Rarely will the Oregon DMV accept a hand-printed SR22 certificate. Approved forms are exclusively available from a licensed and authorized insurance agent or company. A computer-printed form is acceptable on white paper as long as an authorized officer of the insurance company signs it. Also, an insurance company can send a certificate to the Salem, Oregon, address of the DMV by mail. This may take a little longer to be received than if you hand-deliver the certificate yourself. Be careful not to accept an SR22 certificate from anyone who is not a licensed agent and who only charges you for the certificate.

The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles has adopted the paper SR22 certificate format as the preferred method of communication between them and the authorized auto insurance companies. Since the pandemic crisis began in 2020, the Oregon DMV has relaxed the paper-only requirement and now accepts faxed and emailed copies of the original certificate if sent in by an authorized agent. We are licensed and have their fax number and email address! It is a specific format that places these data items in a particular order, making it easy for handling, data entry, and imaging. Here are the data items the SR22 certificate must include:

Last Name

This may seem obvious, but the SR22 Certificate must display the driver's last name exactly as it appears on their driver's license. If the driver has two last names on his license, both must be listed for the certificate to be valid. The agent or company should pay attention to the exact spelling. Any misspelling of the name may result in the rejection of the certificate.

An SR22 Named-Operator policy is a type of car insurance policy where only the operator or driver is named on the policy. The policy is so named because it assumes the insured driver does not own a car. It is also more commonly known as a Non-Owner Policy. There are rare circumstances in which a driver must carry an SR22 certificate to keep their driver's license active, but does not own a car.

Is auto insurance required by your employer or by the DMV, but you don't own a vehicle?  Many insurance companies and insurance agencies will not write what is usually referred to as "Non-Owner" insurance policies.  They are difficult to price and can be challenging to understand.  Probably the most important thing to remember is that coverage provided by these policies is best considered secondary coverage.

Oregon requires that for a vehicle to be currently registered, viewable by the public (yes, that includes sitting in your driveway), and/or driven on the roads, the owner must have insurance on that vehicle.  The car, not the driver, is required to be insured.