SR-22 in Arkansas
Checked against official Arkansas sources · Last reviewed October 6, 2026
Arkansas law requires some drivers to file "proof of financial responsibility for the future" before they can drive again. Your insurer can provide it by filing a certificate with the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) Office of Driver Services. Insurers commonly call this certificate an SR-22.
Under state law, you need it if your license was suspended or revoked because of a conviction or a forfeited bail, and the law also applies it to people who don't pay a judgment from a vehicle crash. It isn't clear whether DFA applies this to every conviction-based suspension, such as a DWI. [1][4][5]
- Uses SR-22?
- Yes (insurer certificate)
- How long
- Not confirmed
- After a DUI
- Not confirmed
- Base reinstatement fee
- $100 [2]
- Minimum liability coverage
- 25/50/25 [3]
Does Arkansas require an SR-22?
Yes. Arkansas law requires some drivers to file "proof of financial responsibility for the future," which an insurer can provide by filing a certificate with the DFA Office of Driver Services. [1]
How long do you need an SR-22 in Arkansas?
We haven't confirmed this from an official Arkansas source yet. Check with Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services.
After a DUI
We haven't confirmed this from an official Arkansas source yet. Check with Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services.
What does reinstatement cost?
$100 for each administrative order suspending, revoking, or cancelling the license. Suspensions for DWI and certain other orders are charged under separate laws. [2]
We couldn't confirm whether Arkansas charges its own fee to file an SR-22. Your insurer may charge one.
What coverage do you need?
$25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per crash, $25,000 property damage per crash [3]
What happens if your SR-22 lapses?
We haven't confirmed this from an official Arkansas source yet. Check with Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services.
Don't own a car?
Yes. Arkansas law allows an operator's policy, which covers you when you drive vehicles you do not own. The certificate does not have to list a vehicle when the insured person does not own one. [1]
Who has to file one?
If your license is suspended or revoked because of a conviction or a forfeited bail, you can't get it back until you file and keep proof of financial responsibility for the future. [4]
Who handles it
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services [1]
Common questions
How long do I have to keep it?
Arkansas law doesn't currently set a fixed period. The law says you must file proof and then keep it in place. The section that let DFA drop the requirement after 3 years without new convictions was repealed in 2013. Ask DFA Driver Services how long it applies to you before you cancel the policy. [4][6]
How much does it cost to reinstate my license?
The general reinstatement fee is $100 for each order that suspended, revoked, or cancelled your license. A suspension for a conviction is also $100 for each separate date of offenses. DWI and refusal suspensions have their own fee, which DFA lists as $150. [2][7][8][9]
Will my vehicle registration be suspended too?
It can be. When DFA suspends or revokes your license because of a conviction or forfeited bail, it also suspends your vehicle registrations unless you file proof. Your license can't be reissued until you file proof and keep it in place. [4]
I don't own a car. Can I still file?
Yes. Arkansas law allows an operator's policy, which covers you when you drive vehicles you don't own. The certificate doesn't have to list a vehicle if you don't own one. [1][10]
Can a family member or employer's policy cover me?
Yes. A vehicle owner can file proof for an employee or a member of their family or household. You can then drive only the vehicles that policy covers, and your license is restricted. [11]
I can't pay a crash judgment all at once. Can I still drive?
Possibly. If a court lets you pay the judgment in installments and you file proof, you can keep or get back your driving privileges while your payments are current. If you miss a payment, your license is suspended again until the judgment is paid. [12]
What do I need to reinstate after a DWI?
DFA's DWI page lists a $150 reinstatement fee, an ignition interlock for the length of the suspension, an education or treatment program, and a Victim Impact Panel. That page doesn't mention an SR-22, so ask DFA Driver Services whether one applies to you. [8][9]
Sources
- Ark. Code 27-19-712 - Insurance carrier certificate (FindLaw) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-16-508 - Fee for reinstatement (FindLaw mirror, current as of March 28, 2024; Act 989 of 2025 changed only subsection (b), effective July 1, 2026) (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-19-605 - Policies and bonds (FindLaw, current as of March 28, 2024) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-19-703 - Conviction, forfeiture of bail (FindLaw) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-19-702 - Application of law (FindLaw) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Arkansas Act 1142 of 2013 (HB 1715) - repeals Ark. Code 27-19-717 and 27-19-719 to 27-19-721; Arkansas Legislature (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-16-808 - Reinstatement charge (FindLaw mirror, current as of March 28, 2024; Act 989 of 2025 changed only subsection (b), effective July 1, 2026) (statute, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- Arkansas DFA Driver Services - DUI, DWI, BUI, BWI Offenses (official agency page, accessed Oct 6, 2026)
- Arkansas DFA Driver Services - Refusals (official agency page, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-19-713 - Liability policies defined; provisions (FindLaw) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-19-718 - Proof given for others (FindLaw) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)
- Ark. Code 27-19-710 - Application for installment payments (FindLaw) (statute, accessed Oct 5, 2026)