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Illinois DUI hold on out of state driver’s license

Recently, a Pennsylvania man was penalized for a 1985 DUI. The driver was arrested for DUI while visiting Maine in 1985 and satisfied all the requirements of the state of Maine. However, because of bureaucratic confusion, the DUI was not reported to Pennsylvania, the state where he held a driver’s license, until 2004.

In 2009, the driver was arrested in Pennsylvania for DUI. Pennsylvania law provides that someone without a DUI conviction in the previous 10 years is entitled to more lenient treatment.

The driver argued that his previous DUI was more than 10 years old. However, because the conviction was entered on his record within the last 10 years, he was not entitled to more lenient treatment, the court ruled.


Many times, an Illinois driver’s license reinstatement lawyer encounters a situation in which you received a DUI in Illinois many years ago. You then move to another state and receive a driver’s license, and renew the license over the course of many years. Then suddenly, you go in to renew again and the DMV tells you that there is a “hold” on your license because of the Illinois DUI.

You contact the out-of-state unit of the Illinois Secretary of State. You are told that you must submit an out-of-state packet. At that point, you find out the sad truth: an Illinois DUI conviction will follow you everywhere, forever. If you are arrested for DUI, you should consult an Illinois DUI lawyer to help you avoid having a record that will haunt you for the remainder of your life.

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