North Dakota License Reinstatement is the exit door of the whole suspension process — and the step most drivers find hardest to get straight answers about. The fees change with the suspension type, the paperwork order matters, and skipping one requirement resets the line. This guide lays out the real North Dakota license reinstatement fees, the steps in the order North Dakota expects them, the SR-22 insurance catch, and the fee-relief programs most people never hear about.
All figures are estimates for general guidance, verified against North Dakota sources as of August 2026.
In This North Dakota Guide:
North Dakota License Reinstatement Fees
The fee is set by why you were suspended, and multiple suspensions usually mean multiple fees — one per action against your record.
| Item | Amount / Rule |
|---|---|
| Base reinstatement fee | $50 |
| By suspension type | North Dakota uses a three-tier reinstatement fee set by N.D.C.C. 39-06-49(2)(i)-(j) and published by the NDDOT Driver License Division. 25 tier (medical/vision/re-exam issues): fail to file medical report, fail to file visual report, fail to meet medical requirements, fail to meet visual requirements, fail to take or pass a required test. 50 tier (the standard tier, covers most point and administrative suspensions): accumulation of 12 or more points, fail to appear/post bond (FTA), fail to pay fine or serve sentence, fail to provide proof of insurance, fail to maintain liability insurance, fail to pay child support, and driving under suspension. 100 tier (alcohol/implied-consent related): BAC over the legal limit, physical control, implied consent, refusal, and driving under revocation. Revocation reinstatement is 50 as a baseline, but 100 when the revocation was imposed under 39-06-17(6), 39-06-31, 39-06-43, or 39-20-04. The online payment system accepts only the 50 or 100 amounts; all medical/vision and re-examination (25) matters must be handled by phone at 701-328-4353. |
Check what you owe: Use the NDDOT Driver License Pay Reinstatement Fee/Outstanding Requirements System at https://apps.nd.gov/dot/dlts/dlos/reinstatement/search.htm — it shows your outstanding reinstatement requirements and the amount owed, and lets you pay the 50 or 100 fee with a credit or debit card. You will need your name, driver identification number, and card information. By phone: 701-328-2604 for all suspensions (Driver License Division hours M, T, Th, F, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), or 701-328-4353 for medical, vision, and re-examination suspensions.
For the underlying record, you can submit an Online Driving Record Request for a limited record (current point total, violations within the last three years, no crash data), or mail Request for Driver Abstract SFN 51386 with a 3 fee to the Driver License Division, 608 E. Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505-0750, for a complete record that includes older violations and crash information. Court fines and FTA holds can be checked through the North Dakota Courts public portal at https://www.ndcourts.gov.
The North Dakota License Reinstatement Steps, in Order
1) Serve the full suspension or revocation period — NDDOT will not release privileges early, and if you were suspended for points, your points do not begin reducing until the suspension period is complete. 2) Clear the underlying cause: satisfy the court on an FTA or unpaid fine/sentence, complete the court-ordered addiction evaluation and any treatment for a DUI conviction under N.D.C.C. 39-08-01(5), satisfy the child support obligation or get a release if suspended under N.D.C.C.
14-08.1-07, or submit the medical/vision report for a fitness suspension. 3) File proof of financial responsibility (SR-22 certificate from your insurer, filed with the NDDOT Director) if your suspension type requires it. 4) Check your outstanding reinstatement requirements in the NDDOT Driver License Pay Reinstatement Fee/Outstanding Requirements System so nothing is missed.
5) Pay the 25, 50, or 100 reinstatement fee online, by phone, or by mail. 6) Retake the written and road tests if your privileges were revoked rather than suspended, or if the suspension was for failure to take/pass a re-examination. 7) Apply for and pay for a new license if the license itself expired or was revoked (the 15 application/renewal fee under 39-06-49 is separate from the reinstatement fee).
Many drivers can also apply for a Temporary Restricted License (work permit) on SFN 2254 partway through the suspension, though a portion of the period must be served with no restricted privileges and TRLs are never granted to drivers under 18 or for commercial vehicles.
Retesting: There is no automatic retest for an ordinary suspension. Per NDDOT, if privileges are suspended you get them back after serving the period and meeting requirements with no retesting. If privileges are revoked, you must complete the revocation period, meet all reinstatement requirements, and retake both the written knowledge test and the road test before valid privileges are restored (N.D.C.C.
39-06-36 also requires the Director to be satisfied, after investigating your driving record, habits, and ability, that it is safe to issue a new license). Retesting is also required where the suspension itself was for “fail to take/pass test” or a medical/vision re-examination — that is the 25 fee tier, and a vision or medical examination report must be filed as well.
A driver under 18 who accumulates 6 or more points, or commits an alcohol- or drug-related offense while driving, has the license canceled and must start completely over: written test, vision test, parental permission, instruction permit held 12 months if under 16 or 6 months if under 18, and driver education before road testing.
Order matters more than speed in North Dakota license reinstatement. Paying the fee before clearing the underlying issue gets you nothing; driving before the record shows valid gets you a driving-while-suspended charge at the finish line. If you need to drive legally while working through these steps, the North Dakota hardship license is the bridge.
SR-22 Insurance and Your North Dakota Rates
For many suspension types, North Dakota will not complete the reinstatement without proof of insurance on file. North Dakota requires proof of financial responsibility (an SR-22 certificate filed by your insurer with the NDDOT Director) under N.D.C.C. 39-16.1-07 whenever the Director revokes a license, when you are convicted of or forfeit bail on DUI under 39-08-01 or an equivalent city ordinance, and when you are convicted of driving while your license was under suspension for an offense carrying at least 91 days of suspension, or under revocation.
It is also required after an unsatisfied judgment suspension under 39-16.1-04 and for the “fail to maintain liability insurance” and “fail to provide proof of insurance” suspensions.
No license may be issued or returned until the SR-22 is on file, and if the policy lapses the insurer must notify NDDOT within 10 days under 39-16.1-12 and the suspension is reimposed. Duration: N.D.C.C. 39-16.1-19 lets the Director release the filing requirement one year after the date proof was first required, provided that during that year no conviction or bail forfeiture requiring revocation was received and no accident-related claim or unsatisfied judgment is pending.
Many insurance carriers quote a three-year SR-22 period for North Dakota, but the statutory minimum is one year — confirm your actual release date with the NDDOT Driver License Division at 701-328-2604, because the clock runs from when proof was required, not from your conviction date. An SR-22 is not a separate policy — it is a certificate your insurer files with the state proving you carry coverage, and insurers treat drivers who need one as high-risk, which raises premiums for several years.
Because rates for the same driver vary widely between companies after a suspension, comparing quotes matters more here than anywhere else. A ticket can raise your premium for years — compare cheaper car insurance at Car Cover Guide to see what high-risk coverage actually costs in North Dakota.
Fee Relief: North Dakota Amnesty & Payment Programs
NONE — North Dakota has no general reinstatement-fee amnesty, fee reduction, or installment payment plan; NDDOT requires the full 25, 50, or 100 to be paid in a single transaction. There are, however, three statutory situations where no reinstatement fee is charged at all: (1) under N.D.C.C. 39-06-36.1, if you successfully complete an approved adult treatment court program and the district court so orders, the Director must reinstate any noncommercial suspension or revocation with no reinstatement fee; (2) under 39-06-35(2), no fee is required where the license is returned because of the findings of a hearing or re-examination hearing; and (3) under 39-06-35(2) and 39-06-36, no fee is required where a suspension or revocation is undone by court or judicial review under chapters 39-06, 39-06.1, or 39-20.
If you are in a treatment court or have won an administrative hearing or appeal, you may be able to have the fee waived — raise it with the Driver License Division before paying. Separately, if you cannot afford to wait out a full suspension, you may be able to apply for a Temporary Restricted License on SFN 2254 for work, school, or essential life-maintenance driving. Note that paying by check, credit, or debit and then stopping payment causes the Director to reimpose the suspension until proper payment is received.
If fees are the wall between you and your license, ask about relief before paying full price — these programs exist precisely because reinstatement debt keeps people suspended for years, and eligibility windows change with legislation.
Timeline, and What Stays on Your North Dakota Record
Reinstatement is not a fixed waiting period — it happens once the required suspension or revocation time has been served and every outstanding requirement is cleared. N.D.C.C. 39-06-35 provides that upon payment of the reinstatement fee the license must be returned to the individual, so online or phone payment (701-328-2604, or 701-328-4353 for medical/vision and re-examination cases) is the fastest route because it posts immediately, while a check or money order mailed to the Driver License Division at 608 E.
Blvd Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505 adds mail and processing time. Revocation cases take longer because you must also pass the written and road tests and apply for a new license. NDDOT does not publish a guaranteed turnaround figure, so check the Pay Reinstatement Fee/Outstanding Requirements System to confirm you show as eligible before driving. Exact processing days: UNVERIFIED.
Your record: North Dakota distinguishes two record types. The limited driving record — the one available online and the one most commonly pulled — shows your current point total but omits violations and convictions more than three years old and omits crash data. The complete driving record, obtained only via SFN 51386, includes violations and convictions older than three years plus crash information, and NDDOT does not publish an expungement date for it, so treat suspension and conviction entries on the complete record as long-term.
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Points themselves come off faster than the underlying entry: 1 point is removed for every 3 consecutive months with no new point violations, and an approved defensive driving course removes up to 3 more points once every 12 months — but no points are reduced while you are serving a point-related suspension or cancellation. For DUI, North Dakota uses a seven-year lookback under N.D.C.C. 39-08-01(5) to decide whether an offense is a second, third, or subsequent offense for sentencing.
Insurance afterward: A North Dakota suspension affects your rates in two ways. First, if your suspension type triggers the SR-22 filing requirement under N.D.C.C. 39-16.1-07, your insurer must certify your policy to NDDOT and will typically reclassify you as a high-risk driver for the duration of the filing; a lapse forces the carrier to notify NDDOT within 10 days and your privileges are suspended again.
Second, the conviction behind the suspension is itself a rating factor. Industry rate surveys for North Dakota put the post-DUI increase in the range of roughly 66 to 87 percent over a clean-record full-coverage premium, with one 2026 survey showing an average full-coverage premium of about 3,028 after a DUI versus about 1,665 with a clean record.
North Dakota does not cap what carriers may charge, and increases vary widely by insurer, so you may be able to reduce the impact substantially by comparing SR-22 quotes across several carriers rather than accepting your existing insurer’s renewal. Specific percentages are third-party survey figures, not NDDOT or Insurance Department data — verify with the North Dakota Insurance Department or your agent.
Reinstatement closes the loop, but the suspension’s shadow — the record entry and the insurance surcharge — fades on its own schedule. The best move after North Dakota license reinstatement is boring: a clean record, on-time renewals, and letting the years do the work.
North Dakota FAQ: North Dakota License Reinstatement
Can I just pay the North Dakota license reinstatement fee online and drive today?
Only if every other requirement is already satisfied — the fee is typically the last gate, not the whole process. If the suspension period is unfinished, the underlying issue uncured, or an insurance filing missing, the payment sits in an incomplete file. Check your requirements list first, pay last, and drive only after the record shows valid.
Why is my North Dakota license reinstatement fee higher than my friend’s?
Because the fee tracks the suspension type, and multiple suspensions stack. A driver reinstating from a single points suspension and one reinstating from an insurance lapse plus a failure-to-appear are in different fee categories entirely. The itemized list from the state — not a general number from the internet — is the only figure that matters for your file.
Do I have to retake the driving test?
Usually only after long suspensions or when the license itself expired during the suspension. Short suspensions with a current license typically reinstate without retesting, but the state’s requirements list for your specific file is the authority — and finding a surprise test requirement early beats finding it at the counter.
Why North Dakota License Reinstatement Is a Sequence, Not a Payment
The most expensive misunderstanding about North Dakota license reinstatement is treating it as a bill: pay the fee, drive away. The fee is usually the last step of a sequence — serve the period, cure the underlying cause, file the insurance proof, then pay — and money spent out of order buys nothing. The agency processes requirements in its order, not yours, which is why two drivers with identical suspensions can have wildly different experiences depending on nothing but sequencing.
Verification is the step almost everyone skips. Completing the checklist does not make you valid; the record showing valid makes you valid. Drivers get charged every year for driving on a license they had honestly earned back but never confirmed, because one requirement posted late. Check the record, save the confirmation, and only then drive.
Finally, think of the whole ladder when you budget: the reinstatement fee is rarely the biggest cost. The insurance surcharge that follows a suspension dwarfs it over three to five years, which is why shopping coverage aggressively at reinstatement time — when your risk profile is at its worst — pays for itself many times over in North Dakota.
Official North Dakota Sources & Resources
- North Dakota DMV: https://www.dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-record-services-and-suspensions
- North Dakota Courts: https://www.ndcourts.gov
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: nhtsa.gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute: law.cornell.edu/wex
Statute reference: N.D.C.C. § 39-06-49(2)(i)–(j) (reinstatement fees: 50 standard, 25 for suspensions under 39-06-03(3), (4), or (6) or 39-06-32(2), 100 for suspensions resulting from a violation of 39-08-01 or ch. 39-20; revocation reinstatement 50, or 100 where imposed under 39-06-17(6), 39-06-31, 39-06-43, or 39-20-04); see also § 39-06-35 (restoration of suspended licenses and return upon fee payment), § 39-06-36 (restoration of revoked licenses), § 39-06-36.1 (no reinstatement fee after successful treatment court completion), ch.
39-16.1 (proof of financial responsibility / SR-22), and § 39-06.1-11 (temporary restricted license). Full chapter text: https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c06.pdf
Other North Dakota rules to know: Several rules are distinctive to North Dakota. Points suspensions are calculated as 7 days of suspension for each point over 11, so 12 points is a 7-day suspension, 13 points is 14 days, and so on — and points do not start reducing until that suspension is fully served. “No liability insurance” is unusual in that NDDOT assigns it escalating point values of 6, 12, or 14 depending on the offense level, so an insurance violation alone can push you over the 12-point suspension threshold.
Under N.D.C.C. 39-06-37, a suspension is deemed to commence when the order is delivered, and constructive delivery is considered to occur 48 hours after the order is mailed to your address of record — so the clock may already be running before you have the paper in hand. For a second or subsequent DUI under 39-08-01, a Temporary Restricted License will only be issued on the condition that you participate in the 24/7 Sobriety Program (SFN 60363), and violating the program conditions cancels the TRL permanently for that suspension.
If you are convicted of violating the terms of a restricted license while the underlying suspension was for DUI or an implied-consent matter under ch. 39-20, the Director must extend the underlying suspension. FTA suspensions for noncriminal traffic violations may be of indefinite duration until you clear the matter with the court, but they carry no additional suspension period beyond the failure to appear.
Child support suspensions are imposed under N.D.C.C. 14-08.1-07 and NDDOT may not even renew your license while that suspension is in place, although a temporary work permit may be issued on the court’s recommendation if the court finds you are making a good-faith effort to comply.
Stopping payment on a reinstatement fee check or card transaction causes the Director to reimpose the suspension. This is general information, not legal advice — confirm your specific requirements with the NDDOT Driver License Division or your court.
This North Dakota license reinstatement guide was last verified against official sources in August 2026. Fees change by legislation — confirm the current amount with the North Dakota DMV before paying.
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Key Takeaways: North Dakota License Reinstatement
- The short version: everything below about north Dakota License Reinstatement comes from the official sources listed at the end of this guide, and the verification date is printed there too.
- Act on the deadline first: whatever else is true of north Dakota License Reinstatement, the date printed on your paperwork controls your options — almost every remedy on this page gets harder after it passes.
- Confirm locally: rules around north Dakota License Reinstatement are set by statute but applied by individual courts and agencies, so the office named on your notice is the final word on your case.
- Keep your paper trail: every step you take on north Dakota License Reinstatement — calls, payments, filings — is worth documenting, because the record you keep is the record that protects you later.
- Costs compound: the cheapest version of north Dakota License Reinstatement is almost always the version handled earliest — every stage of delay adds fees that nobody is obligated to remove.
- Verify before you drive: with anything touching north Dakota License Reinstatement, completing the steps is not the finish line — the official record showing you clear is, so confirm it before assuming you are done.
- Small errors are the common trap: a large share of avoidable problems with north Dakota License Reinstatement come from mismatched names, old addresses, or missed mail — update your records with the agency before anything else.
- Ask before you assume: the office handling north Dakota License Reinstatement answers questions every day, and a five-minute call about your specific case beats a general answer from any website, including this one.
Bottom line on north Dakota License Reinstatement: move before the deadline, confirm every step in writing, and treat the official record — not your memory — as the final word on where north Dakota License Reinstatement stands.
Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal advice. Fines, points, and procedures are estimates for general guidance and change when state laws change. Always verify the exact amount and process with your state DMV or the court listed on your citation, and consult a licensed traffic attorney in your state for advice on your specific situation.