Recovering your driver’s license after a 90-day suspension is a process that requires careful attention to specific details. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate this situation effectively:
1. Confirm the Suspension Start:
Ensure that your suspension has officially started. This usually occurs in court or through a notification letter requesting the surrender of your license.
2. Wait for Suspension Completion:
Wait for the designated period (90 days) to elapse if you haven’t driven during the suspension.
3. Verify Suspension Completion:
Confirm that the suspension has indeed ended. Some individuals may forget to surrender their license, resulting in the suspension not officially commencing.
4. Report to Service Ontario:
Visit a Service Ontario office to report the completion of your suspension.
Be prepared to provide necessary details and answer questions about the suspension.
5. Pay Reinstatement Fee:
Pay the reinstatement fee, which typically ranges from $100 to $300, depending on the specific Service Ontario location.
6. Settle Outstanding Fines:
Confirm that all fines, including those that led to the initial suspension, are paid in full.
Service Ontario will check your payment status before proceeding.
7. Receive Temporary License:
Upon payment and confirmation, Service Ontario will issue a temporary driver’s license on the spot.
8. Updated Address:
Ensure that your address is updated with Service Ontario to receive important correspondence.
9. Wait for Reproduced License:
Within a week or two, your original license will be reproduced and sent to your updated address.
By following these steps, you can efficiently reinstate your license after a 90-day suspension in Ontario. Remember to stay informed about any outstanding fines and fulfill all necessary requirements to facilitate a smooth recovery of your driving privileges.
Video Transcription:
How to get your license back after a 90 day suspension, particularly important to make sure that your suspension is actually started. What I mean by that, I’ve had clients, potential clients that have called me and said, I’ve waited my 90 days, I’ve waited my 30 days and I want my license back. Now, the problem with that question is that we have to ask another question, which is, well, how did that suspension start?
Usually it starts in a courtroom where the judge would ask you to surrender your driver’s license, or you’ve received a letter indicating that they’d like you to return your driver’s license. I have had clients where they had overlooked that or forgot to do that, didn’t drive, waited their 30, 60, 90 days, and then now that they’re eligible to get their license back, they’ve found that, well, they didn’t actually start their suspension, which means the meter was not running.
Which now means as they react to it late, they’re going to start the meter and wait an additional 90 days. So it’s very important to have that question answered right away. Make sure that you’ve actually registered that you are suspended.
At the end of that suspension, yes, indeed, you are eligible to get your license back. The first step in doing that in Ontario is to simply report when you know your suspension has expired, you can report to a Service Ontario office. At that point in time, a couple of things will happen. The clerk at that location will ask you for a reinstatement fee of your license. That fee could be a hundred, maybe $200. It depends on these particular offices. They’re all quite unique.
They will also ask you another important question and that is whether or not the fines have been paid. Not only the fine that lead to the suspension in the first place but they’re going to be looking at whether or not you’ve paid all your fines.
So they want you to pay every fine youve ever had, and then youre subject to a reinstatement fee. At that point in time they will issue you a temporary drivers licence on the spot. Within a week or two of that event now that you’ve had youre licence back, which means you can simply drive wherever you want, the original license that was surrendered will be reproduced and it will be sent to your last know address.
So if you are going to the Service Ontario counter, make sure that your address is updated and the same, in addition to that, concern yourself with the reinstatement fee and clearing up any additional fines.
Author, Owner of OTD Ticket Defenders Legal Services and Licensed Paralegal
Licensed Paralegal & Founder of OTD Ticket Defenders
Ron Harper holds a BA in Psychology, a Certificate in Public Administration, and an Honours degree in Political Science, along with a Master’s in Judicial Administration. With over 40 years of experience in traffic law, including years of experience as a Prosecutor, Ron Harper leads one of Ontario's top traffic ticket defence firms.
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