Driving Without a Valid License, or While Suspended
625 ILCS 5/6-303 — driving while suspended or revoked is a Class A misdemeanor
No one may drive a motor vehicle on a highway in Illinois without a valid license or permit, an Illinois mobile driver's license, or a restricted driving permit.
Who handles this in Illinois: Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Lawyer Finder; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Illinois directory.
Driving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle on a highway while the license, permit or privilege to drive is suspended or revoked, outside what a driving permit allows, is a Class A misdemeanor.
- A second or later violation is a Class 4 felony where the driving is the proximate cause of a crash that injures or kills someone else.
- Driving while revoked for reckless homicide, or for an aggravated DUI that caused a death, is a Class 4 felony.
No license and no insurance. A driver with no valid license who is also uninsured has the vehicle impounded on the spot. It is released to a licensed driver who shows proof of insurance and the owner's notarized written consent.
Sources for this section (2)
- 625 ILCS 5/6-101 — Drivers must have licenses or permits
- 625 ILCS 5/6-303 — Driving while driver's license, permit, or privilege to operate a motor vehicle is suspended or revoked
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Illinois attorney.