To check if your New Jersey driver’s license is suspended, call the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) at 609-292-6500 or request your driver abstract online.

A New Jersey driver’s license can be suspended for a variety of infractions, from moving violations and drug offenses to failure to pay child support.

You can check the status of your license and review your driving record by phone, online, or in person at the DMV.

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How to lower New Jersey car insurance costs

How to check the status of your license in New Jersey

The easiest way to find out if your New Jersey driver’s license is suspended is to call the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission at 609-292-6500 or 1-888-486-3339. You can check the status of your license and request a driver history abstract, which summarizes the reason for your suspension.

You can also

request your driver abstract online

or go to an MVC location near you to inquire about your license suspension. Whether you check the status of your suspended license online, in person, or by phone, be sure to ask about:

The

reason for the suspension

(e.g. DUI, driving without insurance, unpaid child support, exceeding the number of

violation points

permitted by NJ’s point system)

The duration of the suspension

Any steps you need to take to

reinstate your license

(e.g. paying outstanding fines or taking a defensive driving course)

MORE: The traffic tickets that have the greatest effect on your car insurance rates

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How to get a NJ driver’s license reinstated

If your driving privileges have been suspended by the state of New Jersey, you need two things to get them back: time and money.

There’s a $100 reinstatement fee for any suspended license in New Jersey—but just paying the restoration fee might not be enough to get your license back. You’ll also need to serve the full court-ordered suspension period, which varies based on the type of offense that led to the suspension in the first place.

For example,

a first-offense DWI

with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .10% or more comes with a mandatory suspension for a minimum of three months, along with vehicle impoundment, at least 30 days of jail time, and fines from $300 to $500.

But if you’re convicted of a second offense, your license could be suspended for one year to two years. Whatever the period of suspension attached to your license, you’ll need to wait until the full term is up before you can pay for a reinstatement.

Depending on the reason for the suspension, you might also need to:

Provide proof of payment for any NJMVC surcharges

Complete an Intoxicated Driving Resource Center (IDRC) program or another driver improvement program

Complete mandatory community service

Once you’ve met all the requirements to have your driver’s license suspension lifted, you’ll need to send the license restoration fee to the NJMVC. You can

pay the fee online

or send a check or money order (payable to NJMVC) to the following address:

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission

P.O. Box 165

Trenton, NJ 08666-0165

Include the bottom portion of your suspension notice (if you have it) and make sure your driver’s license number is listed on any payment.

A final warning: while getting your New Jersey driver’s license reinstated can be a pain, it’s better to check off all these boxes than to drive with a suspended license.

For a first offense, the penalty for driving with a suspended license is $500 and an extra six months added to the suspension period—and the consequences just get steeper from there.

MORE: 5 traffic violations that could land you in jail

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