Insurance While Your Tennessee License Is Suspended
You can buy a policy while your license is suspended — and for most reinstatements, you have to.
Serving Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson Counties
Downtown Nashville. Photo: Crystal Castillo via Google Maps
You can buy a policy while your license is suspended — and for most reinstatements, you have to. Call (629) 312-5200 or request a quote.
This is one of the most common misunderstandings we hear: that you cannot buy auto insurance without a valid license. You can, and in Tennessee the sequence usually requires it. The SR-22 certificate has to be on file before the state will restore your driving privileges, which means the policy exists before the license does.
The same is true of a restricted license. The Department of Safety requires SR-22 insurance showing the policy is currently in effect, and is explicit that a standard policy or other documentation is not acceptable in its place. If you are planning to drive during your revocation, insurance is one of the first steps, not the last.
What the policy looks like depends on your situation. If you still own a vehicle, an owner’s policy with the filing attached keeps the car insured and satisfies the state. If you sold the car or never had one, a non-owner policy is usually cheaper and does the same job for the filing.
One thing worth being straight about: a suspended license makes you a harder risk to place, and some carriers decline outright. That is exactly why the spread between quotes is widest for drivers in this position, and why calling one company tells you very little about what the market will actually do.
If you are not sure whether your suspension even requires a filing, check before you buy anything. Your reinstatement requirements page in the Department of Safety e-Services portal lists what the state wants from you by name. Some suspensions require an SR-22 and some do not.
Sources: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security — Do I need SR-22 Insurance?; Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security — Restricted License Information; Tennessee Department of Safety e-Services.
What Is SR-22 Insurance in Tennessee?
An SR-22 is not an insurance policy. It is a certificate of financial responsibility that your insurance company files electronically with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security to prove you carry at least the state’s minimum liability coverage. Tennessee requires this filing from drivers whose licenses were suspended or revoked for certain violations.
Here is what Tennessee specifically requires:
- Who files itThe policy must be filed electronically with the department by an insurance company licensed through the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance to issue motor vehicle liability coverage in Tennessee. You cannot file it yourself.
- How long you need itTennessee requires the SR-22 to be maintained for the length of your suspension or revocation period. A one-year revocation means a one-year SR-22 requirement — Tennessee does not apply a flat three-year rule the way many other states do.
- When it startsThe SR-22 can be maintained while you hold a restricted license, or beginning at reinstatement.
- What happens if it lapsesIf the policy is canceled or terminated before the requirement is complete, your driving privileges can be suspended again for Failure to Maintain Future Proof of Financial Responsibility. You would then have to refile the SR-22, pay reinstatement fees again, and reapply.
- How to check whether you still need oneOpen your reinstatement requirements in the Department of Safety e-Services portal. If SR22 is not listed among your requirements, you are no longer required to carry it.
Minimum coverage required: Tennessee’s minimum liability limits are 25/50/25 — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 property damage per accident (T.C.A. Sec. 55-12-102).
Source: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security — Do I need SR-22 Insurance?. See also Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security — Reinstatements.
Ready to get filed?
Most Middle Tennessee drivers get a quote in under 10 minutes and have the filing submitted the same business day.
Other SR-22 situations we handle
Owner SR-22 Policies
If you own a vehicle registered in Tennessee, your SR-22 attaches to a liability policy on that vehicle.
ViewNon-Owner SR-22
No vehicle? A non-owner policy still satisfies the state filing, and it is usually the cheapest way to reinstate.
ViewSR-22 After a DUI
A DUI conviction triggers a revocation, and your SR-22 runs as long as that revocation does.
ViewDrive Insured TN Notices
A letter from the Department of Revenue is a different problem from an SR-22 — different agency, different penalty, different clock.
ViewSR-22 + Ignition Interlock
Two separate requirements that have to line up. We handle the filing side and help you sequence the rest.
ViewDrivers Under 21
Tennessee’s threshold for drivers under 21 is .02, and underage driving while impaired is on the state’s SR-22 list.
ViewDriving Uninsured
Tennessee’s Financial Responsibility Law requires proof of insurance. An uninsured accident claim can put you into the SR-22 system.
ViewPoints & Repeat Violations
An accumulation of points or convictions can trigger a suspension — so can two reckless driving violations in 12 months.
ViewReckless, Racing, Hit-and-Run
Serious moving violations carry longer revocations — which, under Tennessee law, means longer SR-22 periods.
ViewUnsatisfied Judgment
An unpaid judgment from a motor vehicle accident can suspend your license and require future proof of financial responsibility.
ViewOut-of-State Drivers
An SR-22 obligation follows you across state lines. Which state needs what is the part worth getting right.
ViewSame-Day Filing
Tennessee takes the certificate electronically, so there is no reason to wait on the mail.
ViewPayment Plans
SR-22 policies land at a bad financial moment. Low down payments and monthly installments exist.
ViewFull Coverage + SR-22
An SR-22 certifies liability only. If you finance or lease, your lender still wants comprehensive and collision.
ViewCDL & Commercial
If you drive for a living in Middle Tennessee, a suspension is a livelihood problem, not an inconvenience.
ViewRideshare & Delivery
Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Amazon Flex drivers need a rideshare endorsement on top of an SR-22-compliant policy.
ViewGetting Off SR-22
When the requirement clears, you should stop paying high-risk rates. We watch for that date.
ViewMotorcycle & Household
Motorcycle liability with a filing, multi-vehicle households, and excluded-driver arrangements.
ViewGet Your Nashville SR-22 Quote in Under 10 Minutes
Tell us your violation, your ZIP code, and whether you own a vehicle. We will compare carriers, give you a real number, and file with the Tennessee Department of Safety as soon as you are ready.
Or call (629) 312-5200 · Text (629) 312-5200 · Open Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. Se habla español. No obligation, no credit card to get a quote.
Submitting this form does not bind coverage and is not an application. Coverage begins only when a carrier issues a policy.