HOW CAN I GET MY DRIVER’S LICENSE BACK IN ILLINOIS?

If you have a DUI conviction, the Secretary of State may have revoked your driver’s license. Losing your license is affecting your ability to work and to live your daily life.

How can you get your license back?

The road to reinstatement is not as easy as the Secretary of State rule book makes it sound. For one thing, you will not automatically regain your driving privileges just because you successfully completed the terms of your DUI sentence. You will still need to apply for reinstatement.

Following a first or subsequent DUI conviction, your license will be revoked for at least one year. (If you have received supervision instead of a conviction, your license is suspended rather than revoked, and you may simply need to pay the reinstatement fee.) The court will order treatment for substance abuse, and you will have to complete the terms of your sentence.

Once your sentence is terminated satisfactory, you can immediately apply for reinstatement. Bear in mind, however, that the Secretary of State does not care that you really need to drive. The Secretary is under pressure to keep drunk drivers off the road.

Once you apply, you will have to attend a hearing where you will have to testify on your own behalf. You will also be questioned by an attorney for the Secretary of State. You will have the opportunity to present evidence that you deserve to have your license returned.

Therefore, an attorney can greatly help you navigate the minefield of the reinstatement process. For example, an attorney may recommend certain courses of treatment that will improve your chance of success. An attorney can also help you present yourself in a way that will appeal to the hearing officer. A client often doesn’t realize how their statements may be perceived. What you think is a reasonable explanation may sound like a lame excuse to a hearing officer.

If you have questions about this or another related Illinois criminal or traffic matter, please contact Matt Keenan at 847-568-0160 or email matt@mattkeenanlaw.com.

(Besides Skokie, Matt Keenan also serves the communities of Arlington Heights, Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Wilmette and Winnetka.)