According to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, more than one million residents of Ohio have their driver’s license suspended. A major hurdle to getting a valid license is paying a reinstatement fee to the Ohio BMV.
The reinstatement fee can often be more than one hundred dollars. A new amnesty program in 2019 will give people with a suspended license the ability to have the reinstatement fees reduced or even cancelled.
WHAT TYPES OF SUSPENSIONS ARE COVERED IN THE NEW AMNESTY PROGRAM?
Not all suspensions are eligible for the amnesty program. If your license is suspended from a drug or alcohol conviction, then your suspension is not eligible to have the reinstatement fee lowered. The most common suspensions that would be covered under the new amnesty program include:
- Driving without proof of insurance
- Failing to stop after an accident
- Reckless operation
- Repeat Traffic Offender
- Juvenile Traffic Offender
- Failure to Appear in Court
- Failing to pay a court-ordered judgment
Before the BMV will reduce or waive the reinstatement fee, the applicant for the amnesty program must have satisfied all of the obligations and sentences imposed by the court, and their license must have been suspended for at least eighteen months.
I CANNOT PAY ANY REINSTATEMENT FEES, CAN I STILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROGRAM?
The new amnesty program allows for the total forgiveness of reinstatement fees if you can show that you are currently indigent and cannot pay any amount owed towards reinstatement fees.
If you cannot afford any amount on your reinstatement fees, your attorney can help you secure proof of indigency to have the total reinstatement fee waived.
HOW CAN I APPLY FOR THE AMNESTY PROGRAM?
Beginning January 31, applicants can apply to have their reinstatement fees reduced or waived online at (ices.dps.ohio.gov/BMVOnlineServices) or in person at their local BMV branch.
An attorney can guide you through the process of applying to have your reinstatement fees reduced or waived, and can also advise what other steps you need to take to get your license back.