Oregon Driver Medical Report (DMV 735-6587): Filing and Reinstatement

The Oregon Driver Medical Report, DMV Form 735-6587, is a two-part health evaluation you complete with a licensed provider so the DMV can decide whether you can keep driving. You fill in the identifying information at the top, a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant completes the clinical section, you both sign it, and the signed form goes to Driver Specialty Services in Salem for review.¹

Who Completes Which Part

The form is a joint effort. You handle the driver section; a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant handles the medical evaluation. Both signatures are required before the DMV will process it.¹

The provider completing the form should be the one actively treating you for the conditions in question. If the DMV has already issued a suspension notice, that notice lists the specific reported concerns your provider needs to address. Bring the notice to the appointment so the provider knows exactly what has to be documented.

Filling Out the Driver Section

You can get the form from the DMV website, from any local DMV field office, or in the envelope with a suspension notice. The driver portion asks for basic identifying information: full legal name, date of birth, residential address, and Oregon driver’s license number or customer ID.

Double-check the license number. Driver Specialty Services uses it to link the medical evaluation to your driving record, and a wrong digit can slow the review down. If a suspension is already in effect, delay means more days without a license.

Filling Out the Healthcare Provider Section

The medical section is where the provider documents the clinical picture. It covers diagnostic information about any condition that could affect driving: seizure history, diabetic episodes, cardiovascular events, or other issues that could cause sudden loss of consciousness or motor control. The provider assesses your cognitive ability and physical coordination, then gives a professional recommendation on whether you can drive safely, need restrictions, or should not drive at all. The form also collects the provider’s license number and contact information so the DMV can verify the source.

Under state law, the DMV cannot base its fitness decision on a diagnosis alone. The report needs to describe how the condition actually affects your ability to drive.² A provider who writes “patient has epilepsy” and nothing more has not given the DMV enough to work with. The functional impact belongs on the form.

When Vision Is a Factor

If vision is part of the concern, the DMV may require a separate Certificate of Vision (Form 735-024) completed by an eye care professional. Oregon’s standard thresholds for unrestricted driving are at least 20/40 acuity and a 110-degree visual field with bilateral vision. Acuity between 20/40 and 20/70 can still qualify you for a daylight-only restriction.³

Where to Send the Completed Form

The signed form goes to the DMV’s Driver Specialty Services unit in Salem. You can submit by mail or by fax. Fax is faster and gives you a transmission confirmation. If you received a suspension notice, the exact mailing address and fax number are printed on it. For questions about submission or an at-risk suspension, call Driver Specialty Services at 503-945-5083.⁴

What the DMV Does After You Submit

Driver Specialty Services first screens the form against its content standards, which takes several days.⁵ From there, timing depends on how the review started.

When a healthcare provider files a mandatory report under ORS 807.710, the DMV issues a suspension that takes effect five days after notice. Reports from family, law enforcement, courts, or others come with a longer runway: 60 days before suspension, with the right to request a 30-day extension to gather documents, submit the Driver Medical Report, or retake DMV tests.⁵ In either situation, the DMV can impose an immediate suspension without a hearing if it has reason to believe the driver may endanger people or property.⁶

Restrictions the DMV Can Impose Instead of Suspending

A medical review does not always end with a full suspension. If the provider’s findings suggest you can drive with limits, the DMV can add restrictions to your license rather than pull it. Common restrictions based on vision and other medical findings include the B restriction (corrective lenses required, when acuity meets 20/40 only with glasses or contacts), the F restriction (outside mirrors required, for drivers with monocular vision), and the G restriction (daylight driving only, for acuity between 20/40 and 20/70). These can be combined; a driver with monocular vision and acuity in the 20/40–20/70 range who needs corrective lenses would carry all three.³

Getting Your License Back After a Medical Suspension

A medical suspension has no automatic expiration. It stays in place until you satisfy the DMV’s requirements or you voluntarily surrender the license.⁶ Getting back on the road typically involves:

A new Driver Medical Report, completed and signed by your treating provider, addressing the specific conditions listed in the suspension notice.
A Certificate of Vision, if vision was part of the concern.
A medical eligibility determination by the DMV’s Medical Determination Officer, who is a licensed MD, DO, NP, or PA.
Passing the same vision, knowledge, and driving skills tests any new applicant takes.

The DMV notifies you of the determination by mail. A favorable letter explains the remaining steps, such as scheduling the tests. An unfavorable one explains what needs to change and when you can try again; Oregon law lets you keep attempting reinstatement.⁴ An $85 reinstatement fee applies to most suspended licenses in Oregon.

Requesting a Hearing If You Are Suspended

If the DMV issues an immediate suspension, you have the right to a post-imposition hearing.⁶ To schedule one, call the DMV Hearings Case Management Unit at 503-945-5545. For questions about a hearing already on the calendar, call the Office of Administrative Hearings at 503-947-1608.⁴

Send any new medical documentation to both the DMV and the Office of Administrative Hearings before the hearing date. Updated evidence is sometimes enough to resolve the case without a hearing at all.⁴

Who Sees the Information on the Form

Reports filed under ORS 807.710 are confidential, and the DMV can use the medical information only to evaluate your eligibility to drive.² Reports submitted by family members or other non-law-enforcement sources are also confidential under Oregon law unless a court or administrative hearing orders disclosure.⁷

1
Oregon State Legislature. OAR 735-076-0018 – The Process When a Determination Of Medical Eligibility Is Required
2
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 807.710 – Reports of Persons With Cognitive or Functional Impairment; Rules; Forms
3
Oregon Department of Transportation. Oregon DMV Certificate of Vision
4
Oregon Department of Transportation. At-Risk Suspensions and Cancellations: Regaining or Retaining Driving Privileges
5
Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. At-Risk Driver Program for Medical Professionals
6
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 809.419 – Suspensions for Physical or Mental Condition or Impairment
7
Oregon Department of Transportation. Oregon DMV Driver Evaluation Request