The Michigan Secretary of State (SOS), the licensing agency for MI, does not require proof of insurance for obtaining a driver's license but does owners of passenger vehicles, vans, and light trucks must purchase Michigan no-fault insurance before registering their vehicle. Out-of-state insurance policies cannot be used to meet Michigan insurance requirements for registering a vehicle.

You are required by law to keep your Michigan no-fault insurance certificate in your vehicle or carry it with you when you drive. If you cannot show proof of insurance to a law enforcement officer, the court may order the Secretary of State to suspend your driver license. Until proof of insurance is shown, the Secretary of State will not renew, transfer, or replace your vehicle’s license plate. You may be required to prove the vehicle is insured for not less than six months and pay $50, plus any other fees required by law. The plate could also be canceled if proof of insurance is not produced.

The SOS does not mention that you must show proof of insurance to have a license, but if you were the owner a car you need to have car insurance to register and keep registration current on your vehicle. You can check with the Michigan Secretary of State or MI insurance regulator for information on all Michigan insurance laws.

So while you may not need car insurance just to have a MI driver's license you will want to make sure if you are using a car that it has insurance on it and that it would extend to you if you borrow the car. This means that if you live in a household with cars than normally you would need to be on the policy of the car owners to be covered properly. If you do not have any auto insurance policy you could be put on and do not own a car yourself but you want coverage for when you drive others vehicle you can get a non-owners policy.

Non-owners insurance is meant to give coverage to a motorist liability protection for when they are at fault in an accident but do not own a vehicle. Non-owners policies can typically include Liability, Medical Payments, and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverages.