SR-22 forms in New Hampshire are documents to prove the financial responsibility of a driver within the state. The form proves that the driver has continuous coverage and would do so for a court-determined period of time.
New Hampshire doesn’t require insurance coverage to drive and if you ever need to file an SR-22 with the state, you would be notified by the state DMV. If this notification ever arrives, the form has to be filed by your insurance provider on your behalf. The form would then prove to the state that you have insurance liability coverage in the event of an accident. Thus, if you are involved in an accident without insurance in New Hampshire, you may be required to file for an SR-22 but if you are convicted of a DUI or DWI, you would have to.
To break it down; if a driver ever has his or her driver’s license suspended or revoked in New Hampshire, an SR-22 form would be required before it can be reinstated. If a driver is convicted of a DUI or DWI, he or she would be required to file an SR-22 and purchase adequate insurance before driving privileges can be restored. If a driver is ever involved in an accident for which they are at fault, they would be required to show proof of financial responsibility and in the event that such responsibility cannot be proven, they would have to file an SR-22 with the state and buy an adequate auto insurance policy.
The cost of filing for an SR-22 is low, usually requiring only a small filing or processing fee. But the filing of an SR-22 with the state lends a high risk classification to a driver needing the form and this classification in turn leads to higher premiums on an insurance policy.
However, the premium would still vary from provider to provider and other factors such as age, gender, credit score and occupation may affect the insurance rates.
Three types of SR-22 car insurance certificates are recognized within the state of New Hampshire. They are:
If you are required to file an SR-22 in New Hampshire but do not own a car, you would still be required by the state to file the form. You would also have to buy an insurance policy that meets the liability coverage requirements within the state. Failure to do so would mean that such a driver is not legally allowed to drive. A suitable policy for such a driver is a non owner or operators certificate that, at least, provides liability coverage if not personal coverage also.
In the event, that your license has been suspended or you do not have one and are required to file an SR-22 with the state, the filing and the purchase of an adequate insurance policy would have to be completed before the drivers license can be reinstated or approved.
New Hampshire requires that all SR-22 filing be done via an authorized insurance provider. The insurer would then file the form with the Bureau of Financial Responsibility of the Department of Safety.
A driver requiring the SR-22 filing is going to be charged a small processing fee by the insurance agency or provider for filing the form but all insurance companies in the state are required to provide such a coverage and so, there is no reason to start searching for a new provider. Except you are hunting for cheaper premiums.
Whenever you do settle on a provider, you are to purchase an auto insurance policy that meets the minimum liability coverage requirements of the state:
It should be noted that minimum liability insurance policies only cover damages to property and individuals not in your vehicle and additional coverage should be considered to be fully insured while on the road.
Also, if you chose to carry car insurance or you have to buy an SR-22 insurance policy in New Hampshire, you would also be required to carry medical payment and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
If you are moving to New Hampshire and you have an SR-22 on your record from your previous state, you are required to maintain your SR-22 in the state where it was filed while also ensuring that your insurance policy meets the liability coverage requirements of New Hampshire.
Conversely, if you are moving to another state but have an SR-22 filing in New Hampshire, you would still be expected to maintain the filing within the state until the mandate ordered by the state is complete.
The minimum time period an SR-22 may be required to be maintained for in New Hampshire is 3 years but depending on the severity of the charge against you and the number of violations you have made over the years, the time could be longer.
What to do if the SR-22 lapses
A lapse in SR-22 coverage is required to be reported to the state by your insurance provider. A license suspension would then follow. To have your license reinstated, you would need to renew your insurance policy, pay whatever reinstatement and court fees are necessary and accept whatever extra penalties may be added by the state.
It is also possible that the state may request that the period of maintenance of your SR-22 form be reset to start again following a lapse in coverage.
How to go about cancelling my filing when I no longer need SR-22 coverage
Upon, the completion of the filing period, you should contact the state to verify that the mandate is indeed complete before ordering your insurance provider to cancel your filing. Cancellation of the SR-22 filing would also result in your insurance premiums returning to a lower amount.
In New Hampshire, the cost of filing the SR-22 is low and varies from provider to provider bur rarely exceeds $50. However, the real financial impact of an SR-22 filing is seen in the increased insurance premiums the driver with the SR-22 is required to pay with the average rate being $2,008 per year.
The minimum time period an SR-22 may be required to be maintained for in New Hampshire is 3 years but depending on the severity of the charge against you and the number of violations you have made over the years, the time could be longer.
For specific information pertaining to another state in question, please refer to the respective that are more in-depth.
Though the SR-22 filing fee is a one-time fee, the inflated premiums you are required to pay as part of insurance policy is to be paid in a manner agreed upon between you and your provider. This amount would vary from provider to provider but the average cost in New Hampshire is $167 per month or $2,008 per year.
You no longer need an SR-22 filing when the mandated period of maintenance has been completed. If you are unsure of the completion of the mandate, you should contact the state DMV to verify.
Upon, the completion of the filing period, you should contact the state to verify that the mandate is indeed complete before ordering your insurance provider to cancel your filing. Cancellation of the SR-22 filing would also result in your insurance premiums returning to a lower amount.
Though the SR-22 filing fee is a one-time fee, the inflated premiums you are required to pay as part of insurance policy in new Hampshire rises by an average of 79%. The specific amount would vary from provider to provider but the average is $167 per month or $2,008 per year.
If you don’t drive but have previously committed an offence that requires an SR-22 filing with the state, the filing would still be required of you and a failure to do so would mean you are not legally permitted to drive in the state.
In the event that you have been convicted of a DUI in New Hampshire, you would be required to file and maintain an SR-22 form for a minimum period of three years. However, if you have previous offenses on your record or your offense is particularly severe, the period of maintenance may be longer.
You can contact a licensed insurance provider to file the form on your behalf. If you are required to file an SR-22 in New Hampshire but do not own a car, you would still be required by the state to file the form in order to drive someone else’s car. You would also have to buy an insurance policy that meets the liability coverage requirements within the state.
Yes, you can. To do so you would have to possess a non owner auto insurance policy that meets the minimum liability coverage requirements in New Hampshire.
If you don’t drive but have previously committed an offence that requires an SR-22 filing with the state, the filing would still be required of you and a failure to do so would mean you are not legally permitted to drive in the state.