Vermont is a tourist state. At Burke Law, many of the Vermont DUIs we defend involve operators with out of state driver’s licenses. If you are charged with DUI in Vermont and have an out of state driver’s license it is important to understand how the consequences of conviction could impact you differently than a Vermont resident.
When you receive a DUI in Vermont it typically has two components: a DUI civil and a DUI criminal.
If you receive a license suspension as a part of a DUI civil or criminal it can impact your privilege to operate in Vermont and outside of Vermont.
If you are a Vermont licensed driver and your license becomes suspended by the Vermont DMV it is suspended everywhere until you reinstate. If you are not a Vermont licensed driver and the Vermont DMV suspends your privilege to operate it is limited to Vermont. At first, this sounds great – I’m only suspended in Vermont, yay! There is a catch: all states are members of the Interstate Compact. The theme of the Interstate Compact is “One Driver, One License, One Record.” In other words, the home (or issuing) state would treat the offense as if it had been committed at home, applying home state laws to the out-of-state offense. If the home state applies it own suspension with its own requirements for reinstatement it can result in double penalties and excess barriers to reinstatement.
If you are an out of state licensed driver who receives a DUI in Vermont it is important to contact an experienced Vermont DUI defense lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights and privilege to operate in all states.
