How to Find and Expunge Your Georgia DWI Record

The Georgia State uses DUI as an umbrella term for all kinds of impaired driving caused by intoxication due to alcohol, illegal drugs or even prescription drugs. In legal terms, both Georgia DWI and Georgia DUI are same and have same consequences. Once arrested for Georgia DWI, you will be subjected to several penalties like fines up to $1,000, jail time of minimum 24 hours which can extend up to 12 months, attending mandatory Risk Reduction Programs, license suspension for at least one year and probation of one year. The punishments increase with repeat offenses. And above all, there is the permanent blemish on your driving record.

If there has been any conviction, guilty plea or no contest plea for Georgia DWI, it is going to be included in your driving history as well criminal records. It does not disappear from your records in five or ten years if you maintain a clean driving record after the conviction. Guilty or no-contest pleas are reported to the State Department of Public Safety and from there, the report is forwarded to National Driver License Registry.

Obtaining Your DWI Record

To get your record of Georgia DWI or DUI, you will need to request for your driving record. Obtaining this record is not a difficult task. You can view it online from the website of Motor Vehicles Report at https://online.dds.ga.gov/onlineservices/MVRInfo.aspx. You will need to request a password from Department of Motor Vehicles which will be sent to your residential address within ten to fifteen business days. If you want a copy of this non-certified version of your record, give the essential details including credit card number to process the transaction.

If you want a certified copy, you will need to visit your local DMV office and apply for it personally. If you reside outside of Georgia, you can apply for the Georgia DWI records via postal service. Download the request form from http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/DDS-18.pdf and send it to MVR with your full name, date of birth, residential address, driving license number or any identification number, and a stamped and self-addressed envelope. You must also mention that you need a notarized copy of the record and sign the letter. This letter should be mailed to

Georgia Department of Driver Services
MVR Unit
P.O. Box 80447
Conyers, GA 30013

Whether you process your request online, in person or through mail, the cost is the same. The fee for the record of last three years is $6 and last seven years is $8. Any discrepancy in the record can result in greater consequences like increased insurance premiums, chance of higher tuition in the university of your choice or even may cost a good job. If you find any error in your Georgia DWI report, immediately call at (678) 413-8400 to resolve it. Employers, landlords or insurance companies can request for your driving records in order to check your Georgia DWI records, but their request is processed only when they furnish a letter notarized  with your signature of approval.

Expunging DWI Records

Expungement is sealing a Georgia DWI record and has very strict rules. Not all cases can be expunged. One of the few exceptions included in this category are juvenile records. If the DWI offender was under age at the time of offense, he or she served the sentence successfully and has not offended again, his or her record can be sealed or expunged on the 21st birthday. An adult offender’s Georgia DWI record can be expunged only when there had been detention without any conviction. However, not all petitions of DWI record expungement get mandatory approval.

If you want to expunge this arrest record so that your employers do not find it, you can apply for it in the court of conviction. You may file a petition with the District Court. A judge would notify the district attorney and all those who have any relevance with this case. When they submit their no-objection report, your expungement will be granted. If any of the agencies object, then the court will give a date for hearing. In this hearing, it will be determined whether you are eligible for Georgia DWI record expungement or not. If your plea for sealing is not approved, you can further apply in the Superior Court of that county. Once your record is expunged, it is as good as has never been committed. Thus, you are no longer obligated to state that once you had an arrest record and now it has been dismissed.