What is an SR-22 in Texas?

What does Texas DPS say an SR-22 is?

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) states that the Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate, known as the SR-22, is required by the Texas Transportation Code to verify that a person is maintaining motor vehicle liability insurance.¹ DPS describes the Texas SR-22 as a certificate filed by the car insurance carrier with the department, demonstrating continued automobile insurance coverage.² DPS says a person in Texas must maintain the coverage for 2 years¹ from the conviction that requires an SR-22, or from the date a crash judgment was rendered. The Texas Transportation Code states that unless a person whose license or registration was suspended or revoked files and maintains evidence of financial responsibility with DPS, the suspension or revocation may not be terminated and the license may not be renewed or a new one issued.³ The DPS definition reads:

A Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate (SR-22) is required by the Texas Transportation Code Chapter 601 to verify that you are maintaining motor vehicle liability insurance.

Does an insurance card replace an SR-22 in Texas?

DPS states that an insurance card or policy will not be accepted in place of an SR-22.¹

What the sources do not state

The DPS wording quoted here does not say what an SR-22 costs, how long a carrier takes to file it, or which carriers will file one.

Next step

The agency’s own explanation is on the DPS SR-22 page. This site’s Texas filing lookup tool lists what follows a given situation.