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Written by:
Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Question: Does any state not check the NDR (National Driver Register)?

Answer: No, there is not any state that is not part of the National Driver Register (NDR). All states within the United States will check the NDR if you apply for or apply to renew a driver’s license.

In all states, when a person applies for a driver’s license, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or state licensing agency must check the National Driver Register database to determine if the applicant has been identified as a problem driver in another state. If a match is found in NDR, state officials are directed to another state DMV system for details on the traffic conviction or status of the license.

The NDR database keeps information on drivers whose licenses have been revoked, suspended, canceled or denied, or convicted of serious traffic-related offenses. All 51 U.S. jurisdictions provide this information. If you have a hold on your license in one state, it will show up on the NDR when any other state checks it.

It is a federal requirement that the DMV check applicants against NDR. This federal government mandate intends to prevent problem drivers from shopping around for a license. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the administrator of the NDR, and NHTSA doesn’t want a person to be able to go to a different state to get a new driver’s license when their current license has sanctions against it. Keeping problem drivers off the road is critical to the NHTSA’s goal of reducing highway fatalities and injuries.

The NDR contains a listing of names and related identification, provided by state licensing officials, of problem drivers whose driver’s licenses have been canceled, denied, revoked or suspended or contain convictions for serious traffic violations like a DUI.

How to check the NDR’s Problem Driver Pointer System

Since all 50 states within the United States (and the District of Columbia) look at the Problem Driver Pointer System and National Driver Register when a person applies for a driver’s license or is trying to renew a license, you will need to work out your problems, suspension in your case, with your current state to get a valid driver’s license again in your current state or any other state.

With a license suspension in one state, you should be listed on this national database. If you are curious about your status, input the following information into the PDPS site:

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Driver’s license number
  • Reporting state

Typically, if your license is suspended in one state, you must correct the problem in that state and get that license reinstated before you apply and obtain a new driver’s license in another state. States will allow you to exchange an out-of-state license for a new one when you move to a state within the U.S., but the driver’s license you are turning in must be valid.

If your driver’s license was wrongfully suspended in your current state, work to get the suspension overturned or lifted. Once your driver’s license is no longer suspended, any hold on your license listed on the NDR should be taken off so that you can get a license in another state if you have moved.

Resources & Methodology

Sources:

U.S. Department of Transportation’s NHTSA. “National Driver Registry FAQ.” Accessed January 2023.

Laura Longero

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Laura Longero

Executive Editor

Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

John McCormick

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John McCormick

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John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.

Leslie Kasperowicz

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Leslie Kasperowicz

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Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.

Nupur Gambhir

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Nupur Gambhir

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Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.

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Executive Editor

Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.