If you are getting your license reinstated by the court, the clerk of the court’s office will produce an SR16. This form will allow the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to clear your license.
Normally the clerk’s office will mail the form to the BMV; however, some allow you to deliver the SR16 by hand to the BMV to expedite the reinstatement of your license for an additional fee. If this option is available at your clerk’s office, they will produce the form while you wait. You can then take it to a BMV special reinstatement centers. To learn more about this form in Indiana, contact the clerk of the court’s office.
- In Indiana, an SR16 form notifies the BMV of a driver’s conviction, missed court appearance or unpaid traffic citation and is crucial for license reinstatement.
- An SR22 form is required to prove financial responsibility for certain drivers and must be maintained for three years.
- An SR50 form is used to show proof of current insurance to the BMV, especially if a driver was uninsured during a violation, to prevent license suspension.
What’s the difference between an SR16, an SR22 and an SR50?
SR16 and SR50 are the specific forms most commonly used in Indiana when Indiana motorists who are involved in accidents or have received citations for traffic offenses must submit one or more forms to the BMV. An SR16 is not the only document issued in Indiana to certain drivers. Two others include an SR22 and SR50.
SR16 financial responsibility form in Indiana
In Indiana, an SR16 form informs the BMV of a driver’s conviction, missed court appearance or unpaid traffic citation. It is essential for license reinstatement.
SR22 financial responsibility form in Indiana
SR22 is a form that some states require as part of the license reinstatement process. It is used for proof of financial responsibility by drivers convicted of an offense that requires the driver to maintain financial responsibility for a three-year period.
An SR22 must be filed with the BMV for three years from a date determined by the BMV. If you need an SR22, you will need to obtain the required insurance coverages that the state is mandating you carry and then have your insurer file this form on your behalf with the state.
Your insurance provider must electronically file proof of future financial responsibility with an SR22 form for your insurance suspension to be stayed and your driving privileges regained. The SR22 requirement for insurance suspensions is satisfied after maintaining SR22 coverage for 180 consecutive days.
SR50 financial responsibility form in Indiana
A motorist uses the SR50 in Indiana to provide proof of current insurance to the BMV. The form shows the BMV the beginning and ending dates of the current policy.
For example, the Indiana BMV notes that if a person is not insured at the time of a violation, they may be subject to a one-year suspension of their driving privileges, owe a reinstatement fee of between $150 to $300 and will be required to have an Affidavit of Current Insurance, or SR50 form, filled out and returned to the BMV by their auto insurance company.
The Indiana government site has the Affidavit of Current Insurance SR50 form online if you wish to look it over.
Minimum liability car insurance requirements in Indiana
The minimum liability insurance coverage requirements in Indiana are as follows:
- Bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 for two or more people in one accident
- Property damage: $25,000 per accident
- Uninsured motorist bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
- Uninsured motorist property damage: $25,000 per accident
- Underinsured motorist bodily injury: $50,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
Indiana also mandates that all new auto liability policies include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the insurance policyholder opts out in writing.
How to get SR16, SR22 or an SR50
Inform your insurance agent who can help you file these forms with the Indiana BMV.
Final thoughts
SR16, SR50 and SR22 are not types of insurance but are forms that indicate important information to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles certain things. If you are required to obtain certain insurance coverages to reinstate your driver’s license, the court or the BMV should be able to indicate exactly which auto insurance coverages these are.
Source:
Indiana government site. “Indiana State Archives” Accessed September 2024.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura Longero is an insurance expert and Executive Editor at CarInsurance.com, where she specializes in helping consumers navigate the complexities of the financial and insurance industries. She has 15 years of experience educating people about finance and car insurance. Prior to joining CarInsurance.com, she worked as a reporter and editor at the USA Today Network. Her expertise provides readers with practical guidance, helping them make informed choices about their financial and insurance needs.
Ask the Insurance Expert
John McCormick
Editorial Director
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Leslie Kasperowicz
Executive Editor
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Nupur Gambhir
Managing Editor
Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.