Out-of-State Driver's License Reinstatement

Non-resident violators who have experienced a DUI arrest in Illinois are subject to many of the same rules and driver's license reinstatement procedures as in-state residents. Out-of-state residents whom Illinois has revoked, however, face several additional challenges that require skilled attention in order to remove, quickly and efficiently, the hold that Illinois has on their license. Among these issues are:

• Clearing the Illinois driver’s license hold: There are several circumstances in which an individual who resides in another state must apply to the Illinois Secretary of State for driving relief due to an Illinois revocation. Such persons must obtain a reinstatement order from the Secretary of State which clears them to obtain a license in their own state:
• Included in this group are individuals who were convicted of one or more DUI's while living in Illinois. They now have an Illinois hold blocking them from obtaining a driver's license in a new state.
• Another set of individuals whom Illinois is blocking from obtaining a license in another state are those who were convicted of DUI in Illinois while holding a driver's license from another state. These persons typically encounter a problem while attempting to renew their driver's license.
• In another common situation, former Illinois residents, despite the Illinois hold, manage to obtain a driver’s license in a new state. At some point after having been licensed in that new state, and assuming they are in the clear to be licensed anywhere but Illinois, these former Illinois residents move to another state and attempt to obtain a license in that new state. They are told that they must surrender the license from the state they just left and then clear the Illinois hold.
• Out-of-State Packet: Any person who resides outside the Illinois border may have an in-person hearing but also has the option of dealing with the process through the mail by submitting an "out-of-state packet". 
• Affidavits, Paperwork and the Process Itself: The applicant is required to complete affidavits and submit other specific information. The Secretary of State is very particular about the information this documentation must include. In many cases, the Secretary of State may reject the submissions, setting off a series of paperwork cycles. The process can be slow and highly frustrating. It is never as easy as it looks, as the packet information is wordy, confusing and often seemingly self-contradictory.