As you drive around the beautiful landscape in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, your joyful day could come to an end real quickly if you see the red lights of the police in your rearview mirror. While the average encounter with the police should be a painless incident, it can get ugly in a hurry if you have blemishes on your driving record that you are unaware of at the time.
Your Minnesota driving record is a complete history of your activity on the roads, including tickets, accidents, and other violations. If you’ve missed a payment or had your license suspended, the police will know as soon as they pull you over and check your license. Avoid these embarrassing incidents by obtaining a copy of your driving record now.
What’s On My Minnesota Driving Record?
The state of Minnesota offers certified driving records and non-certified driving records. Your certified driving record shows your complete driving history. Non-certified driving records include your conviction history for the past 5 years. There are four types of information included on Minnesota driving records: public information, restricted information, private information, and confidential information.
Public information is available to anyone and includes your license status, convictions, and outstanding fines and fees, as well as a physical description. Restricted information is available to you and authorized agencies, and includes only your name, date of birth, address, and license number. Those same parties can also view your private information, which includes your Social Security number, and information on disabilities, leased vehicles, designated caregivers, and medical data.
Your confidential information is data that is submitted by your family members and describes your ability to drive. Only authorized DMV employees can access the confidential information on your Minnesota driving record.
Additional information on driving records in Minnesota includes traffic accidents, violations, license suspensions, revocations, and cancellations.
Who Can Access My Minnesota Driving Record?
Your Minnesota driving record can be accessed by your employer, potential employers, insurance companies, and lawyers. Employers can access driving records as part of employment background checks, which is particularly important if you are considering career as a commercial driver. Insurance companies use the information on your driving record to determine premiums associated with covering you and your motor vehicle.
Officers of the court can access your driving record in conjunction with any ongoing litigation stemming from traffic incidents or violations.
What are the Types of Driving Records in Minnesota?
There are two (2) types of driving records in Minnesota:
- Certified Driver Record: shows a complete record of driving history
- Non-certified Driver Record: shows only a five-year history of driver convictions
Now, depending on the purpose of your driving record, there are four (4) types of Minnesota record requests that you can make at the DVS:
- Individual Inquiry
- Citizen Crash Report
- Government Access
- Commercial Inquiry
How Can I Access My Minnesota Driving Record?
The state of Minnesota only allows access to your driving record through in-person request or submissions through the mail. You can only obtain your online record through a 3rd party service and you are not allowed to obtain a certified copy through these services.
If you would like a copy of your Minnesota driving record, the first thing you need to do is download and complete the DVS Records Request form available from the state. You’ll need to include your full name, date of birth, and driver’s license number on the form.
To complete the DVS request form, you will need to provide your personal information, the reason for the request, mailing address, or company information (if applicable).
If the request for MN Driving Record is ordered by mail, print and fill out the DVS Records Request form and mail it, along with a check payable to the Driver and Vehicle Services, to:
Driver and Vehicle Services – Central Office
Town Square Building
445 Minnesota Street, Suite 190
Saint Paul, MN 55101-5190
If you want to do it in person, print and fill out the DVS Records Request form. Then bring it to the Minnesota Central Office.
Note that if you are ordering your Minnesota driving record in person, you must contact your local DVS office to confirm their accepted payment methods.
Can I Request for Another Individual’s Driving Record?
Yes.
If you are requesting another driver’s record, make sure that you are included in the list of authorized requestors. You will also need to complete the Grant Access to Record Form with written consent.
How Much Does a Minnesota Driving Record Cost?
The Minnesota driving record fees differ depending on the type of driving record. As of September 2021, the fee for your own non-certified driving record costs $9, while another person’s non-certified driving record is $9.50. Meanwhile, your own certified driving record will cost $10, but another person’s certified driving record will be $10.50.