To check your driver’s license status in Illinois, buy a certified copy of your driving record from the Secretary of State. You have three ways to do it: order online at ilsos.gov for $20, mail in a request form with a $20 check, or walk into any Driver Services facility and ask at the counter. The abstract tells you whether your license is valid, suspended, or revoked, and lists what’s on your record.
Order Your Record Online
The Secretary of State runs a self-service portal at apps.ilsos.gov/drivingrecord that delivers your abstract immediately after payment. It’s the fastest option, but the identity check is strict. Everything you enter has to match the physical license in your wallet.1Illinois Secretary of State. Driving Record Abstract
You’ll be asked for:
- Driver’s license number
- Date of birth
- Last four digits of your Social Security number
- The issue date and expiration date printed on the card
- License class
- Height and weight as printed on your license
- The DD number (a security code on the card)
Before you can pay, you complete an electronic affirmation, under penalty of perjury, that the record is your own and your information is accurate. The fee is $20, set by statute.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/6-118 – Fees Major credit and debit cards are accepted, and once payment clears the record is available to view or download right away.
Request a Record by Mail
If you’d rather have a paper copy sent to you, download the Abstract Request Form (DSD DC 164) from the Secretary of State’s website and fill it out completely.3Illinois Secretary of State. Driving Record Abstract Request Form Include a check or money order for $20 made out to the Secretary of State. Don’t send cash.
Mail the form and payment to:
Secretary of State
Driver Services Department
Driver’s Analysis
2701 S. Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, IL 62723
Plan on roughly 10 business days from the time your envelope reaches Springfield.3Illinois Secretary of State. Driving Record Abstract Request Form Postal delays can stretch that.
Visit a Driver Services Facility
Any Driver Services facility can look up your record while you wait. Use the DMV Facility Finder at apps.ilsos.gov to locate the office nearest you.4Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Secretary of State – DMV Facility Finder Most offices use a take-a-number system, and wait times depend on the day and location.
A clerk can tell you on the spot whether your license is valid, suspended, or revoked. If you need an official printed abstract to give to an employer, insurer, or court, you’ll pay the same $20 fee at the counter.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/6-118 – Fees This route makes sense when you want a document in hand today and don’t want to fight through the online portal’s identity verification.
What the Abstract Actually Tells You
Illinois issues more than one version of the driving record, and they’re not interchangeable. A standard public driving record shows your license status, expiration date, and license class. A court-purposes abstract goes further and includes every suspension, revocation, traffic violation conviction, crash involvement record, and any periods of court supervision.
Each entry on the record is coded with a number. Crash involvement, traffic violation convictions, court supervision entries, statutory summary suspensions, and mandatory insurance conviction suspensions each appear as separate coded items.
If someone else is asking to see your record, confirm which version they need before you order. A basic public record won’t satisfy a request that requires the full court-purposes abstract, and you’ll end up paying twice.
What to Do If Your License Is Suspended or Revoked
If the abstract comes back showing anything other than “valid,” don’t drive. A first offense of driving on a suspended or revoked license is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois and carries up to 364 days in jail. If the revocation was DUI-related, a conviction carries a mandatory minimum of 10 consecutive days in jail or 30 days of community service. Repeat offenses can escalate to Class 4 or Class 2 felonies, and DUI-related repeat offenders are ineligible for probation.
The Secretary of State can suspend or revoke a license for a range of reasons: three moving violation convictions within 12 months, DUI (including any trace of alcohol for drivers under 21), unresolved traffic citations that are punishable by imprisonment, unpaid court-ordered child support under the Family Financial Responsibility Law, and being in an accident while uninsured, among others.5Illinois Secretary of State. Losing Your Driving Privileges6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/6-206 – Discretionary Authority to Suspend or Revoke Failure-to-appear suspensions are the ones that catch people off guard: a ticket you assumed was handled can quietly put your license in jeopardy months later.
Reinstatement Fees
Reinstatement fees depend on why you were suspended or revoked:
- Traffic- or court-related suspensions (failure to appear, child support, parking/tollway violations, safety responsibility, zero tolerance): $70 per suspension
- Mandatory insurance conviction suspension: $100
- First-offense DUI summary suspension: $250
- Multiple-offense DUI summary suspension: $500
- Revocations: $500, which can only be processed after the Administrative Hearings Department issues a reinstatement recommendation and your SR-22 certificate is on file7Illinois Secretary of State. Driver’s License Reinstatement Fees
Most reinstatement fees can be paid online at apps.ilsos.gov/reinstatementfees. Paying the fee alone doesn’t restore your license. Your notice from the Secretary of State will list every condition you have to satisfy first.
Hearings and SR-22 Insurance
Revocations and some suspensions require an administrative hearing. Informal hearings are walk-in and handle standard license issues, single-offense DUI cases, and suspension disputes. Formal hearings are required for multiple DUI offenders and revocations tied to serious offenses like fatal crashes; they require a written request and a non-refundable $50 filing fee.8Illinois Secretary of State. Formal and Informal Hearings
If your license was revoked, or if you were suspended for an uninsured accident or certain insurance-related convictions, you’ll also need to file an SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility. Your insurer files it with the Secretary of State to prove you carry at least the state minimum liability coverage, and it has to stay in effect for three years. Renew it at least 45 days before it expires; if the SR-22 lapses, your insurance company is required to notify the Secretary of State, and your record is suspended again until new coverage is on file.9Illinois Secretary of State. Financial Responsibility (SR-22) Insurance