Minnesota Driver’s License Withdrawal
Your driver’s license may be withdrawn by suspension, revocation, or cancellation following certain traffic violations. If you commit an offense and your license is withdrawn, the Department of Public Safety will send you a notice of withdrawal and a list of requirements for reinstatement. Some of the conditions that could cause you to lose your driving privileges are listed below.
Driver’s License Suspension
Your driver’s license may be suspended, if you:
- Repeatedly violate traffic laws
- Are convicted in court for a violation that contributed to a traffic accident resulting in death, personal injury, or serious property damage
- Use, or allow someone else to use, your license for an illegal action
- Commit a traffic offense in another state that would be grounds for suspension in Minnesota
- Are judged in court to be legally unfit to drive a motor vehicle
- Fail to report a medical condition that would result in cancellation of driving privileges
- Fail to stop for a school bus with its stop arm extended and its red lights flashing, within five years of a conviction for the same offense
- Are found to possess a fake or altered license
- Make a fraudulent application for a license or identification card
- Take any part of the driver’s license examination for someone else, or allow someone else to take the examination for you
- Falsely identify yourself to a police officer
- Fail to appear in court or pay a fine on a motor vehicle-related violation when required to do so
- Are convicted of a misdemeanor for a violation of Minnesota traffic law
- Fail to pay court-ordered child support
- Use, or allow someone else to use, a license, permit, or ID card to buy tobacco products for someone who is under 18 years of age, or alcohol for someone who is under 21 years of age
- Are under 21 years of age, and the court determines that you drove a motor vehicle while consuming, or after consuming, alcohol
- Pay a fee to the state or driver’s license agent with a dishonored check (The suspension will be removed when the dishonored check and any related fees have been paid in full.)
- Are convicted for theft of gasoline
After the period of suspension has ended, your driving privileges may be reinstated, if all requirements are met. One requirement is payment of the reinstatement fee (roughly $700). If your license expired during the suspension period, or your name or address changed, you must apply for a new license and pay the appropriate fee.
Driver’s License Revocation
Your driver’s license may be revoked, if you:
- Refuse to take a test to determine whether you are under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, or you fail such a test
- Are convicted of manslaughter or any other criminal action while driving a motor vehicle
- Are convicted of driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Are convicted of a felony in which you used a motor vehicle
- Are convicted of driving in excess of 100 mph
- Are convicted of fleeing a police officer
- Are convicted of failing to stop, identify yourself, and render aid when involved in a motor vehicle accident—especially one that involves death or personal injury to others
- Are convicted of lying under oath, signing any legal document that contains false information about legal ownership or operation of a motor vehicle, or making a false statement to the Department of Public Safety or its agents about such information
- Plead guilty or forfeit bail for three violations in a single year of any Minnesota traffic law or ordinance that requires a jail sentence upon conviction
- Are convicted of an offense in another state that would be grounds for revoking your license if you were convicted in Minnesota
- Are convicted of a misdemeanor for driving a motor vehicle with prior knowledge that the owner of the vehicle did not have no-fault vehicle insurance
- Own a vehicle without no-fault insurance and are found to have driven it, or allowed others to drive it, with full knowledge that the vehicle was not insured
- Are convicted of a gross misdemeanor for failing to stop for a school bus with its stop arm extended and its red lights flashing
- Are convicted of selling or possessing a controlled substance while operating a motor vehicle
After the period of revocation has ended, your driving privileges may be reinstated if all the requirements for reinstatement are met. Requirements include payment of the reinstatement fee and passing the appropriate examinations. You must show proper identification when you take the knowledge test or road test. You must apply for a new license after all your testing requirements are met.
Limited Driver’s License
Under some circumstances, a limited license may be issued to a person whose driving privileges are revoked or suspended. Before a limited license will be issued, certain requirements must be met, including completion of any mandatory waiting periods. If you are issued a limited license, you are restricted to:
- Travel to and from your place of employment
- Travel to and from chemical dependency treatment or counseling
- Providing transportation for dependent children, and other dependents living in your household, for medical, educational, or nutritional needs
- Travel to and from a post-secondary institution at which you are enrolled
Driver’s License Cancellation in Minnesota
Your license may be canceled if you do not have a legal right to a driver’s license that was issued to you. Your license may be canceled if you:
- Acquire a mental or physical disability that makes you incapable of driving a motor vehicle safely
- Do not pass a test that is legally requested by the Department of Public Safety to determine your ability to drive safely
- Give false or misleading information on your license application
- Commit a crime for which cancellation of your license is a legal punishment
- Do not qualify for a driver’s license under Minnesota law
