Virginia FR44 Insurance Filing Requirements and Online Buying Guide

 If you need an FR44 auto insurance filing to reinstate your driver’s license, there are things that you need to know and proper steps that you need to take. This article will guide you through the process and explain everything you need to know to make the process as painless as possible. To make sure we’re all on the same page, let me start off with some basic FAQ’s regarding FR44 auto insurance.


What is an FR44?

• An FR44 is a state filing that attaches onto an insurance policy. It is a guarantee to the state DMV that you’re carrying auto liability insurance.

• Once you have met all of the DMV requirements and paid all outstanding fees, getting an FR44 filing is the last step to having your license reinstated.

• An FR44 is also what keeps your driver’s license active after its reinstated.  For the time period that you’re required to carry the FR44 filing, you have to keep your auto insurance active.  If your policy cancels, lapses are expires before that time, your license will once again be suspended. 

• The easiest way to understand an FR44 is to think of it as a tattletale attachment.  An FR44 filing simply requires the auto insurance to tattle on you if you do not keep the policy active. The law requires them to notify the DMV when your insurance is cancelled, lapsed or expired.

Who is required to carry an FR44 filing?


The FR 44 was created to primarily apply to drivers who have been caught for DUI.  However that’s been expanded over the years.  For a complete list of who is required to carry an FR 44, below is copied verbatim from the Virginia DMV’s website:


FR-44 certification is required for the following convictions:

• Maiming while under the influence
• Driving while under the influence of intoxicants or drugs
• Driving while the driver's license has been forfeited for a conviction, or finding of not innocent in the case of a juvenile
• Violation of the provisions of any federal law or law of any other state or any valid local ordinance similar to the above

What’s the difference between an FR44 filing and an SR22 filing?


The only difference is that FR44 liability insurance coverage limits are double the SR22 insurance coverage limits:

• Bodily injury/death of one person $50,000
• Bodily injury/death of two or more persons $100,000
• Property damage $40,000
• With an SR22 filing, the requirement is only half of what the FR44 requires. An SR22 requires 25,000/50,000/20,000 in liability coverage.
• Other than the FR44 requiring double in liability coverage than what the SR22 does, they are exactly the same in how they work.  Both are tattletale filings that attach onto an auto insurance policy.

How can I get an FR44 filing if I do not own a vehicle?


No problem!  You simply need to take out what’s known as a Named Operator’s policy (a.k.a. non-owners policy).  As long as your policy is covered for the amount of liability coverage you need, you can attach either an FR44 or an SR22 filing to a named operator’s policy, just the same as you do a regular auto insurance policy.




*** Warning about canceling an FR44 attached policy!!!!




      As I mentioned earlier, if you cancel a policy while you’re still required to carry the FR44 filing (or the SR22), your license will be suspended again unless you replace it with another active FR44 attached policy right away. In most states, making your license active again simply involves putting another FR44 in force, or reinstating the old policy. However, in Virginia, you have a very short window to do so with about being charged with another $145 license reinstatement fee.


      How short of a window? That’s a great question! Nothing is mentioned about it on the Virginia DMV website…. I personally called the DMV and asked this question a few days ago…. I didn’t get a straight answer. “About four or five days” was their response. I have no clue how to advise you given such a lousy “official” response. Which is it? Four days or five? …… Personally, I wouldn’t want to chance it any number of days.




How do I set up an FR44 filing?




This is very simple:

• If you own a vehicle or have a vehicle registered in your name, you simply need to take out a regular auto insurance policy, and attach the FR44 filing onto it.

• If you do not own a vehicle, you need to take out a named operator’s auto insurance policy, and attach the FR44 filing on to it.

Not all auto insurance companies offer FR44 filings and many don’t write named operator policies either.  So you’ll have to do some looking around to find the right company for your needs (see below). 




Where is the best place to find an affordable FR44 attached auto insurance policy?




Your best bet is to contact an independent insurance agent that specializes in high risk auto insurance.  They will have multiple companies that go easy on drivers with a bad driving record and those who need state filings.  Getting a quote this way, you only have to give your quote information once, and the agent will do the dirty work of shopping around for you.




Where not to look for an FR 44 auto insurance quote:


Quoting directly with an auto insurance company.


While there’s nothing wrong with doing this, it is very inefficient as far as finding the lowest possible price to fit your needs.  It could take you nearly half a day to get enough quotes from multiple companies to do the same thing an independent agent can do for you in a matter of a 5 minute online quote or phone call. But many people fall into this trap because big auto insurance companies tend to dominate search engine rankings.


Quoting with a captive insurance agent (agent who only works for and sells for one insurance company).


There’s nothing wrong with captive agents. The vast majority of them are great people and great agents. The problem is that the companies they represent are usually the companies that don’t want your business. Every company has their own appetite as far as which customers they want and don’t want. They price premiums accordingly. Many of them won’t even write FR44 or SR22 filings…. The companies that are more FR44 friendly tend to channel towards independent agents.


Quoting with a lead generation site.


Beware of these websites! They are very deceptive. They design their website so that it looks like an insurance agent’s website. The problem is, they don’t sell insurance at all! They simply pretend to be agencies and collect your quoting information. Once they have your quoting information, they sell your information to other insurance agents…. In many cases, they will sell your info to dozens of agents…. This will cause your phone to blow up!


There is an easy way to tell a real agent’s site from these fakes. Simply look for a name, address and phone number. A real agent will list all of that info prominently on their site to where it’s a real person you’re dealing with. If all you see posted is maybe a 1-800 number without an actual agent/agency name and location, RUN!


Summary:


Without knowing the info above and also knowing where to look for the best priced policy that fits your needs, the whole FR44 filing process can be a real pain in the ass! But by following the info I’ve given above, you will now know how to find the right coverage you need at an affordable price. Simply fill out one of the two quote forms below, and I will be happy to guide you through everything, and have you taken care of.



Get an FR44 Quote here with Lyles Insurance if you own a Vehicle


Get an FR44 Quote here with Lyles Insurance if you do NOT own a Vehicle.


Related Blog Articles:

Video: What is Virginia FR44 Auto Insurance

​Video: Understanding Virginia FR44 Auto Insurance Filings

Where can I find the cheapest Virginia FR44 Auto Insurance Filing with a DUI on my record?