The Filing Period Ends But the Surcharge Continues
Your SR-22 filing period in Louisiana is complete. Three years have passed since your suspension reinstatement, your driving record is clean, and the OMV mandate that required the filing has expired. You log into your carrier portal expecting your premium to drop, and it hasn't. Your policy still shows SR-22 on the declarations page, and you're still paying the monthly surcharge.
This is not a billing error. Louisiana carriers do not automatically remove SR-22 filings when the mandated period ends. The filing stays on your policy—and the surcharge stays on your bill—until you explicitly request removal and your carrier files the termination notice with the OMV. The three-year clock that started when OMV accepted your initial SR-22 filing determines when you're eligible for removal, but eligibility does not trigger removal. You have to act.
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Get Your Free QuoteLouisiana SR-22 Filing Period
3 years
Louisiana R.S. 32:415.1 and related DUI statutes mandate a 3-year SR-22 filing period following DUI-related license reinstatement. The period begins the date OMV accepts the filing, not the suspension start date or conviction date.
Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:415.1
What SR-22 Removal Actually Means
SR-22 is not a type of insurance. It is a state-mandated proof-of-insurance filing your carrier submits to the OMV certifying you maintain minimum liability coverage. When you request SR-22 removal, your carrier files an SR-26 form with the OMV—a termination notice—that ends the continuous monitoring obligation. Your underlying auto insurance policy continues without interruption. Only the filing and its associated surcharge disappear.
The surcharge exists because SR-22 filing adds administrative cost to your policy. Your carrier must monitor your coverage continuously and notify the OMV within 15 days if your policy lapses or cancels. That monitoring infrastructure costs money, and the carrier passes that cost to you as a monthly or annual surcharge layered on top of your base premium. Surcharges range from $15 to $35 per month depending on carrier and policy term.
Removal eliminates the surcharge and ends OMV monitoring, but it does not erase your driving history from your insurance record. Carriers still see the underlying DUI conviction or suspension that triggered the SR-22 requirement when they rate your policy. Your premium will drop when the surcharge is removed, but the conviction-related rating impact persists until the violation ages off your record—typically three to five years from the conviction date under Louisiana carrier underwriting guidelines.
Your carrier will not notify you when your SR-22 period ends. The three-year anniversary passes silently, and the surcharge continues until you request termination.
How to Request SR-22 Removal From Your Carrier
Contact your carrier by phone or through your online account portal and request SR-22 termination. You will need your policy number, your driver's license number, and the original SR-22 filing date. The filing date appears on your OMV reinstatement letter or on the SR-22 certificate your carrier issued when you first obtained coverage. If you do not have those documents, call the OMV driver control section at (225) 925-6388 and request your filing start date. Most carriers process termination requests within 3 to 5 business days once you provide the required information.
Your carrier files the SR-26 form electronically with the OMV. The OMV processes the termination and updates your driver record to reflect that the SR-22 requirement has ended. Processing takes 7 to 10 business days from the date your carrier submits the form. Once OMV confirms receipt, your carrier removes the surcharge from your policy. The surcharge adjustment appears on your next billing cycle—it is not retroactive to the three-year anniversary date. If you waited six months past your eligibility date to request removal, you paid six months of unnecessary surcharges.
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When You Can Remove SR-22 and What Blocks Removal
You are eligible for SR-22 removal on the exact date three years after OMV accepted your initial filing. That date is not the date you purchased the policy, the date of your conviction, or the date your suspension ended. It is the date the OMV received and processed your carrier's SR-22 submission. If your carrier submitted the SR-22 on March 10, 2022, your eligibility date is March 10, 2025. One day earlier and the OMV will reject the SR-26 termination request.
Two conditions block removal even after the three-year period ends: an active OMV hold on your driver record, and an open violation or suspension case that has not yet cleared. An OMV hold means the agency has flagged your record for an unresolved issue—unpaid reinstatement fees, incomplete DUI education requirements, outstanding child support arrears reported to OMV, or an ignition interlock device violation. The hold prevents SR-22 termination until you clear the underlying issue. You can check for holds by logging into your OMV Expresslane account at omv.dps.louisiana.gov or by calling the OMV driver control section.
An open violation means you were cited for a new traffic offense during the SR-22 filing period and the case has not yet resolved. If the new offense results in a conviction or a suspension, the OMV may extend your SR-22 requirement or reset the filing period entirely. Your carrier cannot file the SR-26 until the violation clears and the OMV confirms no new filing obligation applies. This is why a DUI or reckless driving citation received in year two of your filing period can push your removal date years into the future.
If you moved out of Louisiana during your SR-22 filing period and established residency in another state, your Louisiana SR-22 obligation does not follow you. Louisiana's filing requirement is tied to your Louisiana driver's license. When you surrender your Louisiana license and obtain a new license in your new state, the Louisiana OMV closes your SR-22 case. However, your new state may impose its own proof-of-insurance requirement if you transfer a suspension or if your new state participates in the Driver License Compact and learns of your Louisiana DUI conviction. Check with your new state's DMV before assuming the filing obligation has ended.
Louisiana SR-22 Surcharge Range
$15–$35/month
Carriers in Louisiana charge between $15 and $35 per month for SR-22 filing and monitoring, layered on top of your base auto insurance premium. The surcharge persists until you request termination and your carrier files the SR-26 form with the OMV.
What Happens After Removal
Your premium drops by the amount of the monthly surcharge. If you were paying $25 per month for SR-22 filing, your premium decreases by $300 annually once removal processes. The drop appears on your next billing statement after the OMV confirms termination. Your coverage limits, deductibles, and policy structure remain identical—only the surcharge disappears.
Your carrier no longer monitors your coverage for the OMV. If you cancel your policy or allow it to lapse after SR-22 removal, your carrier does not notify the OMV. This is the structural difference removal creates: during the SR-22 period, a lapse triggers immediate OMV notification and potential license re-suspension. After removal, a lapse is a private matter between you and your carrier unless a separate state law requires continuous coverage proof.
Request Removal the Month Before Your Eligibility Date
The three-year anniversary of your SR-22 filing is approaching. Pull your original OMV reinstatement letter or SR-22 certificate and confirm the exact filing date. One month before that date, contact your carrier and request SR-22 termination effective on your eligibility date. Your carrier will queue the SR-26 filing to submit on the eligibility date, and the OMV will process the termination within 7 to 10 business days. The surcharge drops from your policy automatically once OMV confirms receipt. If you are uncertain whether your filing period has ended or whether an OMV hold is blocking removal, call the OMV driver control section at (225) 925-6388 before contacting your carrier. Clearing a hold before requesting termination prevents processing delays and avoids paying surcharges during the resolution window.