North Dakota driver's license reinstatement: fees, steps and timing

How much is the reinstatement fee?

NDDOT "may not release any suspended driving privileges without first collecting" a reinstatement fee. The amount depends on why you were suspended:

Fee	Suspensions it covers
$25	Failing to file a medical or vision report, failing to meet medical or vision requirements, failing to take or pass a test
$50	12 or more points, failing to appear or post bond, failing to pay a fine or serve a sentence, failing to provide proof of insurance or keep liability insurance, failing to pay child support, driving under suspension
$100	Blood alcohol over the legal limit, actual physical control, implied consent refusal, driving under revocation

How do I find out what I still owe?

Look yourself up in NDDOT's Pay Reinstatement Fee/Outstanding Requirements System. It lists every requirement still open on your record. NDDOT's rule is that "once all requirements have been met and required time has been served you are eligible to be reinstated."

Your order of suspension also lists the requirements and the length. NDDOT mails it when it acts on your license.

How do I pay?

1. Online, through the same system. You need your name, your driver identification number and a credit or debit card, and you have to pay the full $50 or $100.
2. By phone: call 701-328-2604 with a debit or credit card. For a medical, vision or re-examination suspension, call 701-328-4353 instead. Those can't be paid online.
3. By mail: send a check or money order payable to the Driver License Division, 608 E. Blvd Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505.

The phone line is answered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Is a suspension the same as a revocation?

No. After a suspension you get your license back when the time is served and the requirements are met. After a revocation you do all of that and also retake the written and road tests.

Can I drive to work in the meantime?

Possibly, with a temporary restricted license, which NDDOT also calls a work permit. It's for drivers 18 and older, covers work, school and essential needs, and starts only after you've served part of the suspension with no driving. You apply on form SFN 2254. See the temporary restricted license.

What if I was suspended for points?

At 12 points NDDOT suspends your license for 7 days for each point over 11, and the reinstatement fee is $50. When you finish the suspension, your total is set to 11.

A defensive driving course won't shorten the suspension. If you send NDDOT a certificate while you're at 12 or more, the 3-point reduction is applied after you serve it. It can still be worth taking, because it moves you from 11 to 8 and away from the next suspension. Suspended for points has the day counts.

What if I'm under 18?

At 6 points your license or permit is canceled, not suspended. NDDOT says you then start over as if you'd never had one: written test, vision test, parent's permission, an instruction permit held for at least 12 months if you're under 16 or 6 months if you're under 18, and driver's education before the road test. No work permit is available under 18. See under 18 cancellation.

What can't this page answer?

Alcohol-related suspensions come with their own conditions, such as the 24/7 Sobriety Program for a work permit after a second offense, and insurance filing requirements. Your order of suspension and NDDOT's requirements system are the authority for your case. Call 701-328-2604 if they don't match what you expected.