that it recommended. Additionally, the first year of your cancellation you will be on a limited license, similar to the work permit, along with ignition interlock.
License revocation and cancellation for DWI/DUI’s can be very confusing. There are a lot of moving pieces, and a lot of hoops that you have to jump through. If the state has taken your license due to a DWI, set up a consultation with the experienced attorneys at Gerald Miller, P.A. to learn how to get back on the road.
Related article: A Minneapolis DUI Defense Attorney Answers: How Do I Get My License Back after a DUI?
