DUI convictions — Illinois Permit Test

A first Illinois DUI conviction results in a revocation of driving privileges for at least one year.

Revocation has no fixed end, so the year is only the point at which you may apply again. Getting the license back is a separate process.

A first conviction results in a minimum one-year revocation.

A second Illinois DUI conviction within 20 years results in a revocation of at least five years.

Twenty years is a long memory, and the jump from one year to five is the point. A second offense is treated as a pattern.

A second conviction within 20 years results in a minimum five-year revocation.

A third Illinois DUI conviction results in a revocation of at least 10 years, and a fourth or later conviction brings a lifetime revocation.

The fourth one ends driving for good. Illinois sets out the whole ladder so nobody has to guess where it stops.

A fourth and subsequent conviction results in a lifetime revocation.

A driver convicted of DUI with a blood-alcohol concentration of .16% or more, or while transporting a child under age 16, may face enhanced penalties.

Twice the limit and a child in the car are the two aggravating facts Illinois names. Both turn an ordinary DUI into something worse.

A person convicted of a DUI with a BAC of .16% or more or a DUI while transporting a child under age 16 may be subject to enhanced penalties.

Before driving privileges are restored a driver must complete an alcohol or drug evaluation, finish a rehabilitation or education program, attend an administrative hearing and pay a reinstatement fee.

The revocation period ending does not give the license back. Every one of those steps has to be done before anybody hands it over.

Before your driving privileges are restored, you must undergo an alcohol/drug evaluation, successfully complete a rehabilitation or alcohol/drug education program, have an administrative hearing with the Secretary of State, pay a reinstatement fee, and/or meet other requirements.

A DUI conviction requires a driver to file Financial Responsibility Insurance for three years.

The insurance filing is proof the state keeps watching after the license is back. Letting it lapse suspends the license again.

A DUI conviction also requires you to file Financial Responsibility Insurance for three years.

A DUI conviction or a refusal of testing in another state is reported to the Secretary of State and acted on as though it had happened in Illinois.

Crossing a state line does not leave the offense behind. The same suspension follows you home.

If an Illinois resident is convicted of DUI or refuses to submit to alcohol/drug testing in another state, the conviction or refusal will be reported to the Secretary of State’s office and be reflected on the person’s driving record. The offender will face administrative action against their driving privileges in the same way as if they were convicted of a DUI or refused chemical testing in Illinois.

What is the minimum revocation for a first Illinois DUI conviction?

One year. Revocation has no fixed end, so the year is only the point at which you may apply again. Getting the license back is a separate process. Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.50: “A first conviction results in a minimum one-year revocation.”