One of the more common problems our Santa Rosa clients encounter is coming from another state on vacation, for a business meeting, a wedding, etc., and getting a DUI in California and then returning to their home state. Inevitably, they will receive a letter from DMV indicating that a hold will be placed on their license and it will continue to be suspended until such time as they complete a First Offender or Multiple Offender DUI program in California.

A different scenario occurs when a person lives in California and gets a DUI here but then moves out of state and completes a DUI program in another state but the program has not been approved by DMV. DMV does not accept completion of a DUI program in another state. The court may accept an out of state program to satisfy the conditions of probation but not DMV.

An experienced Santa Rosa DUI attorney can help you in this regard, especially if you have moved to another state from California and there is a hold on your license from the State of California. A Santa Rosa DUI lawyer can acquire a DUI school waiver for you which allows someone who lives in another state to drive in California. This waiver will then prevent the out of state driver from acquiring a California license for three years after the waiver is filed. This waiver is also a once in a lifetime waiver but it will remove the hold on the California license. An SR-22 insurance form may also have to be on file with DMV. If an out of state driver was to accomplish this process and then return to California within three years of acquiring the waiver, the correct California DUI program would then have to be completed.

For more information about California DMV issues, click here.