Skip to main content

Clearances for Those Who no Longer Live in Michigan

Home Blog Driver's License Restoration Clearances for Those Who no Longer Live in Michigan

If a person once lived in or ever had a Michigan driver’s license that was revoked for multiple DUI’s, he or she will find themselves unable to obtain a license in another state because of what is called a Michigan “hold” upon their driving record. 

Our firm can fix that problem the first time around, and we back that up with a guarantee.

WE CAN NOW HANDLE EVERYTHING REMOTELY SO THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COME BACK HERE AND CAN GO THOUGH THE PROCESS FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME, WHEREVER IN THE WORLD YOU MAY LIVE! 

In the real world, the story often goes like this: 

Imagine that Dan the Driver used to live in Michigan, and while he was here, he accumulated multiple DUI convictions before he moved out. 

Once he gets settled in his new place, he goes to the DMV there, only to find out that he needs a “clearance” of the Michigan revocation before he can get a license,

This is true whether just 1, or even all of his DUI’s came from other states.

Let’s say, for example, that Dan lived in Michigan until 2005. 

In 2001, he got his first DUI in Ohio. Then, in 2004, he picked up his second here, in Michigan. His Michigan license would still have been revoked by the Michigan Secretary of State for picking up 2 DUI’s within 7 years. 

Moreover, he would be revoked in the same way even if both of his DUI’s occurred in Ohio, and neither of them happened in Michigan, as long as they both occurred before he formally changed his residency.

The point is that if you had a Michigan license, and you racked up multiple DUI’s – no matter in what state or states they occurred – and your Michigan license was thereafter revoked, you will be unable to obtain a driver’s license in another state until you clear the Michigan revocation (or “hold”) on your driving record. 

If you live outside of Michigan and your Michigan driver’s license has been revoked for multiple DUI’s, you can only obtain that clearance through the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight, known as OHAO.

A clearance involves the exact same process as a driver’s license restoration appeal, except that, instead of reinstating a Michigan driver’s license, a non-resident will win the removal of the Michigan hold (revocation) on his or her driving record so that he or she can then get a license in their new state.

It’s important to understand this distinction:

A person who still lives in Michigan can only obtain restoration of their Michigan driver’s license, and cannot get a clearance. 

By contrast, a non-resident cannot obtain a Michigan driver’s license, and can only get a clearance.

The Secretary of State will only grant a clearance to someone who can prove that he or she actually does live out of state, and will not grant a clearance to anyone who still lives in Michigan, even if they plan to move out of state

It really translates to this: If you live here, you get a license back. If you’ve moved out of Michigan, the Secretary of State cannot give you, as a non-resident, any kind of Michigan license, but can instead release the “hold” created by your revocation. In other words:

Former Michigan Resident: Only eligible for clearance to get out of state license

Current Michigan Resident: Only eligible for restored Michigan license

In plenty of clearance cases, my team and I have handled license appeal cases for people who have never had a Michigan driver’s license but have picked up multiple DUI’s here, and have had their Michigan driving privileges revoked, which created a hold on their license, even though it was issued by a different state.  

Although the Michigan Secretary of State has no authority over a license issued by another state, it does have the absolute power to forbid someone to drive in this state, no matter where their license was issued. That kind of revocation will absolutely become a “hold” at some point.

Often enough, our firm is contacted after a person who previously managed to get a license in another state goes to renew it, only to discover that then can’t because Michigan’s revocation of their privileges to drive here has, in the meantime, become a hold upon their license in whatever state they now live.

The bottom line is that if you have moved out of state and find yourself unable to get a license there because a Michigan hold due to multiple DUI’s, you’re going to need a clearance.

That’s where we come in.  

Remember, we GUARANTEE to win every driver’s license restoration and clearance appeal case we take, so you don’t have to worry about questions like “What are my chances?” or otherwise be concerned about risking your money with us.

If our firm handles your case, you WILL win a clearance of the Michigan hold on your driving record so that you can obtain or renew a license in another state, and get on with life.

You can’t do better than that.