I N W E S T V I R G I N I A
DO-IT-YOURSELF
DRIVER'S LICENSE
REINSTATEMENT
C O U R T E S Y
O F
Was your WV Driver’s License suspended
because you didn’t pay WV court fines, fees, and
costs?
You may be eligible for a payment plan with the
courts where you have an outstanding debt.
In 2020, a new law went into effect in West Virginia that allows
you to set up a payment plan to pay unpaid court fines & fees so
you can get your driver’s license back. In 2022, another law
passed revising this process.
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This booklet will help you through the process to
reinstate your WV driver’s license.
Some Things to Know about the
WV Driver’s License Reinstatement Process:
Most suspensions that are older than 2016 will be automatically lifted once
you contact the WV DMV for more information regarding your license status.
For any new tickets you receive, your WV driver’s license cannot be
suspended for unpaid fines, fees, or court costs. However, your license will
be suspended if you do not respond to and/or appear on your court date for
any new ticket you receive.
If your license is suspended due to failure to appear/respond, you may not be
eligible for a payment plan and will not be able to reinstate your license until
you pay all fines and fees in full to the court.
For these reasons, it is vital to respond to and appear in court on any
new ticket you receive.
A suspension in another state will likely affect your ability to get your license
reinstated in West Virginia. If that applies to you, you will need to contact the
DMVs in those other states and work with them to resolve any suspension.
This booklet applies to WV only.
Q: What happens if I don’t make the payments once I set up the payment
plans?
A: If you do not make the payments as agreed under the payment plans, the
Court may turn the matter over to a collection agency or file a judgement lien
on property you own. You will not lose your license again for defaulting on the
payment plan.
Q: I don’t have the money to pay all the fees required by the DMV
directly. Do they offer payment plans?
A: The DMV does not offer payment plans for any fees owed to their
administrative offices. However, if you owe multiple reinstatement fees, you
can pay each fee one at a time.
Q: I don’t understand how to do this. Is there anyone who can help me
with the paperwork and process?
A: Yes. You can apply for Legal Aid at 1-866-255-4370, or online at
www.legalaidwv.org
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Step 1: Request suspension
information from the DMV
Step 2: Contact Courts
Step 3: Visit Courts and resolve old
citations
Step 4: Take care of any unresolved
Issues with the DMV
Step 5: Go to the DMV to get your
Driver’s License, if needed
Steps to Reinstate Your WV Driver’s License
CHECK WHEN COMPLETED PAGE
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FORMS AT THE END OF THIS BOOKLET
Financial Affidavit: Payment Plan Application
Motion to Dismiss Traffic Citation (Magistrate)
Motion to Dismiss Traffic Citation (Municipal)
Request for Driving Record
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4.
STEP 1:
REQUEST SUSPENSION INFORMATION FROM THE DMV
Email the DMV at [email protected] or send a letter to:
WV Division of Motor Vehicles
Driving Records
P.O. Box 17020
Charleston, WV 25317
Hello,
I am writing to request information about suspensions on my
driver’s license. My full legal name is [insert your first, middle, and
last name]. My date of birth is [insert your date of birth]. My license
number is [insert your license number]. Can you please send me
the information for all of my outstanding citations that need to be
paid before I can get my license reinstated (including
counties/courts, case numbers, and court phone number)? Can
you please tell me if I need to contact any other department in the
DMV regarding other suspensions? Finally, can you tell me if I
need to retest to obtain a valid license?
Please send the information to [insert your email address or
mailing address].
Thank you for you time,
[insert your name]
You will typically receive a response within two weeks.
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STEP 2:
CONTACT COURTS
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Call the clerk’s office of each court from the list you received from the
DMV.
"Hi, I have an old citation that I would like to take care of. My
name is [name] and my birthday is [birthdate]. I have the case
number(s) as well.”
Ask the following questions and fill in the boxes provided:
"Do I need to appear in court regarding this citation?”
"Is there any possibility I could have this dismissed?
"Will I be eligible for a payment plan for this citation?”
"Do I have any other citations that I need to take care of?”
Court _______________________ Phone Number ___________
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
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Court _______________________ Phone Number ___________
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
Court _______________________ Phone Number ___________
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
Citation: _________________________________
Notes: ___________________________________
Need to Appear Dismiss Payment Plan
STEP 3:
VISIT COURTS AND RESOLVE OLD CITATIONS
Your options to resolve old citations and lift suspensions from your
driver’s license will vary from court to court and citation to citation.
*If you failed to respond in a timely manner to a citation with a Magistrate
Court or did not show up to a court date at a Magistrate Court, you may be
required to pay fines and fees in full before the suspension will be lifted.
*Magistrate Courts may opt to allow you to establish a payment plan at
their discretion.
*If you failed to respond in a timely manner to a citation with a Municipal
Court or did not show up to a court date at a Municipal Court, you should
be permitted to establish a payment plan once you respond to the citation
and/or appear in court. Once you set up a payment plan, the court should
notify the DMV to lift the suspension.
*Courts may not withhold payment options for current citations on your
driving record due to old citations not on your driving record.
Establishing a Payment Plan Requires:
$25 application fee (can be paid in five $5 payments)
Completed and notarized Financial Affidavit: Payment Plan Application
(this can be notarized at the court clerk’s office)
Photo ID and proof on income, if any
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Requesting your citation be dismissed requires submission of a “Motion to
Dismiss Traffic Citation” form.
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Use this table to keep track of your payment plans.
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Tips for filling out applications:
If there are multiple courts where you have unpaid fees, you can
leave the top line with the court blank, fill out the rest of the
Application, make copies, and then fill in the top line with the name of
each court.
A digital version of this form can be found at:
http://www.courtswv.gov/lower-courts/magistrate-
forms/FinancialAffidavitPaymentPlanApplication.pdf
STEP 4:
RESOLVE ANY OTHER OUTSTANDING DMV ISSUES
The e-mail you receive from the DMV will tell you if you have more issues
you need to resolve before your license can be reinstated. Other issues may
include:
DUIs
Lack of insurance
Reinstatement fees
CHECK WHEN COMPLETED
OTHER ISSUES THAT NEED
RESOLVED
Call the DMV to see what you need to do to resolve these issues if they do
not tell you what you need to do in the email they sent you.
Reinstatement fees can be paid over the phone or online at:
https://apps.wv.gov/DMV/SelfService/DriverReinstatement/RequestReinstat
ement
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STEP 5:
VISIT THE DMV TO GET A NEW LICENSE, IF NEEDED
If your license is not expired, and you still have a physical copy of
your license, you do not need to visit your local DMV. Your license
will become valid once you complete Steps 1-4.
You can check if your license is valid, expired, or suspended here:
https://apps.wv.gov/DMV/SelfService/DrivingRecord
If you need a new license, once you have completed Steps 1-4, go to the
DMV. (Make sure you know if your local DMV requires you to make an
appointment ahead of time.)
Make sure to take all your necessary documents with you. You can find a
list of what you need here:
https://transportation.wv.gov/DMV/Drivers/Pages/Drivers-Licenses.aspx
If you need to re-take your driving test, this guide will help you study:
https://transportation.wv.gov/DMV/DMVFormSearch/Drivers_Licensing_H
andbook_web.pdf
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